Category: Politics

On Wednesday, the Rajya Sabha (the upper house of India’s Parliament) had to stop working for the day without getting anything done because of a loud argument between ruling party and opposition members. The conflict arose over a notice of no-confidence against the Vice President and Chairman of the Rajya Sabha, Jagdeep Dhankhar, and a discussion about billionaire George Soros.

When the Rajya Sabha met at noon, J P Nadda, the Leader of the House, criticized the Congress party for supposedly siding with George Soros, claiming that they were trying to make India unstable. He called for a discussion to explain what the Congress party’s leaders have to do with Soros and how that affects India’s safety and sovereignty.

Nadda argued that the Congress party was trying to distract everyone from the real issues by targeting the Chairman. He accused them of being a part of a foreign influence that threatens India’s integrity. He said that the way Congress criticized the Chairman was disrespectful and should be condemned by everyone.

Despite Nadda’s statements, the uproar from the opposition continued, and the Rajya Sabha has faced multiple interruptions over the last three days because of the George Soros issue.

Controversial phrases, like “vote jihad,” used by some political parties during the recent Maharashtra assembly elections, are being closely looked at by the Election Commission of India (ECI). Dr. Kiran Kulkarni, the Additional Chief Electoral Officer for Maharashtra, shared this news in an interview on Wednesday. He mentioned that over 650 cases of breaking election rules were reported during these elections. The enforcement agencies will work hard to resolve these cases properly.

When asked about the phrase “vote jihad,” Kulkarni said that the ECI is carefully studying its meaning in legal, language, and social contexts before deciding what to do next. He emphasized the need to be cautious with such terms since they can have serious effects. “Vote jihad” is a new term that requires deep understanding, and officials are considering all its implications.

Regarding whether these controversial phrases impact the election conversations, Kulkarni warned against making quick judgments. He explained that understanding words and their meanings takes time. There isn’t a strict legal system for new terms, so it’s important to handle these issues with care.

The elections for the 288-seat Maharashtra legislative assembly took place on November 20, with votes counted three days later. The election rules started on October 15. Kulkarni reported 659 cases of election code violations, which is much higher than the 366 cases seen in the previous Lok Sabha elections earlier this year. He highlighted that agencies did a good job during the Lok Sabha elections, filing 300 chargesheets in courts.

For the assembly elections, Kulkarni said they are keeping a close watch on all cases. Investigating agencies are actively working, and all charges will be submitted to courts to ensure justice. He noted that the speed of these proceedings depends on the courts, which take election-related crimes seriously.

On hate speech issues, Kulkarni explained that they look into these complaints using the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). Some complaints have been confirmed as true, leading to cases filed under the law. However, he clarified that the model code of conduct is not a strict law—it’s more of a guideline.

Kulkarni dismissed claims of booth capturing during the elections, stating that Maharashtra has a strong electoral system. He assured that such incidents have never occurred in the state. With electronic voting machines (EVMs), there’s no way to tamper, as the data is safely stored. There were some reports of voting disruptions but these issues were resolved quickly, sometimes even by replacing an EVM to ease concerns.

Former Delhi minister and Aam Aadmi Party leader Satyendar Jain is taking action against BJP MP Bansuri Swaraj. He has filed a complaint for defamation, saying her comments on a TV show harmed his reputation.

In the interview on October 5, 2023, Jain claims Swaraj made false statements, saying that items worth 3 crores, 1.8 kilograms of gold, and 133 gold coins were found at his home. Jain argues these claims are completely untrue and were made to hurt him politically.

Jain also states that Swaraj called him “Corrupt” and “Fraud.” He believes these accusations are part of a larger effort to damage his image.

Jain says the hurt from her comments has deeply affected his reputation, both in his job as a public leader and in his personal life as a husband, father, and friend. He feels that these false claims have not only hurt his political career but have also impacted his family and social relationships.

Jain believes that the damage done by these accusations is beyond measure and has tarnished his otherwise clean image as a politician.

On Tuesday, RJD leader Lalu Prasad said that Mamata Banerjee, the Chief Minister of West Bengal and leader of the Trinamool Congress, should be allowed to lead the INDIA coalition, which is against the BJP party. His support comes after Banerjee showed interest in taking charge of the group. Lalu mentioned that if the Congress party wasn’t sure about Banerjee as the leader, it wouldn’t really matter. He emphasized, “She should be allowed to lead the INDIA bloc.”

Lalu’s son, Tejashwi Yadav, also said he didn’t mind anyone leading the coalition, as long as everyone agreed together. Recently, Banerjee expressed her unhappiness with how the INDIA bloc was working and indicated she would be ready to lead if given the chance. She mentioned that she can do both her job as Chief Minister and lead the opposition at the same time.

When asked about Bihar’s Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s upcoming statewide tour, Lalu joked that he was just looking around and said that the RJD-led coalition would win the state in 2025. Kumar’s journey, called the ‘Mahila Samvad Yatra’, starts on December 15 and aims to connect with women to hear their thoughts and check on the progress of the state’s programs.

Former Karnataka Chief Minister S.M. Krishna passed away at his home early on Tuesday. He was 92 years old and had been sick for a while. His family mentioned that he died at 2:45 am. His body will likely be taken to Maddur today.

S.M. Krishna was an important figure in politics and is known for making Bengaluru a major tech hub in India, often called the Silicon Valley of India. He was born on May 1, 1932, in Somanahalli, a place in Karnataka’s Mandya district. Throughout his career, he served as the External Affairs Minister of India and as the Governor of Maharashtra. After many years with the Congress party, he joined the BJP towards the end of his political journey.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will talk about India’s Constitution on Saturday, December 14, in the Lok Sabha (the lower house of Parliament). The discussions will happen on December 13 and 14 in the Lok Sabha, and on December 16 and 17 in the Rajya Sabha (the upper house). Union Home Minister Amit Shah will lead the discussions in the Rajya Sabha on December 16.

This plan came after an all-party meeting led by Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, as there have been many interruptions and little progress in Parliament’s winter session, which started on November 25. The session will last until December 20 and is mainly focused on the 75th anniversary of the Indian Constitution.

However, the Opposition is worried about possible changes to the Constitution following some recent statements by important BJP leaders.

Trinamool Congress (TMC) MPs will talk about the violence against minority communities, especially Hindus, in Bangladesh. They urge the government to take stronger action.

The Samajwadi Party (SP) MPs will raise the issue of violence in Sambhal, Uttar Pradesh, and demand justice and a fair investigation. Meanwhile, the Congress party is still focusing on the Adani issue, accusing the ruling BJP of corruption related to the Adani Group. TMC leaders also plan to discuss other major issues like unemployment, rising prices, and unfair treatment of states ruled by the Opposition.

Praveen Togadia, the national president of Bajrang Dal, recently spoke in Bilsi, Uttar Pradesh. He claimed that all mosques built during the Mughal era were made by taking down temples. Togadia said he saw a list of 12,000 temples that were destroyed to build these mosques. He also mentioned that Hindus in Bangladesh have faced violence and questioned why Hindus were attacked if the protests were aimed at the government. He believes there should be a government that protects Hindus and stands up for them. This comes after the Bangladesh government faced protests, leading to unrest and violence against religious minorities, especially Hindus.

Sujeet Kumar, a former Member of Parliament from the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), has officially filed his papers to run for the Rajya Sabha again, but this time as a candidate for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Odisha. His name was announced by the BJP’s Central Election Committee, and he was joined by important leaders like Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi and BJP state president Manmohan Samal when he submitted his nomination.

Kumar submitted two sets of nomination papers with the support of 30 MLAs, which means many members of the state assembly are backing him. Chief Minister Majhi is listed as a supporter for one set, and Deputy Chief Minister KV Singh Deo for the other.

He told reporters that he has done a lot of good work during his previous term in the Rajya Sabha. He said he plans to focus on improving Kalahandi district and the KBK (Kalahandi-Bolangir-Koraput) region by enhancing infrastructure, road connections, tourism, and more.

Officials stated that Kumar is currently the only person to submit nomination papers for this Rajya Sabha by-election, which was caused by his own resignation from the BJD in September. He left his position after deciding to join the BJP.

The Election Commission has scheduled these by-elections for December 20, with December 10 as the last day to file nominations. Given the BJP’s strong presence in the Odisha Assembly, where they hold 78 out of 147 seats, Kumar is likely to win this election easily.

This is not the first time a former BJD MP has joined the BJP; Mamata Mohanta from the Kudumi community also resigned from the BJD, joined the BJP, and was elected unopposed to the Rajya Sabha. Currently, the number of BJD members in the Rajya Sabha has dropped to seven after these resignations.