The Congress on Friday released its first list of 31 candidates for the Haryana Assembly polls, fielding former chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda from Garhi Sampla-Kiloi, state unit chief Udai Bhan from Hodal and wrestler Vinesh Phogat from Julana.
Several BJP leaders in Haryana have expressed their displeasure at not being given tickets. From breaking down on live TV to resigning, from burning the “BJP” effigy to even not acknowledging the presence of the chief minister — netas have shown their anger in various ways in the last few days.
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Union Home Minister Amit Shah Saturday declared that Article 370, which granted special status to Jammu and Kashmir, is part of history and will never come back.
He announced that the BJP will release a white paper on the 40,000 killings in the Union Territory since 1990 and will hold those responsible accountable. “Article 370 is part of history and will never return,” Shah asserted during the release of the BJP’s manifesto for the upcoming Jammu and Kashmir assembly elections.
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A day after Congress announced that Olympian wrestler Vinesh Phogat will contest the Haryana Assembly elections from Julana constituency, former WFI chied Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh said that it is clear now that Congress was involved in the "conspiracy" to ouster him from the federation.
Source: PTI
Former WFI chied Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh has made a series of allegations against wrestlers Vinesh Phogat and Bajrang Punia who joined Congress on Friday.
"Is it not true that Bajrang went to the Asian Games without trials? I want to ask those who are experts in wrestling. I want to ask Vinesh Phogat whether a player can give trials in 2 weight categories in a day? Can the trials be stopped for 5 hours after the weigh-in?... You did not win the wrestling, you went there by cheating. God has punished you for the same," he told ANI.
On BJP leader Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh's statement, Congress leader Pawan Khera said, "Whoever does wrong, BJP stands with them and they are with the BJP. Whoever is wronged, Congress fights for them and raises their voice and will raise it in the future too and that is why they also like Congress. 6 players had filed an FIR against Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh... We are proud that we stood, are standing and will stand with our daughters. We will never regret that we stood with our daughters, they should regret it."
Source: ANI
Shah also claimed that if Congress and National Conference form government in the union territory, they will end reservations for backward classes and rename Shankaracharya Temple as Takht-e-Suleimani.
Addressing a gathering in Ganderbal, JKNC vice president Omar Abdulla said, "During a press conference in Jammu yesterday, Home Minister Amit Shah was listed the names of parties with whom they will not form the government in future. However, he didn't mention several parties, including Engineer Rashid's party. This means that tomorrow if the BJP wants, it can form the government with them."
Credit: PTI
The BJP is only interested in staying in power. They know how to break parties and put opposition leaders in jail, that's all. They have no interest in working for society...Assembly elections (in Haryana) are on October 5, and all of you must go to vote. Not a single vote should go to the BJP, and everyone should vote for AAP. You must ensure that (Delhi CM) Arvind Kejriwal wins with a strong majority.Sunita Kejriwal
After Phogat's speech about how BJP was the only party not to stand with her in her fight against Brij Bhushan, WFI president Sanjay Singh hit back reamrking, "Vinesh Phogat is saying that Congress helped her and BJP did not... Vinesh said that she wanted to fight and wanted her own supporting staff, all was given to her. Rs 75 lakh was spent on her by the government. Then, how come Congress helped her?"
Bachan Singh Arya, the BJP leader from Safido in the Jind district of Haryana, is the latest to quit the party on Saturday, upset over not getting a ticket in the upcoming Haryana polls on October 5.
Earlier on September 6, Laxman Napa, BJP's MLA from Haryana's Ratia assembly constituency, and Minister Ranjit Singh Chautala quit the party after being denied tickets to compete in the elections.
Congress has also seen one leader quit in a huff over ticket denial — Haryana Congress member Rajesh Joon.
Joon while quiting all party posts also announced that he planned to run as an independent candidate.
When asked about leaders of the party who are miffed over ticket distribution, Haryana CM Nayab Singh Saini says, "We are pacifying them. They are upset. Barala ji (Subhash Barala) will work and also appeal to the people for votes. United, BJP will form the government for the third time."
Gonda: Wrestlers Vinesh Phogat and Bajrang Punia were used by the Congress as "pawns" in their "conspiracy" to take control of the Wrestling Federation of India and attack the BJP, former WFI chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh said on Saturday.
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"Arvind Kejriwal started from zero and formed his own party. He became Delhi CM after the first election. Big parties couldn't do what your son Arvind Kejriwal did. That's why PM Modi put your son in jail. He (PM Modi) is afraid and jealous of your son (Arvind Kejriwal) because they could not do work for good education, health and people's welfare," said Sunita Kejriwal while addressing 'Badlaav Jansabha' in Meham, Haryana.
Comparing BJP-ruled Haryana to AAP-ruled territories like Delhi and Punjab, Sunita Kejriwal said, "In Haryana, 10 years of the BJP govt has been completed. I want to ask you, did your children's future brighten in these years or there any reform occur in the education system? Did the govt schools, hospitals, and electricity better in these 10 years?.. All these things are happening in Delhi and Punjab..."
A tweet from the UP CM's Office handle, read: "UP CM Yogi Adityanath took cognizance of the accident caused by collapse of building in Transport Nagar, Lucknow. The Chief Minister has instructed the district administration officials, SDRF and NDRF teams to reach the spot and expedite the relief work and immediately take the injured to the hospital for proper treatment. He also wished for the speedy recovery of the injured."
Meanwhile, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh tweeted, "The news of the collapse of a building in Lucknow is extremely painful. I have spoken to the District Magistrate of Lucknow over the phone and got information about the situation at the spot. The local administration is carrying out relief and rescue operations on the spot and is engaged in helping the victims in every possible way."
Congress leader Supriya Shrinate tore into BJP leader Brij Bhushan's statements about Vinesh Phogat and Bajrang Punia being Congress 'pawns'. She told the press, "I feel ashamed that a man who is named in a chargesheet, who has serious allegations of sexual harassment against him, who could not reach the Parliament of this country is being repeatedly given a political stage by media...He is attacking Vinesh Phogat but 6 other girls also accused him of sexual harassment. Have those allegations gone away?"
She then added, "Modi Government was not taking any action against him. Delhi Police was shielding him. Vinesh Phogat fought this very bravely. She fought for her rights. She was dragged and stomped. After all this, she went to the Olympics and almost won a Gold, she deserved the medal. I believe that the manner in which Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh is indulging in character assassination and speaking against women wrestlers and Bajrang Punia, it is absolutely wrong."
She then chastened the media for "giving him stage again and again," accusing newspersons feeling there was "masala in the story".
"I ask you one question, many among you are women. Were the remaining 6 other girls wrong?..Why does she and the daughters of our country not have the right to enter politics?.. There is no politics when you make Babita Phogat contest elections, you then deny her a ticket and discard her. There is no politics when Ravindra Jadeja joins your party. What are you saying?" said Shrinate.
"A woman raised her voice against the injustice done to her and she fought the system. She won the fight. Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh is a blot on civil society. With what he is saying again and again, he is ensuring our victory in Haryana...God punished Brij Bhushan, he is not in the Parliament and Vinesh Phogat is about to win and become an MLA...He is sitting and making statements and Vinesh Phogat will become an MLA. This is the strength and justice of time. This is the justice of God. The allegations by 6 other girls still remain to this day, you are still chargesheeted and someone in public life should not say such things...," she concluded.
The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) will hold district-level 'dharnas' in Punjab to "expose the anti-people policies of the Bhagwant Mann-led Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government," the party's working president Balwinder Singh Bhundar said on Saturday.
In a statement here, Bhundar said the district-level 'dharnas' will begin on September 10 from Ludhiana, followed by Ferozepur on September 11, Fazilka on 12, Moga on 13, Sri Mukatsar Sahib on 16, Bathinda on 17, Mansa on 18, Sangrur on 19, Barnala on 20 and in Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar on September 23.
The party will "expose" the government on how it has "failed" the common man by withdrawing power subsidies, repeatedly increasing value added tax (VAT) on petrol and diesel, increasing bus fare by 23 paise per kilometer, besides other "anti- people" decisions, including increasing tax on vehicles and registration fees of land deeds, said Bhundar.
Fuel prices have gone up in Punjab after the state Cabinet on Thursday gave an approval to hike VAT on petrol and diesel by 61 paise a litre and 92 paise per litre, respectively.
The Cabinet had also given the nod to withdraw the previous Congress government's decision of providing power subsidy of Rs 3 per unit for domestic consumers.
SAD also lashed out at the AAP government over the law and order issue.
The law and order "collapsed completely" under Mann's leadership, alleged Bhundar, adding the Industry is "shifting from the state".
Launching a vitriolic attack on the BJP-led government in Haryana over the drug abuse issue, senior Congress leader Bhupinder Singh Hooda on Saturday alleged that many people lost their lives due to drug overdose during its regime in the state.
Hooda said the previous "Congress government had made Haryana happy and progressing" whereas the "BJP has made it 'Udta Haryana' in addiction".
The former Haryana chief minister was speaking to the representatives of some social organisations at his residence, said a party release.
"Our youth are dying every day due to drug abuse, but the government is neither banning drug abuse nor taking any action against the smugglers," said Hooda.
Hooda, the Leader of the Opposition in the state assembly, said the "government figures show that more than one lakh people are reaching the hospitals every year in the state due to drug abuse".
"In Sirsa alone, 65 people have died due to drug overdose in two years. More than 400 people have lost their lives due to drug overdose during the BJP rule," he alleged.
Hooda claimed that 13 out of 22 districts in the state are badly affected by drug abuse.
"Synthetic drugs are being sold openly everywhere, but no action is taken against the drug traffickers. It is clear from this that this business is protected by the government," he charged.
Hooda said when his party comes to power after the October 5 assembly polls, drug addiction, crime and unemployment will be curbed.
"Unemployment is the mother of drug addiction and crime. Today Haryana is number one in the country in terms of unemployment. That is why the state has also reached the first position in terms of drug addiction and crime. Now the time has come to rid Haryana of this disease," he said.
Polling in Haryana will take place on October 5 while the counting of votes for the elections to the 90-member assembly will take place on October 8.
Omar Abdullah, currently being projected by NC-Congress as the future J&K CM, repeated his accusations against BJP conspiring against him. "They bring in people from jails to contest against me. Had this been a one-time thing, it could have been ignored... But now when assembly elections were announced and I was declared as the NC candidate from Ganderbal, again I heard someone from prison is going to contest against me. This person has nothing to do with Ganderbal. He might not even be able to locate Ganderbal on a map... I sense a conspiracy in this...," Omar said, addressing the crowd at the rally.
AAP MP Raghav Chadha met AICC in-charge of Haryana, Deepak Babaria at the residence of Congress leader & Telangana Minister Uttam Kumar Reddy. After the meeting, he told the press, "I hope it (alliance/seat sharing) will be finalised. Ummeed pe duniya kaayam hai."
Meanwhile, Babaria emphasised a 'win-win' situation for an alliance to work. He told the press, "...this was my second or third meeting with Raghav Chadha in the last two days. We are exchanging the locations and numbers and we hope that results will come out in two days. It depends, if it will be a win-win situation for both Congress and AAP then we will go into a coalition, I am trying for that. It may happen (changes in the names of already declared candidates)..." He also added, "Nothing has been finalised as of now, it will be done by tomorrow or the day after."
Chief Minister N Biren Singh met Governor L. Acharya on Saturday evening amid fresh incidents of violence in the state that has killed seven people and left more than 15 injured over the past five days.
Singh rushed to meet Acharya after an emergency meeting of ruling coalition MLAs and ministers at the CM secretariat to discuss the prevailing law and order situation in the state, official sources said. (PTI)
After Yadav's daughter Rohini Acharya made a sly dig about 'someone' (Nitish Kumar) who took a 'false oath' that "Now I will not go anywhere" in an X post, Bihar BJP chief Jaiswal hit back saying Rohini should stick to teaching people in Singapore where she lives.