Category: Politics

Nagpur: Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis shared that Sharad Pawar, the leader of the NCP (SP), praised the RSS. This came after the RSS handled false stories spread by the opposition during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. The opposition claimed the BJP aimed to win 400 seats to change the Constitution and eliminate reservations, a story that hurt the party’s image.

Fadnavis explained that the opposition, particularly the MVA, was successful in creating this misleading narrative. However, as the assembly elections approached, many individuals inspired by the RSS stepped in to counter these lies. He complimented Pawar for being clever, saying that he realized the RSS is not just another political group but a national force. Praising others in competitions is good, Fadnavis added.

During his talk with senior editor Vivek Ghalsasi at the Late Vilasji Fadnis Jivhala program, Fadnavis said that when Eknath Shinde became Chief Minister in June 2022, he suggested focusing on organization, but senior leaders encouraged him to join the government. He mentioned that Prime Minister Narendra Modi advised him not to act like an extra power in the government.

When asked about who is stricter, Modi or Union Minister Amit Shah, Fadnavis said Modi is very disciplined, while Shah can make flexible decisions at times. He also noted that his decision to become the deputy chief minister was well received by the party workers.

After the 2024 assembly elections, Fadnavis mentioned that the people would not have been satisfied if the Chief Minister was not from the BJP, as the BJP won 132 seats—almost a majority in the 288-member assembly. He remarked on the friendly meeting with Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray during the winter sessions, saying that since becoming the CM, he promised not to engage in revenge politics, which everyone responded positively to.

Regarding the future of NCP (SP) and NCP joining together again, Fadnavis said, “Anything can happen in politics. Uddhav Thackeray might join another party, and Ajit Pawar could come to us.” Lastly, Fadnavis stated that he will gladly take any role the BJP assigns him, acknowledging how important the party is to his identity.

With a smile, he mentioned that he only gets angry when he is hungry and joked that if anyone sees him upset, they should offer him food to calm him down.

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA Gurpreet Gogi, who represented the Ludhiana West area, was tragically shot and died from his injuries. This sad event happened around midnight, and he was pronounced dead when he arrived at the DMC hospital, according to officials. The Deputy Commissioner of Police, Jaskaran Singh Teja, mentioned that the police are currently investigating the case. Gurpreet Gogi joined the AAP in 2022 and won against the two-time former Congress MLA, Bharat Bhushan Ashu, in the Ludhiana assembly elections. More details are expected as the investigation continues.

Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge recently criticized the BJP-RSS for their approach to higher education in India. He believes that the government’s education policies aim to control universities and push their own ideology into public schools. Kharge pointed out that Prime Minister Narendra Modi often talks about education initiatives like “Pariksha pe Charcha” and “Exam Warriors,” but he highlighted a concerning fact: the National Talent Search Examination Scholarship (NTSE) has been stopped for three years. This program has been around since 1963 and was budgeted to cost about ₹40 crores, yet he claims ₹62 crores have been spent on Modi’s promotions instead.

Kharge also expressed worries over new proposals from the University Grants Commission (UGC) that could give a lot of power to governors, letting them decide on vice-chancellor appointments, even for people without academic backgrounds. He believes this undermines state rights and could lead to appointments only from the Sangh Parivar, which is associated with the BJP-RSS.

In the past, the UGC provided financial support to universities funded by the government. But now, Kharge argues that the financing role has shifted to a new body called the Higher Education Financing Agency (HEFA), created by the Modi government in partnership with Canara Bank. He said this might lead colleges and universities to require more self-funded courses, putting additional financial strain on SC, ST, OBC, and EWS students. Kharge noted that this financial aid is now in the form of loans rather than grants, and the UGC’s budget has been drastically reduced by 61%. He believes controlling universities and imposing BJP-RSS ideologies on education is the true agenda of the Modi government.

The defamation case against Congress MP Rahul Gandhi was supposed to have a hearing on Friday at a special court, but it got postponed because the lawyers were on strike. Vijay Mishra, a local BJP politician, filed this case against Gandhi back in 2018. Mishra claimed that Gandhi made hurtful remarks during the Karnataka elections that upset him.

After a long legal battle of five years, Gandhi didn’t show up in court. This led the judge to issue a warrant for him to come to court in December 2023. Gandhi finally went to court in February 2024, where his statement was recorded on July 26, 2024. The judge granted him bail, asking him to pay two bonds of Rs 25,000 each. During his appearance, Gandhi insisted he was innocent and said the charges were politically motivated. The court then asked Mishra to provide evidence.

The hearing that was supposed to happen on December 16, 2024, was canceled because the judge was absent. The hearing scheduled for January 2 was also delayed because the cross-examination wasn’t finished.

India is on its way to becoming one of the top three countries in the world for voter turnout, according to a new report by the State Bank of India (SBI). The report shows that more people in India are voting, similar to countries with strong economies, and even more than people in the United States.

Right now, India has a voter turnout of 66.1%, which makes it the fourth highest in the world. Germany has the highest at 76.6%, followed closely by France and Spain, both with 66.6%. Voter turnout means the percentage of people who actually go out and vote in elections.

Interestingly, India’s voter turnout is better than the US, where only 63.9% of people voted in the last presidential election. This shows that Indian people are really engaged in their democracy.

However, the report points out some problems. India has the highest number of people per seat in its Lower House of Parliament, which means it takes a lot of people to fill just one seat—25.7 lakh (2.57 million) people per seat. In Germany, France, and the UK, this number is much lower, at around 1.2 lakh (120,000) people per seat.

Another important issue is that there are very few women in India’s Lower House of Parliament. Only 13.6% of the seats are held by women, which is one of the lowest amounts in the world. In comparison, countries like Ethiopia (41.3%), the UK (40.5%), and France (36%) have a much higher number of women in their parliaments. This lack of female representation is a common issue in developing countries.

Overall, the findings emphasize how many people in India are getting involved in voting, but they also call for more women and better population representation in Parliament. With a strong commitment to democracy, India can improve even more by addressing these problems.

Rahul Gandhi, the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, is set to speak at an election rally in Delhi on January 13, according to Devender Yadav, the local Congress leader. This rally will take place in the Seelampur area of northeast Delhi and will be Rahul’s first public event ahead of the upcoming assembly elections.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has already held two events in Delhi, where he criticized Arvind Kejriwal and his government. To energize party supporters, the Congress organized a month-long campaign called the Delhi Nyay Yatra, inspired by Rahul’s previous Bharat Jodo Yatra. This campaign ended on December 7.

The elections for the 70-member Delhi Assembly are scheduled for February 5, and results will be announced on February 8.

BJP leader J P Nadda recently accused Arvind Kejriwal, the leader of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), of insulting people from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. Nadda claimed that Kejriwal called them “fake voters.” He shared two videos on social media: one was an old clip and the other was recent, after AAP members visited the Election Commission. Nadda said Kejriwal is scared of losing in Delhi due to his past corrupt actions. He urged the people of Delhi to vote him out of power. Earlier that day, Kejriwal had accused the BJP of bringing people from Bihar and UP to register as voters in his area. Nadda responded by posting a video of Kejriwal’s earlier comment about someone traveling from Bihar to Delhi for free medical treatment.

On Thursday, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) announced that there was enough proof to take former AAP minister Satyendar Jain to trial for a money laundering case. A special judge, Jitendra Singh, listened to the ED’s argument about charging Jain. The ED lawyer mentioned that there is enough evidence, including witness statements, to proceed with the trial. During the hearing, the judge asked the ED some questions about the charges against Jain, and the officer investigating the case requested more time to review the evidence. The court scheduled the next discussion for January 23, 2025. On October 18, 2024, the court granted bail to Jain due to delays in the trial and his long time in custody. Jain was arrested by the ED on May 30, 2022, for allegedly laundering money through four companies connected to him.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi recently visited Keventers, the famous Indian milkshake brand. In a video he shared on X, he talked with the young founders about their plans for the future. He asked, “How do you update a well-known brand for a new generation?” The founders shared their ideas, and Rahul praised Keventers for supporting the economy over the years. He emphasized that we should do more to help businesses like theirs.

In a fun moment, Rahul joked about making an investment in Keventers. When he was asked if he would consider starting a business, he replied, “I’m looking at Keventers and thinking about an investment decision.”

During his visit, Rahul even stepped behind the counter and became a barista for a day. He made cold coffee himself! Instead of just watching the staff make it, he confidently said he wanted to try. He mixed milk, ice cream, and used a mixer to prepare the drink, which he poured into Keventers’ signature bottle.

Rahul also shared his thoughts on challenges for young entrepreneurs. He said, “I walked from Kanyakumari to Kashmir and asked kids what they wanted to be. Most wanted to be engineers, doctors, lawyers, or soldiers, but not one wanted to be an entrepreneur.” He pointed out that young people face many obstacles when trying to start their own businesses, like trouble getting funding. He expressed hope that attitudes could change so more students would consider starting their own companies.

The Jan Suraaj Party (JSP) has announced that Prashant Kishor, the leader of their party, is in serious condition. He is currently in the hospital after going on a hunger strike, meaning he is refusing to eat, to support students who are upset about a recent exam. Kishor started his fast on January 2 to stand with civil services hopefuls who believe a test they took on December 13 was unfair due to a suspected leak of the exam questions.

Manoj Bharti, the president of JSP, shared that doctors are worried about Kishor’s health and have warned that he needs to eat again soon. Kishor will consider stopping his hunger strike only if the government meets with a group of students to discuss their concerns.

Kishor’s demands include an investigation into cheating claims related to the 70th Combined Competitive Exams and a report on exam problems that have happened over the last ten years. He is also asking for help for jobless young people aged 18-35 and wants policies to ensure that the local youth fill two-thirds of government jobs.

In addition to these actions, JSP is preparing to file a case in the Patna High Court to cancel the exam, believing it was unfair. Bharti mentioned that they will gather all necessary documents for this soon.

Recently, Kishor was arrested after a protest at Gandhi Maidan in Patna, where he was on his hunger strike, but he has been released on bail. Despite the government disagreeing about the exam leak, a retake has been ordered for over 12,000 students who took the test at one center in Patna.