Category: Politics

On Sunday, Maharashtra’s new government added more leaders to its team in a ceremony held in Nagpur. Some important leaders who took an oath included Chandrashekhar Bawankule, the state chief of the BJP, Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil, Chandrakant Patil, and Hasan Mushrif from the NCP. This cabinet expansion comes right after the BJP and its allies won the 2024 assembly elections, marking a big step for their teamwork in governing the state.

Earlier that day, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis honored Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar, the creator of India’s Constitution, by paying tribute in Nagpur. After this tribute, he held a roadshow, which was his first public event since the election results. Joined by his wife, Amruta Fadnavis, and BJP state chief Chandrashekhar Bawankule, the roadshow attracted excited crowds. Amruta Fadnavis shared her joy with ANI, saying, “It feels great to see the people’s love. Our responsibilities have increased, and we must accept them.”

Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar from the NCP also visited Nagpur before the cabinet meeting, showing everyone how the coalition leaders are working together. This cabinet expansion aims to share power fairly and keep the promises made to the people of Maharashtra. Details about what roles the new ministers will have are expected to be announced soon.

On Sunday, B Y Vijayendra, the President of the BJP in Karnataka, strongly denied claims made by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Congress leaders. They accused him of trying to bribe Anwar Manippady, the former head of the Minority Commission, with Rs 150 crore. This bribe was allegedly offered to keep quiet about a report on Waqf property encroachments.

Siddaramaiah had said that Manippady claimed Vijayendra visited his home during the previous Chief Minister Yediyurappa’s time and made the offer to him. However, Manippady denied these claims and said that no bribe was ever offered. He mentioned that he only talked about a report regarding issues from the past Congress government when Vijayendra was a party Vice President.

Home Minister G Parameshwara claimed there is video evidence of Manippady’s accusations. Vijayendra questioned the logic behind these allegations and suggested that the Congress was just trying to divert attention from their own corruption issues, especially concerning an ongoing case against Siddaramaiah.

Vijayendra expressed his willingness to address these accusations in the Assembly if they arise. He criticized the Congress government for allegedly wasting time, instead of discussing important topics like maternal deaths at government hospitals and unresolved issues in northern Karnataka. He said the government appeared to be ignoring serious matters that affect the people, like the protests for higher reservations by the Panchamasali Lingayat community.

He emphasized that the BJP would face all challenges bravely and would not back down just because they are facing politically motivated investigations.

Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan strongly criticized the Congress party, saying they have no shame or sense of responsibility. Speaking on Sunday, he pointed out that Indian citizens have repeatedly revealed Congress’s wrongdoings.

Pradhan mentioned that Prime Minister Modi shared important historical facts in a recent speech. He accused Congress of ignoring the truth and said they need to learn how to listen. The people of India have shown Congress the truth many times, Pradhan added.

Earlier, PM Modi also took a firm stand against Congress. He accused the party of disrespecting the Constitution, which is crucial for India. Modi presented eleven promises for a bright future for the country. He said everyone should remember their duties and that politics should not be based on family ties.

Referring to the Congress party, Modi highlighted their long history of disregarding the Constitution. He pointed out that from 1947 to 1952, India did not have a real elected government, and there were no important elections during that time. Modi emphasized that following our fundamental duties is key to making India a developed country.

He criticized Congress for past events like the emergency, claiming it took away the rights of citizens and limited freedom of the press.

The Lok Sabha discussed the Constitution’s 75 years over two days starting on Friday.

Derek O’Brien, the leader of the Trinamool Congress in the Rajya Sabha, said on Sunday that his party wants Parliament to work smoothly. He urged the ruling BJP not to disrupt discussions, especially about the Constitution, which they plan to discuss soon.

Last week, there were several interruptions in Parliament, and O’Brien blamed the BJP for making it hard for everyone to talk about important issues affecting the public.

The Rajya Sabha is going to discuss how the Constitution has worked over the last 75 years. This is happening while opposition parties are planning to challenge Vice President and Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar with a no-confidence motion. The opposition really wants to focus on the Constitution this Winter Session.

During last week’s sessions, Parliament faced multiple disruptions due to various topics like the Adani issue and comments from George Soros, making it hard for the House to operate. O’Brien stated that they want to make sure Parliament runs smoothly so they can address people’s problems. If the BJP doesn’t cause more disruptions, he says they will discuss the Constitution and highlight the BJP’s failures.

About 10 to 11 members from O’Brien’s party will join this discussion and each will speak for 3-4 minutes. They plan to focus on important ideas from the Constitution’s introduction, like equality, justice, and democracy. The TMC has 12 members in the Rajya Sabha, but one member, Sukhendu Shekhar Roy, is not participating due to some disagreements with the party.

Tensions rose last Friday when the opposition tried to push for impeaching Dhankhar, leading to a chaotic scene where members clashed. Dhankhar, who identifies as a farmer’s son, asserted he wouldn’t back down.

The debates in the Rajya Sabha will occur on December 16 and 17, with Prime Minister Modi expected to respond on Tuesday. Earlier, the Lok Sabha had its discussions on December 13 and 14, with many opposition members criticizing the BJP for hurting the Constitution. In his defense, Modi accused the Congress party of damaging the Constitution out of a desire for power, claiming his government has worked since 2014 to strengthen and unify India according to the Constitution’s vision.

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah recently shared his thoughts on Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) while talking to PTI. He disagreed with the Congress party, which has been unhappy with EVMs after losing elections. Abdullah pointed out that it’s not fair to celebrate victory when EVMs work well for you, but then complain about them when you lose.

He even noted that many Members of Parliament have used the same EVMs during elections, so if they won, they shouldn’t suddenly doubt the machines later on. When someone mentioned that he sounded like a spokesperson for the BJP, he jokingly said, “God forbid!” He clarified that he stands by his principles and not just his party’s views. As an example, he supports the Central Vista project, believing that a new Parliament building is a great idea because the old one was old and inefficient.

Abdullah argued that if political parties don’t trust the voting process, they shouldn’t compete in elections. He suggested that the opposition, especially Congress, is wrong for focusing too much on issues with EVMs when they should be consistent in their opinions. After losing in Haryana and Maharashtra, the Congress questioned the reliability of EVMs and asked for a return to paper ballots.

His criticism adds to the growing tension between his National Conference party and the Congress, which they partnered with in the September 2023 elections. National Conference officials say Congress didn’t help much during the campaign, leaving most of the work to them. Despite this, the National Conference won 42 out of 90 seats, while the Congress only got 6. Abdullah insisted that all parties should take responsibility for their losses instead of blaming the machines, stating, “Some days voters choose you, and some days they don’t.” He even recounted how he lost in the Lok Sabha elections but won in the assembly polls, explaining that he never blamed the EVMs.

New Delhi: Union Minister Kiren Rijiju criticized the Congress party on Sunday, echoing comments made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the Lok Sabha. Rijiju accused Congress of changing the Constitution to benefit itself. He explained that important parts of the Constitution were changed to protect the interests of what he called the “Congress family.”

Prime Minister Modi said that over the past 75 years, especially during Congress’s nearly 60 years in power, the party has disrespected the Constitution. He stressed that Congress leaders from the Nehru-Gandhi family have repeatedly ignored important rules.

Modi mentioned that the Congress party’s history includes many examples of undermining the Constitution. He also pointed out the outdated slogan “Garibi Hatao” (Remove Poverty), saying his government’s focus is on genuinely helping the poor.

In response to Modi’s speech, Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi called it boring and lacking new ideas. She commented that if Modi truly wants to fight corruption, he should discuss issues related to business tycoon Adani instead of making empty promises.

The debate in Lok Sabha on the Constitution lasted for two days and started on Friday.

On Sunday, Ramesh Pehalwan, a leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), and his wife Kusumlata joined the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). They made this switch in front of Arvind Kejriwal, the leader of AAP. This news comes as we get closer to the Delhi Assembly elections expected in early 2025.

Earlier this week, Kejriwal confirmed that AAP will not team up with the Congress party for these elections. He mentioned on social media that AAP will rely on its own efforts in Delhi instead of forming a partnership with Congress.

Devendra Yadav, the President of the Congress in Delhi, recently criticized AAP for the worsening safety situation in the city. He insisted that Kejriwal should ask for the resignation of Delhi Chief Minister Atishi, similar to how he once demanded the resignation of former Chief Minister Sheila Dixit during the Nirbhaya case. Yadav stated that women in Delhi are facing increased dangers from crimes like gang violence, shootings, murders, rapes, harassment, and theft.

On Friday, AAP announced its third list of candidates for the 2025 elections, picking Tarun Yadav to represent the Najafgarh area. Previously, AAP released a second candidates’ list, which removed 17 current members of the legislative assembly, choosing to replace them with new faces. However, they decided to re-nominate three well-known figures: Manish Sisodia and Rakhi Birla, who are current members, and Deepu Chaudhary, a former candidate from the last elections.

While Congress was dominant in Delhi for 15 years, it has struggled recently. In the last two assembly elections, they didn’t win even one seat. In the 2020 elections, AAP won 62 out of 70 seats, and the BJP managed to secure just eight seats.

In an interview with PTI, senior Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar talked about tough times for his party in 2012. He pointed out two big problems: Sonia Gandhi got very sick and Manmohan Singh had six heart bypass surgeries. Aiyar believes that if different leaders had made different choices, Congress might have avoided a huge loss in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections. He said, “In 2012, we were in trouble because our top leaders were unwell.”

Aiyar thinks that if Dr. Manmohan Singh had become President and Pranab Mukherjee had been Prime Minister, the party would still have lost in 2014, but not in such a bad way, ending up with only 44 seats.

He also shared his thoughts about the Gandhi family. Aiyar noted that his political life was both helped and hurt by them. He talked about how he didn’t get much chance to meet Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, or Priyanka Gandhi directly. “For 10 years, I couldn’t meet Sonia one-on-one,” he said, adding that he only met Rahul a couple of times and Priyanka just twice.

In a funny moment, he recounted how he wished Rahul a happy birthday through Priyanka because he was suspended from the party at the time. Priyanka was surprised and asked why he couldn’t just talk to Rahul. He explained that being suspended meant he couldn’t.

Aiyar also remembered a curious conversation with Sonia Gandhi after he wished her “Merry Christmas.” She surprising replied, “I’m not a Christian,” which caught him off guard. He added that he doesn’t believe in any religion but respects all of them.

Overall, Aiyar is a former diplomat and a well-known politician, having represented his area in the Lok Sabha and serving in the Rajya Sabha. He is sharing these reflections as he prepares to release his new book, “A Maverick in Politics.”

The government has decided to hold off on introducing bills about “one nation, one election” in the Lok Sabha until after they finish important financial matters. Originally, two bills—the Constitution (129th Amendment) Bill and the Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill—were planned to be introduced on Monday. Sources say that these bills could be presented later this week after the Lok Sabha discusses and agrees on other important budget issues that are scheduled for today.

The updated schedule from the Lok Sabha doesn’t list these two bills for Monday. However, the government can still add new items to the agenda at the last minute if the Lok Sabha Speaker allows it. Last week, the two bills about holding elections for the Lok Sabha and state assemblies at the same time were shared with the members in line with the rules. The Winter session of Parliament will end on December 20.