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Sharad Pawar, Mamata Banerjee, Jagan and Himanta Biswa: How Congress ignored key regional leaders and eventually lost those states

Jhankar Mohta
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Sharad Pawar, Mamata Banerjee, Jagan and Himanta Biswa: How Congress ignored key regional leaders and eventually lost those states

Speculations are rife that the Rajasthan’s Congress government may also be going the Madhya Pradesh way after the infighting within the party came out in the open. Amid the ongoing political turmoil in the state of Rajasthan, deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot has made it clear that he will not attend the Rajasthan Legislature Party meeting scheduled for Monday morning.

Besides, the current Deputy CM of Rajasthan had also met Jyotiraditya Scindia on Sunday in Delhi. Scindia had recently left the post of general secretary, Congress, and joined BJP, bringing down the Kamal Nath government in the state. Pilot, on Saturday, openly rebelled, claiming that he had the support of 20-25 Congress MLAs and some independents in the state assembly. He has also stated that the Gehlot government is no longer holding a majority in Rajasthan.

Like the exit of Jyotiraditya Scindia from the grand old party forced the Congress party’s bigwig, Kamal Nath to give away his chief minister’s seat to BJP’ Shivraj Chouhan, Sachin Pilot’s departure from the party might make it difficult for Gehlot to hold on to the reins of Rajasthan.

Well, though changing political party affiliations are quite common in India, it has cost the Congress party dearly in the past. There have been many instances in the past where Congress has been left completely disintegrated in the state where its prominent members have quit to either merge into others or to form their own party.

Mamata Banerjee left Congress to form TMC

TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee’s story by far remains the biggest success story of any erstwhile Congress leader forming their own political party. After being a member of the Indian National Congress for over 26 years, Mamata Banerjee formed her own party of Bengal, the Trinamool Congress, which was registered with the Election Commission of India during mid-December 1999.

Mamata, who was once sidelined by the Congress taking away her chance to be state president, had, after 13 years of separating from the grand old party, routed the formidable Left in West Bengal to come to power. Eventually, in 2016, she crushed the Left as well as the Congress and won a second term. Mamata Banerjee had by now reduced the Congress to a poor second in Bengal politics. As years passed and BJP gained significance in the state of Bengal, Congress, with which Mamata had once allied at the centre, was pushed to a zero in the state.

Sharad Pawar left Congress to form NCP

Sharad Pawar, the veteran politician considered to be the stabilising force in the Shiv Sena-INC-NCP coalition in Maharashtra, was once a member of the grand old party. In 1999, Pawar rebelled when Sonia Gandhi took over as party President. Protesting her foreign origin, Pawar had broken his ties with the Congress and floated his own party, the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP).

The party, however, remained a crucial ally of INC in Maharashtra and the UPA government at the Centre for almost 15 years, until it was defeated by the BJP in 2014.

After its complete decimation in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, Maharashtra assembly polls and again in the 2019 general elections, Congress in its desperation to regain its foothold in Maharashtra, allied with NCP and Shiv Sena to form the Maha Vikas Aghadi, a political coalition formed after the 2019 Maharashtra Legislative Assembly election under the leadership of Sharad Pawar of the NCP, Uddhav Thackeray of Shiv Sena and Sonia Gandhi of the Congress Party.

When Pawar went away from Congress, with him went a significant chunk from Congress’ vote share in the state.

After the partnership, Congress has many a time stated in the public that its views were not being taken into account while making decisions. With the key decisions now being taken by the Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray in consultation with NCP supremo Sharad Pawar, Congress leaders in Maharashtra feel that their party is being sidelined by the Shiv Sena and NCP in the government.

YSR Jagan Mohan Reddy

Jagan Mohan Reddy broke his ties with INC to form his own party, the YSR Congress in 2011 after he felt the Congress was attempting to create division in the family. Jagan’s father, YS Rajasekhara Reddy was one of the favourite chief ministers of Congress president Sonia Gandhi. After his sudden death in a helicopter crash, the relations between the Congress party’s supremos and the Reddy family turned bitter. Reddy’s son Jagan Mohan felt that the Congress was trying to scuttle his political ambition and he left the party in 2011 to lead the YSR Congress, named after his father.

The grand old party had won all the state elections from the emergence of Andhra Pradesh on 1 October 1953 till 1983. It again re-emerged in 1989 and lasted in power until the elections of 1994. Again, under YS Rajasekhara Reddy (YSR), the Indian National Congress party won the 2004 elections as part of a coalition with TRS. In the 2009 Andhra Pradesh assembly elections the Indian National Congress under the leadership of YSR again won a simple majority by winning 156 of 294 assembly seats.

However, in 2014 Telangana was carved out of Andhra Pradesh. The Telangana movement which was spearheaded by KCR gave him immense popularity and he went on to win the 2014 elections with a thumping majority.

The year, 2019, however, saw the emergence of YSR Congress under the leadership of Jagan Mohan Reddy. He alone swept the elections with a majority and 151 seats and went on to become the CM of Andhra Pradesh on 30 May 2019. His spilt with the Congress party left the later completely decimated in the state.

After YSR’s death, Jagan had hoped to be the next CM. The party leaders, the cabinet and MLAs were almost all in Jagan’s favour. But Sonia had appointed a Gandhi family loyalist K Rosaiah as the CM.

Jagan had quit Congress after an incident where his widowed mother Vijayalakshmi and sister Sharmila were ‘insulted’ and mistreated by Congress supremo Sonia Gandhi, reports say. In 2010, Vijayamma and Sharmila Reddy had visited 10 Janpath to meet Sonia Gandhi. Instead of a warm welcome, as the late YSR Reddy shared a good rapport with Sonia, they were reportedly treated badly and Sonia asked Vijayamma to tell her son, Jagan, to immediately stop his outreach campaign in villages, says a report in News 18.

Outraged over the misbehaviour, Jagan Reddy had reportedly swore vengeance against the Congress. He was later jailed in a disproportionate assets case and spent over 18 months in prison. He eventually built up his party’s strength brick by brick, and in the 2019 assembly elections, decimated the TDP to form government in Andhra Pradesh with an overwhelming majority. The Congress now lies in ruins in Andhra Pradesh. Congress, who had once ruled over the undivided Andhra for decades, failed to win even a single seat and got just 1.17% votes.

Himanta Biswa Sarma

Assam health minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, who emerged as a game-changer for the BJP in the state in the 2016 elections, had left INC to join BJP in 2015 over ideological differences. Sarma, widely seen as the man who was responsible for BJP’s victory in Assam, had once called Rahul Gandhi an “arrogant” man and said that whenever anyone goes to see him, the meeting is like a “servant-master relationship which is disgusting.”

After the historic win of BJP in 2016, Sarma had said: “This victory of BJP has been historic. It is more significant and sweet to me as it has come just after I was insulted and humiliated in the Congress party by its vice-president Rahul Gandhi and chief minister Tarun Gogoi,” alleging that when a fight broke out in a meeting of Assam Congress leaders that he had called, party vice-president Rahul Gandhi seemed oblivious and more interested in his dog. 

It is believed that Himanta Biswa Sarma was the chief architect of the Congress victory in Assam in 2011, but he left the grand old party and joined the BJP in 2015. After Biswa turned his back to the Congress party, the later lost its hold in the state. In 2016, BJP secured a historic victory in the north-eastern state of Assam by winning 60 of the 126 seats, and securing 86 seats for the NDA alliance, while the Congress party won merely 25 seats.

Conclusion

Well, heading the central government for more than 54 years, the history of the Congress, until recently, ran almost parallel with the history of India. For so many years the grand old party dominated at the central as well as the state levels. However, over the years, probably due to nepotism and dominance of the Gandhi-Nehru dynasty, many regional leaders have ditched the party to either merge into others or to form their own party, leaving the Congress decimated in many states where it once held preponderance.

Both Sachin Pilot and Jyotiraditya Scindia were said to be deserving candidates for the CM’s post. But, while the Congress high command prefers loyalists over deserving candidates, it is also said that it does not want young leaders like Sachin and Scindia to ‘give competition’ to Rahul Gandhi.

Uttar Pradesh govt starts door-to-door medical screening for coronavirus

OpIndia Staff
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Uttar Pradesh govt starts door-to-door medical screening for coronavirus

Door-to-door screening for Chinese coronavirus has begun in Uttar Pradesh. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, in a tweet on Saturday had said that medical screening and testing are the most important means to prevent the spread of coronavirus infection.

CM Yogi Adityanath has given the instructions to the officials to conduct door-to-door medical screening. “If anyone is found to have symptoms, the health officials will take the sample for testing,” he added. Everyone should be aware and alert, as staying protected is the best treatment.

Awanish Awasthi, Additional Chief Secretary Uttar Pradesh, said during a press conference that more than 1.40 lakh teams have been formed for medical screening tasks. Yogi Adityanath has instructed to increase testing capacity continuously. The testing capacity via RTPCR testing has reached 30,000 per day in the state. “15,000 to 20,000 antigen tests will be conducted now, and 2,000 tests should be conducted per day via True Net machine,” he added.

On 27th June, the UP government announced door-to-door screening in Noida and five other worst-hit districts. The campaign was launched on 5th July and was extended to the whole state by the Chief Minister on 11th July. Few netizens tweeted about the notification they had received from the authorities informing them about the scheduled screening.

More than a million and a half migrant workers returned to their homes in UP amid lockdown. Yogi government also announced special packages to ensure the migrant workers can find work in their home states and do not have to leave again for work. 

According to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, there are 12,208 active cases of coronavirus in Uttar Pradesh. 982 people have lost their lives due to complications associated with coronavirus infection. The state is currently testing more than 20,000 samples daily and the Yogi government is determined to increase the capacity to 50,000 tests per day.

While Congress leaves doors open for Sachin Pilot’s return, his posters removed from Rajasthan Congress office

OpIndia Staff
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While Congress leaves doors open for Sachin Pilot’s return, his posters removed from Rajasthan Congress office

As the high-voltage political drama continues in Rajasthan, Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala, ahead of the legislative party meeting in Jaipur, has said that the Congress party’s doors for the disenchanted leader Sachin Pilot and his supporters are open and shall always remain open.

“Ahead of the meeting, I urge all MLAs to attend to support and help strengthen the party. I admit there are differences of opinions among us but that is normal in any political situation. However, allowing this misunderstanding to be exploited by the BJP is not right. No matter how high your position in the party. The government in Rajasthan was people’s mandate. Our doors are and shall always remain open for Sachin Pilot and his supporters. We can sit and iron out differences together,” Surjewala said while addressing the media.

The Congress spokesperson also added that party’s forum should be used to air grievances and not the external platforms which is against the party discipline and provides an opportunity for other political parties to exploit the differences.

Congress leadership constantly in touch with Sachin Pilot

Stating that the Congress leadership had had multiple conversations with Sachin Pilot in the span of last 48 hours, Surjewala said, “In the last 48 hours, the Congress leadership is constantly in touch with Sachin Pilot and have spoken to him a number of times about the present political situation in the state. You cannot solve any issue by breaking away from the family. It will not only hurt the party but you as well.”

BJP uses ED, CBI and Income Tax against political opponents

Taking a dig at the central government on the ongoing raids at the premises of Gehlot’s aides, Surjewala said that the BJP government at the centre has three frontal organisation–Enforcement Directorate, Central Bureau of Investigation and Income Tax department which they unleash against their political opponents to gain benefits when there is a looming political crisis.

“The Income Tax Department, Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) are the frontal organisations of the BJP. There are always ready to come to the fore front each time there is some political crisis, with wrong intentions. They are unable to bribe the MLAs, precisely why they have called the IT. I can assure you that the ED will come by afternoon followed by the CBI,” Surjewala said.

Posters of Sachin Pilot removed from Rajasthan Congress office

While the Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala is making overtures to Sachin Pilot and his disgruntled supporters to return to the Congress party, posters of the Deputy Chief Minister of Rajasthan–Sachin Pilot have been removed from the Congress office in Jaipur.

The development came a day after Pilot claimed that the Ashok Gehlot government in Rajasthan is in the minority as over 30 legislators are supporting him. Pilot has skipped the legislative meeting and is currently camping in the national capital with his 12 MLAs. About 94 MLAs are at present attending the Congress meeting that is underway at Ashok Gehlot’s residence in Jaipur.

All you need to know about Ashok Gehlot’s links to the Fairmont Hotel that is being raided by ED

OpIndia Staff
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The Enforcement Directorate conducted raids on the Fairmont Hotel in Jaipur on Monday where Ratan Kant Sharma, close aide of Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot’s son, Vaibhav Gehlot, has stakes. Sharma is alleged to have received Rs. 96.7 crore from Mauritius. He was summoned by the ED four days previously. Sharma is business partners with Vaibhav Gehlot.

It has also been reported that Ashok Gehlot intended to move his MLAs to the Fairmont Hotel. It is also pertinent to note that Vaibhav Gehlot was alleged to have received money from a fictitious entity in Mauritius as well. A complaint was registered with the Enforcement Directorate in 2015 by Jaipur residents Suraj Kumar Soni and Rajkumar Sharma.

The complainants claimed that Shivnar Holding Ltd of Mauritius bouth about 2500 shares of one Triton Hotels and Resorts Pvt Ltd on July 6, 2011 at the price of Rs. 39,900 each when a share was valued at Rs. 100. “Shivnar Holding Ltd that is shown to be registered on June 28, 2006, was a fictitious company created only to root money earned through predicate offence,” it was alleged.

“The Triton Hotels was registered on March 15, 2007 by one Ratan Kant Sharma, who is an old friend of Vaibhav. Sharma was a director in Vaibhav’s company, the Sun Light Car Rental Services also, while Vaibhav was a legal advisor to Triton Hotels and Resorts Pvt Ltd and even received a salary of Rs 50,000 per month,” Soni said quoting from his complaint to the ED.

Reportedly, Ratan Kant Sharma also made several gains during Ashok Gehlot’s tenure as Chief Minister between 2008-13 while Vaibhav Gehlot was hired as a legal advisor in his company. It was reported that a month after Vaibhav Gehlot was hired in 2009, Triton was permitted to utilise 10,000 square metres of land on the Delhi- Jaipur highway for commercial development. A Triton Hotel came up on the land quickly, it was claimed.

Vaibhav Gehlot started a company, Sunlight Tours and Travels, in 2008 and sold 50% of the stakes to Ratan Kant Sharma, a director in Triton, two years later for an amount that was not disclosed. The deals were criticised by the BJP which perceived it to be a case of corruption and nepotism.

IT Raids on Ashok Gehlot’s close aides

On Monday, about 200 Income Tax (I-T) Department officials reportedly raided the house of Congress leader Dharamender Rathore over suspicious foreign transactions. As per the report, Rathore is considered as a ‘close aide’ of Ashok Gehlot.

Besides, the residence of one Rajiv Arora, a jewellery firm owner, has also been raided. Arora is also said to be close to the Rajasthan Chief Minister. The I-T officials conducted searches at several locations in Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Jaipur, Kota, Mumbai, and Delhi.

Political Drama unfolding in Rajasthan

A political drama is unfolding in Rajasthan with Deputy Chief Minister Sachin Pilot reportedly on the verge of quitting the party. He reportedly has the support of at least 25 MLAs. He had also met Jyotiraditya Scindia, another senior Congress leader who had recently made a switch to the BJP. Scindia later made a statement that Pilot was being sidelined by the Congress party.

Padmanabhaswami Temple: SC verdict upholds rights of Travancore royal family over the world’s richest temple, only Hindus to be part of temple management

OpIndia Staff
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Padmanabhaswami Temple: SC verdict upholds rights of Travancore royal family over the world’s richest temple, only Hindus to be part of temple management

The Supreme Court of India has ruled against the Kerala government’s attempt to bring the historic Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple in Thiruvananthapuram under its control. The apex court overturned the 2011 judgment of Kerala High Court that granted the power to the state government to take control of the temple, its management and assets. The High Court asked the government to run the temple in accordance with the traditions.

The verdict, passed by a 2-member bench of Justices Indu Malhotra and UU Lalit, stated that the death of a king of the Travancore family shall not affect the rights of the family and the temple, perceived to be the world’s richest, will continue to be managed by the family.

The SC has also stated that all members of the temple management committee will be Hindus.

The Travancore Royal family, the traditional custodians of the temple, have welcomed the verdict.

The apex court said that the Travancore Royal family has the right to the administration of the temple. The court also noted that the committee formed under the supervision of the Royal family would decide if Kallara B or Vault B would be opened. The court emphasized that all the members of the committee will be Hindus.

The Kerala government has also stated that they will abide by the Supreme Court decision. State Devaswom minister Kadakampally Surendran has stated that the state has always followed SC verdicts in letter and spirit.

The controversy around Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple

The Kerala government has been trying to take control of the Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple, also known as the world’s richest temple. The historic temple is managed by the Travancore Royal family that had ruled Southern Kerala and parts of Tamil Nadu. Lord Padmanabha (Vishnu) is the family deity of the Royal family.

Even after India’s independence, they managed the temple under a trust. On 31st January 2011, Kerala High Court ruled that the state government will control the temple administration. The court asked the state government to form a trust and take control of the temple within three months.

In accordance with the earlier order, 5 of the 6 vaults were opened and vast amounts of treasures were reportedly discovered. The rough estimate of the value was around Rs 90,000 crores.

The court also directed the government to open all Kallaras (vaults), make an inventory of the articles, and create a museum of the Temple’s treasures so that the devotees and general public can visit the temple to see them. The Royal family challenged the High Court orders in the Supreme Court. In September 2011, the Supreme Court asked the government of Kerala not to open the Kellaras till they pass final judgment. On 10th April 2019, a bench of Justices UU Lalit and Indu Malhotra reserved the judgment.

NCP supremo Sharad Pawar accuses PM Modi of playing “Shudra-level politics” for ousting Priyanka Gandhi from her govt bungalow

OpIndia Staff
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NCP supremo Sharad Pawar accuses PM Modi of playing “Shudra-level politics” for ousting Priyanka Gandhi from her govt bungalow

In a casteist jibe at PM Modi, NCP chief and former Union Minister of India—Sharad Pawar said that by evicting Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi from her government accommodation at 35 Lodhi Estate—the central government has indulged in “Shudra-level politics”. Shudra is a casteist slur.

For the first time in the 33-year-old history of Shiv Sena mouthpiece–Saamana, it interviewed a political leader not associated with Shiv Sena. In a three-part interview, Sharad Pawar spoke on a range of issues, spanning from the Maha Vikas Aghadi government in Maharashtra to the central government’s move to ask Priyanka Gandhi to vacate her government bungalow.

“Nehru was one of the tallest leaders of the country. His daughter, Indira Gandhi, too sacrificed herself for the nation. Her son Rajiv Gandhi also immensely contributed to the country. A daughter of such a family, after the death of her father Rajiv Gandhi, is trying to consolidate her political party with the help of her mother Sonia Gandhi…There can be political differences over your ideologies but to oust her from her government bungalow is not vendetta politics but low-caste politics,” Sharad Pawar told Associate editor of Saamana, Sanjay Raut.

Responding to Raut’s question that Mamata Banerjee had accused Modi government of indulging in vendetta politics, Sharad Pawar said that the central government has not indulged in vendetta politics but in “low-caste politics”.

According to the former Maharashtra chief minister, the democratic republic of India is a Gandhi family fiefdom and Priyanka Gandhi, by the virtue of her familial lineage, should be entitled to the government accommodation for the rest of her life. Denying the Gandhi family their “privilege” to interminably stay in a government-sponsored bungalow with highly subsidised rent is akin to playing “low-caste politics” as per the NCP chief.

Priyanka Gandhi asked to leave her government accommodation

The remarks from Sharad Pawar came in the wake of a notice served to Priyanka Gandhi, asking her to vacate her government accommodation at 35, Lodhi Estate, which she was continuing to live in despite removal of SPG cover in November last year.

Priyanka Gandhi Vadra was served a notice to vacate her bungalow provided by the Government of India. She was allocated the bungalow because she was an SPG protectee. In a letter served to her, the Gandhi scion has been given a month time to vacate the bungalow which she has been occupying for the last 23 years as part of the entitlement which came to her along with her maiden name.

Casteist slur at PM Modi

This is not the first time that PM Modi has been subjected to casteist slurs. Earlier too, Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar had appallingly made casteist remarks against the Prime Minister. In 2017, Aiyar used an objectionable term “neech”- lowly, with casteist slurs for PM Modi.

“Mujhko lagta hai ki ye aadmi bahut neech kisam ka aadmi hai, isme koi sabhyata nahi hai, or aise mauke par is kisam ki gandi rajniti karne ki kya avashyakta hai?” Mani Shankar Aiyar had said for PM Modi during the campaigning for the Gujarat elections in 2017.

Delhi Riot part of deep-rooted conspiracy, prima facie evidence that Tahir Hussain was part of the conspiracy: Delhi Court junks bail plea

OpIndia Staff
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Delhi Riot part of deep-rooted conspiracy, prima facie evidence that Tahir Hussain was part of the conspiracy: Delhi Court junks bail plea

On the 9th of July, Delhi’s Karkardooma Court had reserved the order in the bail plea application of AAP leader Tahir Hussain in the case of the murder of IB staffer Ankit Sharma, who was killed by a mob led by Hussain during the anti-Hindu Delhi riots. Today, the Delhi Court has rejected the bail plea of Tahir Hussain.

The Delhi Court has said that the Delhi Riots were the result of a deep-rooted conspiracy and was carried out in an organised manner. Saying this, according to reports, the Delhi Court also said that the role of Hussain is also being investigated and his connection to other members of Pinjra Tod, Jamia Co-ordination Committee, United Against Hate group etc are being probed.

Further, the Delhi Court said that there seems to be a prima facie involvement of AAP councillor Tahir Hussain the deep-rooted conspiracy that resulted in the gruesome Delhi riots that claimed the lives of over 50 people and left hundreds injured.

Involvement of Tahir Hussain in the anti-Hindu Delhi riots and his disclosure statement

Tahir Hussain, the Aam Admi Party (AAP) councillor who involved in the organisation and execution of the Delhi Riots. In the chargesheets filed by the Delhi Police and the Special Cell, it is revealed that Tahir Hussain met Umar Khalid and Khalid Saifi of ‘India Against Hate’ group and hatched a plan for the Delhi riots way back on the 8th of January. This meeting was held at Shaheen Bagh where the anti-CAA protests were taking place.

The chargesheets also say that Tahir Hussain got money to organise these riots from several quarters in shell companies. In another disclosure, it was reported that Khalid Saifi had even travelled to Malaysia to meet Islamist Zakir Naik to collect funds for the Delhi Riots.

In his disclosure statement, Tahir Hussain details how he organised the riots to take revenge against Hindus and teach ‘Kafirs’ a lesson. He further talks about making PCR calls in between the riots to ensure that he had a solid alibi. Further, he also reveals how he had organised for thousands of Muslims to congregate in the Chand Bagh area to carry out the riots.

Amidst the political crisis in Rajasthan, I-T raids at premises of CM Ashok Gehlot’s close aides

OpIndia Staff
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Amidst the political crisis in Rajasthan, I-T raids at premises of CM Ashok Gehlot’s close aides

On Monday, about 200 Income Tax (I-T) Department officials reportedly raided the house of Congress leader Dharamender Rathore over suspicious foreign transactions. As per the report, Rathore is considered as a ‘close aide’ of Ashok Gehlot.

Besides, the residence of one Rajiv Arora, a jewellery firm owner, has also been raided. Arora is also said to be close to the Rajasthan Chief Minister. The I-T officials conducted searches at several locations in Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Jaipur, Kota, Mumbai, and Delhi. Reportedly, the raids were conducted following complaints of tax evasion. As per the report, the Rajasthan Police was not apprised of the raids by the Income Tax Department.

Sachin Pilot reaches Delhi with 25 MLAs

Speculations are rife that Rajasthan government may go the Madhya Pradesh way as the infighting between Congress leaders continue and Sachin Pilot reached Delhi on Saturday along with 20-25 Congress and independent MLAs. Meanwhile, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot had called for a meeting of Cabinet Ministers at his residence and asked all Congress MLAs to write a letter in his support. Following the 2018 Rajasthan Assembly elections, a power tussle ensued between Congress old guard Ashok Gehlot and youth leader Sachin pilot for the coveted post of the Chief Minister. Eventually, Gehlot was made the CM, and Pilot was sidelined. The divide between the two factions, within the State government, seemed to have widened over time.

Reports are also emerging claiming that Sachin Pilot may meet the BJP top brass soon to join the party. Earlier, former Congress leader Jyotiraditya Scindia, who was sidelined in an equal manner by the Congress party which preferred Kamal Nath as the CM had left the grand old party to Join the BJP. The Kamal Nath government had fallen, BJP’s Shivraj Sing Chouhan had become CM, and Scindia was given a Rajya Sabha nomination.

Gehlot accuses BJP of horse-trading

Accusing the BJP of indulging in horse-trading, Gehlot said, “I have tried to take everyone aboard in this fight against the Coronavirus. However, BJP leaders have crossed all levels of inhumanity. While we are proactively trying to save lives and means of livelihood, they are trying to destabilise the government.” Gehlot claimed that the State government was stable and would continue to remain so despite all efforts to the contrary allegedly made by leaders such as Satish Poonia, Rajendra Rathore, and Gulab Chand Kataria. He further alleged that efforts are being made to create a political crisis in Rajasthan, as was witnessed in Madhya Pradesh.

“Sachin Pilot is in BJP”, says Congress leader PL Punia, later claims it was a slip of tongue

OpIndia Staff
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“Sachin Pilot is in BJP”, says Congress leader PL Punia, later claims it was a slip of tongue

Congress in-charge of Chattisgarh, PL Punia, has alleged that Sachin Pilot, Deputy Chief Minister of Rajasthan, has left Congress and joined Bharatiya Janata Party. He said that everyone is respected in the Congress Party, and they do not need a certificate from anyone, especially from BJP.

Later, Punia claimed that the question was about Scindia and he accidentally took the name of Sachin Pilot. He added, “Mistake is regretted.”

P L Punia’s tweet

There are rumors that Pilot was feeling sidelined by the Party leaders that led to his decision to end the alliance with the Congress. The power struggle between Pilot and Ashok Gehlot has been take-of-the-hour from the last two days. He also let Scindia in Delhi, after which he tweeted in favour of Pilot.

While Congress leaders are trying their best to control the situation, Sanjay Jha, who resigned as chief of Congress’ APIC Maharashtra unit last week, has tweeted in favour of Pilot. He said that after looking at the facts, he backs Pilot claims that Congress in Rajasthan no longer enjoys majority. In another tweet, Jha also questioned why Gehlot was made CM while Pilot played a vital role in defeating BJP in Rajasthan.

On Sunday, Pilot said that 30 Congress MLAs and few Independent MLAs support him and said that the Rajasthan government is in the minority now. When Gehlot was chosen as the CM of Rajasthan, there were speculations that Pilot was not in favor of the decision. His supporters had alleged that the power struggle got worse when Gehlot undermined Pilot’s authority several times since he became CM. Pilot may meet BJP President JP Nadda today.

West Bengal: BJP MLA from Uttar Dinajpur found hanging, party demands CBI inquiry over murder

OpIndia Staff
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West Bengal: BJP MLA from Uttar Dinajpur found hanging, party demands CBI inquiry over murder

On Monday morning, the West Bengal police reportedly recovered the dead body of Debendra Nath Roy, a BJP MLA from Hematabad, in a closed tea shop in the village of Balia in Bindol Panchayat in Rajiganj. Roy was found hanging from the roof of the shop. He had been missing from Sunday night.

The shop, from where the corpse of the BJP leader was retrieved, is located about 1.5km from his house. After he went missing on Sunday night, the local area was searched overnight but it was in vain. The family of the BJP MLA has alleged that it is a case of murder. Reportedly, the cops rushed to the crime scene after they received information about the incident.

The body has been sent for autopsy and an investigation is underway. Debendra Nath Roy was an elected representative from the reserved seat in Uttar Dinajpur. He was a former member of the CPI (M) and won from the party ticket in three consecutive terms. He had joined the BJP along with 50 other councillors in May last year. Reportedly, he had helped villagers financially through cooperative committees.

Reaction to the Alleged ‘Murder’

BJP leader Rahul Sinha has urged the West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to order CBI inquiry in the case. He alleged, “Trinamool Congress (TMC) is behind the killing and has made it look like a suicide.”

Meanwhile, the wife of the deceased MLA, Chandima Roy, has alleged that her husband has been murdered as a part of a premeditated plan. Raiganj MP Debashree Chowdhury has demanded an inquiry into the matter. “Debendranath er mrittu onek sondeho jonok. Ek jan manush haath badha obostai kokhono attohotta korta parban na. Sokolai sondhoho korecha (Debendra Nath’s death is suspicious. None can commit suicide with his hands tied. Everyone is skeptical about his death).”

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