Category: Politics

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has reported that it received a whopping Rs 2,244 crore in donations for the year 2023-24, which is a massive jump from Rs 700 crore the year before. Meanwhile, the Congress party got Rs 288.9 crore this year, up from Rs 79.9 crore in 2022-23. These figures come from reports submitted to the Election Commission, and they are now available to the public.

A big part of the money for both the BJP and Congress came from the Prudent Electoral Trust. The BJP received Rs 723.6 crore from this trust, while Congress got Rs 156.4 crore. This trust provided about one-third of the BJP’s total money and more than half of what Congress received. Some of the big companies that donated last year included Megha Engineering, Serum Institute, ArcelorMittal, and Bharti Airtel. The names of donors for the year 2023-24 have not yet been shared.

Regional parties also reported their earnings for 2023-24. The Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) got Rs 495.5 crore through a special system called electoral bonds. The DMK received Rs 60 crore, and the YSR Congress got Rs 121.5 crore using the same method. The Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) reported Rs 11.5 crore with some extra contributions of just over Rs 64 lakh.

The electoral bond scheme was dropped by the Supreme Court in February 2024, making direct donations and funds from electoral trusts the main ways parties get money. While details about electoral bonds are not in the current reports, they will come out in the parties’ annual audits.

The BJP saw a 212% rise in donations this year, likely because of the upcoming 2024 general elections, which usually brings more money for major parties. Among the other important donations, BJP noted Rs 3 crore from Future Gaming, ran by Santiago Martin, known for his lottery business. The DMK also received Rs 8 crore from Triumph Electoral Trust and Jayabharath Trust. With the old bond scheme gone, political parties are now relying more on direct contributions and trusts for their funding.

Delhi Chief Minister Atishi made some serious allegations on Thursday. She said that Congress is working with the BJP to win the upcoming Delhi Assembly elections. This statement came during a press conference with Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Sanjay Singh.

Atishi claimed that Congress is trying to weaken AAP’s chances in the elections. She said that AAP had not criticized Congress during recent elections in Haryana, but Congress seems to be using strategies similar to the BJP. Singh even suggested that Congress’s list of candidates looked like it was made in a BJP office!

Both AAP leaders attacked Congress leaders Ajay Maken and Sandeep Dixit for focusing on AAP instead of the BJP. Singh was particularly upset by Maken’s comment calling Arvind Kejriwal “anti-national.” He pointed out that even though Kejriwal has supported Congress in the past, he now faces a police case (FIR), while Congress hasn’t taken any action against BJP leaders.

Atishi accused Congress of trying to sabotage AAP’s success by having Congress candidates like Sandeep Dixit and Farhad Suri secretly backed by the BJP. “This makes us question Congress’s loyalty to the INDIA alliance,” she said.

In response, AAP demanded immediate action against Maken and other Congress leaders. Singh warned that if Congress didn’t take action within 24 hours, AAP would ask other parties to kick Congress out of the INDIA alliance. With the Delhi Assembly elections coming up in February, tensions are rising, putting the future of the alliance in doubt.

A big disagreement happened on Thursday after the Karnataka Congress put up a poster with a messed-up map of India. This map showed Kashmir as part of Pakistan, which upset many people. The BJP party in Karnataka criticized Congress, saying they showed disrespect for India’s land just to win votes. They called it shameful. The poster was shown in Belagavi, where Congress is celebrating 100 years since Mahatma Gandhi became the president of their party. A special meeting of the Congress Working Committee will take place there to discuss plans for the future. This meeting will start at 2:30 PM on December 26 in Mahatma Gandhi Nagar. On December 27, there will be a rally called “Jai Bapu, Jai Bheem, Jai Samvidhan” at 11:30 AM, with many AICC members and workers joining in. The leaders will talk about plans for the next year and discuss important issues facing India under the BJP government.

On Wednesday, the BJP accused Arvind Kejriwal and Atishi from AAP of tricking women and elderly people in Delhi by promising benefits from fake schemes. Ahead of the upcoming Assembly elections, the BJP challenged AAP to prove that these schemes exist with official notifications.

Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva held a press conference, stating that Kejriwal should apologize to the public for misleading them about the ‘Mahila Samman’ and ‘Sanjeevani’ schemes. The Leader of Opposition, Vijender Gupta, mentioned that many people signed up for the schemes and lost money because they gave out personal details like bank account information. He urged those affected to contact the BJP for help in getting their money back.

Sachdeva claimed that Kejriwal and Atishi are guilty of political fraud. He pointed out that even the Delhi government issued notices to say they were not part of Kejriwal’s promises, like giving Rs 2100 per month to women and free healthcare for the elderly under ‘Sanjeevani Yojna’.

He also criticized AAP for making various promises about water bills, clean drinking water, and better roads only after they were re-elected. After those promises failed, Kejriwal tried to rebrand the ‘Mahila Samman’ scheme, which has not worked out. Sachdeva accused AAP of collecting personal data in a way that reminds him of digital scammers.

Kailash Gahlot, a former AAP minister who joined the BJP, claimed Kejriwal and Atishi lied about the ‘Mahila Samman’ scheme being official. He called on them to provide proof of any official notifications.

Despite these allegations, AAP has begun registering women and elderly people across Delhi for the two schemes. Sachdeva expressed concern about misleading information coming from the ruling party, forcing officials to remind the public to be cautious.

He criticized Atishi for not clarifying whether these schemes are officially approved. Sachdeva also condemned Kejriwal for spreading confusion about Atishi possibly facing arrest because of the false schemes.

Gupta stated that even male applicants are being registered under the ‘Mahila Samman’ scheme, which doesn’t make sense since the scheme is meant for women. He emphasized that the situation suggests deeper problems with the schemes.

He warned that in many cases, the OTPs generated during the registration could be misused to take money from people’s bank accounts.

Union Minister Giriraj Singh recently suggested that the Bharat Ratna, India’s highest civilian honor, should be awarded to Nitish Kumar, the Chief Minister of Bihar, and Naveen Patnaik, the former Chief Minister of Odisha. Singh praised both leaders for their contributions to their states. He said that Bihar improved a lot under Nitish Kumar’s leadership, changing the state from having bad roads and schools to being much better. He also recognized Naveen Patnaik for serving Odisha for many years.

Even though Singh has been critical of Kumar in the past, he stated that the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) plans to contest upcoming elections in Bihar with Kumar as their leader. This comes as the RJD, which has worked together with Kumar’s party before, is trying to weaken the NDA’s position. Tejashwi Yadav, son of RJD leader Lalu Prasad, accused the BJP of trying to take control of the Chief Minister’s office, claiming that key aides of Kumar are in close contact with the BJP leaders.

There are speculations that the BJP may not publicly support Nitish Kumar as their candidate for the elections, similar to what happened in Maharashtra, where they didn’t promote their Chief Minister during the elections. After that election, the BJP became the largest party and ended up influencing who became the new Chief Minister.

Mysuru: The Janata Dal (Secular), a political party in Karnataka, is upset about the Mysuru City Corporation’s plan to rename a road after the state’s Chief Minister, Siddaramaiah. They want to change the name of the KRS Road, which connects the city to nearby attractions, to ‘Siddaramaiah Arogya Marg’.

The JD(S) claims this decision is wrong because Siddaramaiah is accused of being involved in a corruption case called the MUDA scam, which is currently under investigation. They say he got a site illegally and is now facing trial. Since there’s no elected board in the Mysuru Metropolitan Corporation, the JD(S) believes that the officials chosen by the Congress government are naming the road after Siddaramaiah as a favor to him.

According to the JD(S), naming a road after him is not just disrespectful to Mysore, but to all of Karnataka. They think it’s unfair to honor someone with serious legal troubles.

Meanwhile, tensions have been rising between the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) over issues like reservation policies and land scams. Congress leader BK Hariprasad challenged BJP President BY Vijayendra about the MUDA scam and suggested that the BJP should also be examined for land deals associated with right-wing groups like the RSS.

Srinagar: National Conference member Salman Sagar recently criticized his party colleague, Ruhullah Mehdi, for protesting outside the Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister’s home. Sagar, who is a new MLA from the Hazratbal area, accused Mehdi of helping the party’s enemies and falling for their tricks. During the protest on December 23, Mehdi asked for changes to the reservation policy and was joined by some leaders from the opposition parties, including Waheed Para from the People’s Democratic Party and Khursheed Ahmad Sheikh from the Awami Ittehad Party.

Sagar stated that while Mehdi is an important leader, the party as a whole should come first. He mentioned, “People vote for the party, not just one person.” He believed Mehdi’s protest was poorly planned and did not consult the other 42 MLAs from the National Conference. Sagar also questioned the timing of the protest, suggesting it could create conflict within society and between different groups. He accused Mehdi of being used by the party’s critics to hurt the National Conference and called for unity among party members.

In response, Mehdi shared a quote on social media referring to “house Negroes and field Negroes,” indicating he believes he stands with the common people.

New Delhi: Union Minister Rajiv Ranjan Singh, from the Janata Dal (United) or JD(U), said on Tuesday that the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) will run for the Bihar Assembly elections in 2025 under Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s leadership. Singh mentioned this while talking to the news agency ANI.

The NDA, which did well in the recent Lok Sabha elections in Bihar, is made up of the BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party), JD(U), LJP (Ram Vilas), and Hindust Awam Morcha (Secular). A few months ago, Nitish Kumar changed the state government, leaving the Mahagathbandhan (Grand Alliance) and teaming up with the BJP again.

In Bihar, the BJP is the larger partner in the NDA. They have 84 MLAs (Members of the Legislative Assembly), while the JD(U) has 48. State BJP leaders have confirmed that the upcoming assembly elections will be led by Nitish Kumar.

Uttar Pradesh’s Chief Minister, Yogi Adityanath, amazed everyone by starting his speech in Japanese during a special event in Lucknow. He was speaking at the signing of new agreements, called Memorandum of Understandings (MOUs), with Yamanashi Prefecture from Japan. This event was attended by Kotaro Nagasaki, the governor of Yamanashi, who came with a team from Japan.

These agreements aim to build stronger business and cultural ties between Uttar Pradesh and Yamanashi, showing how India and Japan are becoming closer friends. Adityanath mentioned, “India and Japan have big economies. Our government really wants to work with Japanese companies. Uttar Pradesh has endless opportunities. These agreements will strengthen our bond even more.”

He also talked about the long history between the two countries, saying that connections began all the way back in 752 AD when an Indian monk named Bodhisena created a famous Buddha statue in Japan. Indian leaders like Swami Vivekananda, Rabindranath Tagore, and Subhash Chandra Bose have helped connect India and Japan over the years.

Today, many Indians live in Japan, especially in tech and engineering jobs. One area in Tokyo is even known as “mini-India” because it has over 40,000 Indians! There are also more than 150 Indian professors, 50 researchers, and around 282 Indian students studying in Japan, which helps strengthen cultural and academic connections between the two nations.

On Tuesday, the Congress party took action by asking the Supreme Court to review some new changes made to the rules of elections. They believe these changes are harming the trust people have in elections. The government updated certain rules, which now make it harder for people to see important documents, like video recordings from CCTV cameras or candidate videos.

Jairam Ramesh, a leader in the Congress party, shared his concerns online, stating that the trust in elections is declining quickly and hopes the Supreme Court will help fix it. He mentioned that the Election Commission, which is responsible for ensuring elections are fair, should not make such important changes without talking to the public. He emphasized that these changes limit people’s access to essential information that keeps elections transparent and accountable. Recently, the Union law ministry, based on suggestions from the Election Commission of India, changed Rule 93(2)(a) of the election rules to restrict public access to some important documents.