Category: Politics

On Thursday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi praised the Maharashtra government’s work to help improve remote areas affected by violence. His comments came after Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis’s visit to Gadchiroli, a district where Naxalites (a term for people involved in left-wing extremism) have been a problem. During Fadnavis’s visit, some Naxal members gave up their weapons, which showed that their control in the region is weakening.

Fadnavis also shared new development plans during his trip. Modi expressed his support on social media, saying, “I appreciate the Maharashtra government’s efforts to enhance the living conditions in these areas. This will definitely help people feel more comfortable and open the door for greater progress.” He also congratulated the residents of Gadchiroli and nearby places for their resilience. This was in response to Fadnavis’s post highlighting the government’s hard work to bring peace to the region.

Bengaluru: Chief Minister Siddaramaiah of Karnataka has dismissed the BJP’s call for Minister Priyanka Kharge to resign following the tragic suicide of a contractor named Sachin. The chief minister described the BJP’s demand as a political attack driven by hatred. He pointed out that Priyanka Kharge’s name was not on Sachin’s death note and said there is no evidence linking her to the incident. “There is no reason for her to resign,” he told reporters.

Priyanka Kharge is open to any investigation. This situation is similar to another case where the BJP’s KS Eshwarappa was mentioned in a death note, which is currently being investigated by the CID. Appropriate actions will be taken once the investigation report is submitted.

When the BJP insisted that the investigation should be done by the CBI, the chief minister questioned their trust in the state police, pointing out that when the BJP was in power, they never requested CBI investigations.

The BJP accused Minister Priyanka Kharge of causing distress to contractors, claiming that threats from her close aide, Raju Kapanur, contributed to Sachin’s suicide. They argued that many contractors are struggling financially under the Congress government and that this stress is leading to tragic outcomes. BJP State President BY Vijayendra Yediyurappa shared that since the Congress took over, contractors have been facing great difficulties.

Siddaramaiah also mentioned he would discuss the cabinet’s expansion after talking to party leaders.

Newly appointed Kerala Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar shared his thoughts on his role in the state. He said, “Whenever I go somewhere, I don’t want to fight with the government or the administration. I am here to help.” Arlekar spoke about his mission to assist rather than to give orders or direct anyone.

Before officially starting his duties in Kerala, he met with Goa Governor PS Sreedharan Pillai at Raj Bhavan. Arlekar expressed his wish to learn as much as possible about Kerala from Pillai, who is originally from the state. He stated, “I want to hear a lot about Kerala from PS Sreedharan Pillai so I can work well there.”

To seek blessings before his new role, the Goa Governor performed special prayers at the Sabarimala Sree Dharma Sastha Temple, which is dedicated to Lord Ayyappa, and at Guruvayur Temple, which honors Lord Shri Krishna.

On December 21, President Droupadi Murmu appointed Arlekar as the new Governor of Kerala. Meanwhile, outgoing Governor Arif Mohammad Khan expressed his heartfelt thanks to the people of Kerala after finishing his term. He highlighted his strong bond with the state and appreciated the support he received during his time, noting there were no conflicts while he served.

On Monday, Tanvir Sadiq, a member of the National Conference party, strongly criticized the BJP for not bringing back public holidays to celebrate the birth anniversary of Sheikh Muhammad Abdullah and Martyrs Day in Kashmir. The CPI (M) party also spoke out against this decision, calling it a way for the administration to create divisions and change the history of the region.

On December 29, the Jammu and Kashmir administration released a list of public holidays for 2025. This list did not include Martyrs Day, which honors 22 Kashmiris killed by Dogra forces on July 13, 1931, or the birthday of Sheikh Muhammad Abdullah, the founder of the National Conference, celebrated on December 5. After the changes made in 2019, when Article 370 was revoked and Jammu and Kashmir was split into two Union Territories, the previous administration removed these important holidays from the official calendar.

Sadiq expressed that this decision is a petty attempt by the BJP, but it won’t change the significance of Sheikh Muhammad Abdullah and the martyrs from July 13, 1931. He believes that these holidays will be restored soon and that they will continue to fight for the restoration of statehood.

CPI (M) leader Muhammad Yusuf Tarigami from Kulgam also criticized the move. He stated that these actions try to erase important parts of their history and that they insult the people of Jammu and Kashmir. He called on everyone in J&K and Ladakh to come together against these divisive actions by the central government.

In response, retired Brigadier Anil Gupta from the BJP supported the administration’s decision to keep the holiday list the same, stating that these holidays were not suitable for all regions. He argued that the National Conference should stop pushing exclusive politics and instead work on promoting unity.

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MP Sanjay Singh announced that he will sue BJP MP Manoj Tiwari and BJP’s IT cell leader Amit Malviya. This is because Tiwari and Malviya said that Singh’s wife, Anita Singh, is not a registered voter in Delhi. Last Sunday, Singh accused the BJP of trying to remove his wife’s name from the voting list.

Tiwari and Malviya responded by insisting that, according to an affidavit from Anita Singh, she is a registered voter in Sultanpur, Uttar Pradesh. They claimed this means her vote in Delhi is not valid and is against the law. They also asked the Election Commission to act on what they called a serious problem.

In response, Sanjay Singh said he spoke about the issue of removing names of Purvanchali voters (people from the Purvanchal region) in Parliament. He claimed that after he raised this matter, BJP President JP Nadda insulted Purvanchali people by calling them “Rohingyas” and “Bangladeshis.”

“People from Purvanchal have been living and working hard in Delhi for 30-40 years. But now the BJP is trying to take away their votes. When I brought this up, they tried to get my wife’s name off the voter list as revenge,” Singh told PTI.

Singh also said, “Tiwari is lying about my wife’s voting status. She voted in Delhi during the Lok Sabha elections in May, while Tiwari is talking about an affidavit from January. They even submitted a request to remove her name from the Sultanpur list on January 4.”

Finally, Singh declared, “I will file a defamation case against them. Malviya and Tiwari will have to come to court and explain why they insulted me and my wife.”

On Monday, Ravidas Mehrotra, who is an MLA from the Samajwadi Party (SP), said that they will give checks of Rs five lakh to the families of those who died in the recent violence in Sambhal. He also made a surprising comment, saying that there is a Shiv Linga (a symbol of the Hindu god Shiva) under the house of the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, and that they should dig there to check.

Earlier, Akhilesh Yadav, the leader of the SP, announced the same amount of Rs five lakh for the families affected by the violence. Mehrotra said that they are going to Sambhal not just to give out checks, but also to see if the injured people are getting the treatment they need. They want to investigate what happened during the violence, including why the police fired their weapons at people.

Akhilesh Yadav joked that since there is digging happening to possibly find temples under mosques, there must be a Shiv Linga under the CM’s house too. He suggested that they should prepare to dig there as well, saying the media could go first.

In another update, Dr. Rajender Pensiya, the District Magistrate of Sambhal, announced that they are starting to fix the Chaturmukh Well, which is a historical site. The government is providing money to restore it, as well as other important pilgrimage sites in the area.

Due to recent violence that resulted in four deaths and injuries during digging work for an Archaeological Survey of India at a Mughal-era mosque, a new police post is also being built in Sambhal. The Rapid Action Force has been called in to keep the area safe and prevent more problems.

Maharashtra’s government minister and Shiv Sena leader, Bharat Gogawale, stated that the exclusion of NCP leader Chhagan Bhujbal from the cabinet is an internal matter for the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP). He emphasized that it doesn’t involve their ruling coalition, called Mahayuti, which includes Shiv Sena and the BJP. Gogawale told reporters that only the NCP can decide who should be in the cabinet, just like the Shiv Sena and BJP do for their own ministers.

Chhagan Bhujbal has expressed disappointment and blamed NCP president Ajit Pawar for not including him in the expanded cabinet of their government with the BJP. Bhujbal mentioned that Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis wanted him to be part of the cabinet. Recently, on December 15, 39 lawmakers became ministers, with 33 being cabinet ministers and the rest taking on roles as ministers of state.

Buggana Rajendranath Reddy, a former finance minister of Andhra Pradesh, has criticized the TDP-led coalition government. He claims that they have put the state in a financial mess by borrowing too much money and not keeping their promises. In a press statement on Sunday at the Hyderabad Press Club, Buggana shared shocking numbers, stating that the state has borrowed an astonishing Rs 1,12,750 crore in just six months. This is a record amount for Andhra Pradesh. He warned that this mountain of debt could hurt the state’s finances and make it hard for future generations.

Buggana compared the current TDP government to the previous YSRCP government, saying they were more responsible with money and focused on helping the people. He mentioned that from 2019 to 2024, YSRCP kept the state’s debt growth at an average of 15.61%, which is much better than the 19.54% debt growth under the TDP from 2014 to 2019. He criticized the TDP for poor financial management and questioned their commitment to real development.

He also took aim at Chandrababu Naidu, the TDP leader, for his flashy future plans, like the new Vision-2047 document. Buggana compared it to past grand promises like Vision-2020 and Sunrise Andhra Pradesh, calling them empty words that don’t deliver real results. He said Naidu’s leadership has not produced anything significant, and he sees the same pattern with the current administration’s performance.

Buggana pointed out that the TDP has failed to implement its so-called Super Six promises, such as unemployment benefits and free gas cylinders, leaving them as nothing but election slogans. He highlighted that the government has borrowed even more money off their official budget, like an extra Rs 31,000 crore for Amaravati development. This secretive debt will only add to the state’s financial problems.

The former finance minister expressed frustration at some media outlets, claiming they are silent on these issues and do not hold the current government accountable. He drew a clear line between this and YSRCP governance, emphasizing that his party treats its manifesto seriously and has fulfilled promises like Amma Vodi, Rythu Bharosa, and Aasara — which have put over Rs 4.2 lakh crore directly into the hands of the people.

In closing, Buggana Rajendranath Reddy urged the public to keep a close eye on the TDP-led government’s actions and hold them responsible for their excessive borrowing and lack of clear communication. He assured that YSRCP is dedicated to the welfare of the people and good governance, urging everyone to look past propaganda and focus on the real facts.

Many Indians living abroad were excited to register as voters this year, with almost 1.2 lakh signing up. However, very few actually came back to India to vote in the Lok Sabha elections. According to the Election Commission, 1,19,374 people overseas registered to vote in 2024, which is an increase from 99,844 in 2019. Kerala had the most registrations at 89,839.

But when it came to voting, only 2,958 of these registered overseas voters traveled back to India to cast their votes. A large number of these voters—2,670—were from Kerala. Unfortunately, many big states like Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, and Tamil Nadu had no overseas electors voting at all. In Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s home state of Gujarat, only two out of 885 overseas voters came to vote. Maharashtra had a similarly low turnout, with only 17 of 5,097 NRIs casting their ballots.

Despite having about 19,500 more overseas registrants since 2019, the turnout was still very low. The Election Commission refers to overseas Indians as overseas electors, and these individuals can vote in Lok Sabha and Assembly elections. To cast their votes, they must return to their respective areas in India and show their original passports.

For example, in Andhra Pradesh, there were 7,927 registered overseas voters, but only 195 actually came to vote. In Assam, none of the 19 registered voters came, and the same was true for Bihar, which had 89 registered overseas electors, as well as Goa, where none of the 84 registered voters cast their votes.

In August 2018, a bill was passed to allow overseas Indians to vote by proxy, but it didn’t make it to the next stage in the government. In 2020, the Election Commission suggested allowing postal voting for overseas Indians, similar to the system used for military voters. However, no decision has been made on this yet. Many overseas electors have said that travel costs, work, and school commitments make it hard for them to come back just to vote.

Farmer leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal’s health is getting worse because he has been on a hunger strike since November 26. He is protesting at the Khanauri border to push the government to meet farmers’ demands. These demands include a law to guarantee minimum support prices (MSP) for crops and cancelling farm loans.

On Saturday, the Supreme Court told the Punjab government to convince Dallewal to go to the hospital. The Communist Party of India (Marxist) said Dallewal’s condition is very serious and that his protest is important for farmers. They believe the government should talk to the farmers about their needs.

The CPI(M) Polit Bureau called on the central government to immediately begin discussions with farmers’ groups to address their demands, which they have been waiting to be heard for a long time. Many farmers across the country are worried and upset about the situation.