PM Modi's address at the Ferozepur rally was cancelled as protesting farmers, blocked the highway to the venue. (Express Photo by Gurmeet Singh )Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Friday said protesting farmers should have allowed Prime Minister Narendra Modi to reach the rally venue in Punjab’s Ferozepur to let him witness and address the “empty chairs” there. Mocking the PM’s security breach, Yadav said due to the cancellation of the public meeting at Ferozepur, the country was deprived of knowing why the three farm laws were brought and later withdrawn. The Samajwadi Party chief made the remarks while narrating his own experience of once addressing a thin crowd of only 25 people at Koderma in Jharkhand despite his party men preventing him for hours from addressing the rally due to the people’s failure to gather in large number.
Meanwhile, Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Friday demanded dismissal of Charanjit Singh Channi-led Punjab government and holding of election under the President’s Rule. He alleged that the Congress dispensation was unable to ensure law and order in the state citing Wednesday Prime Minister “security breach” as evidence. Khattar along with State Home Minister Anil Vij and State BJP chief OP Dhankar submitted a memorandum to Haryana Governor Bandaru Dattatreya at the Raj Bhavan regarding the Ferozepur incident.
In another development, hearing a petition on the recent security breach during PM Narendra Modi’s visit to Punjab, the Supreme Court on Friday directed the Registrar General of the Punjab and Haryana High Court to secure and preserve all records related to the prime minister’s travel in the state. The court was hearing a petition seeking an investigation into the security breach in Punjab on Wednesday, where the prime minister was stranded on the Ludhiana-Ferozepur highway for about 15-20 minutes.
Meanwhile, citing the latest surge in Covid-19 cases, the Congress announced that it would not hold any rallies in Uttar Pradesh and urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath to refrain from holding large public events in the state.
All public meetings and gatherings in Goa will now be limited to 50 per cent capacity for indoor venues and up to 100 people in outdoor venues, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant announced on Friday as the coastal state – which goes to the elections soon – recorded a steep rise in Covid-19 cases.
On Friday, the test positivity rate in Goa was 21.72 percent, with the state adding 1,432 new cases to its count of Covid-19 cases. Test-Positivity rate is the proportion of samples tested for Covid-19 that returned positive. On Friday, there were 5,931 active cases in the state, according to bulletin issued by the state Directorate of Health Services. Read More
Punjab Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu on Friday came in support of his own party government when he said that there was no breach in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s security and the Centre was playing “dirty politics” over the issue and warned BJP against defaming Punjab and Punjabis.
“BJP should stop playing politics. All those seeking President’s rule in Punjab are your parrots like former Chief Minister Amarinder Singh who always parrots security. Has he raised any other issue of the state?” He asked. Read More
Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Friday demanded dismissal of Charanjit Singh Channi-led Punjab government and holding of election under the President's Rule.
He alleged that the Congress dispensation was unable to ensure law and order in the state citing Wednesday Prime Minister “security breach” as evidence.
Khattar along with State Home Minister Anil Vij and State BJP chief OP Dhankar submitted a memorandum to Haryana Governor Bandaru Dattatreya at the Raj Bhavan here regarding the Ferozepur incident. (PTI)
Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Friday said protesting farmers should have allowed Prime Minister Narendra Modi to reach the rally venue in Punjab's Ferozepur to let him witness and address the "empty chairs" there.
Mocking the PM's security breach, Yadav said due to the cancellation of the public meeting at Ferozepur, the country was deprived of knowing why the three farm laws were brought and later withdrawn.
The Samajwadi Party chief made the remarks while narrating his own experience of once addressing a thin crowd of only 25 people at Koderma in Jharkhand despite his party men preventing him for hours from addressing the rally due to the people's failure to gather in large number. (PTI)
With social media emerging as a new challenge, the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of Punjab Friday organised a workshop for all District Public Relation Officers (DPROs) on ‘Social Media Monitoring’ to help them counter fake news and identify paid news during the upcoming Punjab assembly election.
Dr Rubal Kanozia, assistant professor from the Central University in Bathinda was the main speaker at the workshop. Kanozia is a researcher on misinformation and fake news and also a social media analyst. Read More
Days after Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav had offered puja at a Lord Parshuram temple as part of his Brahmin outreach efforts, Uttar Pradesh deputy chief minister Dinesh Sharma and other BJP leaders on Friday inaugurated a temple of the god in the state capital.
BJP MP Rita Bahuguna Joshi and her son Mayank Joshi, along with deputy CM Sharma and minister Brijesh Pathak, unveiled a statue of Lord Parshuram, venerated by many Brahmins, in Hasoveer temple in the state capital. The six-foot statue of Lord Parshuram has been brought from Rajasthan.
The move is being seen as another attempt by the BJP to placate the electorally dominant Brahmin community which is believed to be unhappy with the state government. (PTI)
Former BJP ministers Mahadev Naik, Alina Saldanha and lawyer-turned-politician Amit Palekar figure in the Aam Aadmi Party's (AAP) first list of 10 candidates released on Friday for the upcoming assembly polls in Goa. The AAP's state in-charge, Atishi, has approved the list of 10 candidates whose constituencies are spread across both North Goa and South Goa districts.
The Delhi-based outfit has become the second party, after the Congress, to announce its first list of nominees for the Goa polls. The Congress's first list also featured 10 candidates.
Palekar will contest from the St Cruz assembly constituency, while Vishwajit Krishnarao Rane, who was earlier in the BJP, is in fray from Poriem. Former BJP minister Naik will contest from Shiroda, while AAP leader Satyavijay Naik has been fielded from Valpoi. Premanand Nanoskar, who was earlier with the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP), is the AAP nominee from Dabolim. Former BJP minister Saldanha, who joined the Arvind Kejriwal-led party last month, is seeking to enter the assembly from the Cortalim seat. Former Goa Pradesh Mahila Congress chief Pratima Coutinho is the AAP nominee from Navelim. Other candidates in the list are: Venzy Viegas (Benaulim), Abhijeet Desai (Sanguem) and Domnic Gaunkar (Curtorim).
The AAP has decided to field candidates in all the 40 assembly constituencies of the coastal state, where poll schedule is yet to be announced. (PTI)
The government on Friday termed as misleading media reports stating that the Union Health Health Ministry has suggested to the Election Commission that there is no cause of "alarm or concern in view of very few cases of Omicron in poll-bound states".
"These reports have a very high tendency to start a mis-information campaign in the midst of a pandemic," the Union Health Ministry said in a statement.
"Some media reports are suggesting that Union Ministry of Health has in a meeting with the Election Commission of India (ECI) yesterday suggested that the 'Covid situation in the country is nothing to be worried about' and 'there is no cause of alarm or concern in the view of very few cases of Omicron in the poll bound states'. Such reports are highly ill-informed, misleading and far from the truth," the ministry said. The Union Health Secretary, in his meeting with the ECI on Thursday, presented the overall global and domestic status of spread of Covid, as well as Omicron, in the country.
Details were also presented on status of preparedness of the public health response within the states for control and management of the increasing numbers of Covid cases, the statement said. The focus of the presentation was on poll bound states and their neighbouring states, it added.
Goa Forward Party (GFP) president Vijai Sardesai has said that time has come for his outfit and those opposed to the BJP to come together for the upcoming assembly elections in the coastal state. He said the GFP, the Congress, the Trinamool Congress (TMC) and the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP) should join hands as part of a broad coalition to take on the ruling BJP keeping aside their egos. Sardesai's GFP has already announced a pre-poll tie-up with the Congress, while the MGP and the TMC have formed their own alliance for elections to the 40-member assembly.
Talking to reporters on Thursday in Margao city, Sardesai said the BJP might try to "play dirty" with other parties during campaigning in the name of COVID-19 restrictions.
Hearing a petition on the recent security breach during PM Narendra Modi’s visit to Punjab, the Supreme Court on Friday directed the Registrar General of the Punjab and Haryana High Court to secure and preserve all records related to the prime minister’s travel in the state.
The apex court also directed the Punjab Police, Special Protection Group (SPG) and all other concerned authorities to assist the registrar general in any way necessary. “We direct registrar general to keep all records in his safe custody,” the court’s order read, according to Bar & Bench. The court also orally directed both the Centre and the state government to put their independent probes on hold till next Monday, Live Law reported.
The court was hearing a petition seeking an investigation into the security breach in Punjab on Wednesday, where the prime minister was stranded on the Ludhiana-Ferozepur highway for about 15-20 minutes.
Samajwadi Party (SP) president Akhilesh Yadav is scheduled to visit Ayodhya this weekend to lead the eleventh phase of the party’s Vijay Yatra.
This will be Yadav’s first visit to Ayodhya during the ongoing election campaign. On December 26, Union Home Minister Amit Shah alleged that the SP chief was planning to stop the construction of the Ram temple in Ayodhya if elected to power in the upcoming Assembly polls. Senior BJP leaders on the campaign trail have also pointed out that the SP was in power when the police fired at kar sevaks in Ayodhya in 1990.
Congress leader Kanhaiya Kumar on Thursday took swipes at the Trinamool Congress Party and Aam Aadmi Party for entering the fray for the coming Assembly elections in Goa. Congress joined hands with these two parties at the national level because they were anti-BJP, but in Goa, where Congress has the capability to defeat the BJP, they rushed to contest polls, he said. Kumar was addressing Congress workers at Mapusa town.
In the last five years, 5.37 lakh new voters have been added in Uttarakhand including over 3.11 lakh female voters and over 2.25 lakh male voters. The number of voters in the age group of 18 to 19 also increased from 46,765 to 1,58,008, Sowjanya, State Chief Electoral Officer, said, ANI reported.
Samajwadi Party (SP) president Akhilesh Yadav on Wednesday targeted Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and the state government over a purported video of absconding former MP Dhananjay Singh in which he is seen playing cricket amid a crowd of people. Singh is wanted for his alleged role in the murder of former Mau block president Ajit Singh in January 2021.
Taking a dig at Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Akhilesh tweeted, “BJP’s work: Criminals roam free. Baba ji, make a list of the top ten of your closest mafia and then make a team. Like the IPL, you should start an ‘MBL’ meaning ‘Mafia BJP league’. The city police chief has already laid out the pitch for him, and he is the captain. This completes the eleven.”
Following in the footsteps of Opposition parties’ poll promise of free electricity, the Yogi Adityanath-led state government on Thursday announced a 50 per cent reduction in the power tariffs for tubewells owned by farmers. As per the government estimate, the decision, to be effective from this month, will benefit nearly 13 lakh consumers.
The decision, ahead of the UP assembly elections, is estimated to set the UP Power Corporation Limited (UPPCL) back Rs 1,000 crore a year. According to a press release, the state government will offset UPPCL’s loss with a grant.
The halved tariff will be applicable for metered, unmetered, energy efficient tubewells in rural areas, and metered ones in urban areas. Adityanath’s office tweeted that his government had taken the decision as it was committed to farmers’ “convenience and prosperity”.(With Lalmani Verma)
The Election Commission on Thursday announced a hike in expenditure limit for candidates to Rs 95 lakh (up from Rs 70 lakh) for Lok Sabha elections, and Rs 40 lakh (up from Rs 28 lakh) for Assembly polls.
The government’s decision is based on the poll panel’s recommendation.
The EC had formed a committee to study cost factors and other related issues, and subsequently make suitable recommendations. The committee invited suggestions from political parties, chief electoral officers and election observers, and found that there has been a substantial increase in the number of electors and Cost Inflation Index since 2014.
The Aam Aadmi Party has decided to cancel its rallies in poll-bound Uttar Pradesh in view of spurt in coronavirus cases, senior party leader Sanjay Singh said on Thursday. The party will instead hold virtual rallies in the state, he said.
'All rallies of AAP in Uttar Pradesh have been cancelled. I will talk to you at the 'Kejriwal Guarantee' public meeting to be held in Varanasi on January 8 through Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube,' the AAP MP tweeted in Hindi.
A delegation of Goa BJP leaders including Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Thursday met Governor P S Sridharan Pillai here and demanded dismissal of the Punjab government over the security breach during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to that state.
The delegation included Goa BJP chief Sadanand Shet Tanavade amongst others.The governor later told reporters that he would convey the demand to the higher authorities. "It is not right on my part to comment on such issues," he added.
The Tamil Nadu unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party on Thursday held ‘peaceful marches’ throughout the State condemning the Congress government in Punjab for “causing a major security breach” to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s convoy in Ferozepur.
The party announced a series of protests for a week to “expose the designs of the Congress” to the public. “The major security breach to the Prime Minister’s convoy occurred about 25 km from the Pakistan border. This only showed the callousness of the Congress government in that State,” BJP State chief K Annamalai claimed.
Members of the BJP in Manipur burned effigies of All India Congress Committee (AICC) president Sonia Gandhi and its senior leader Rahul Gandhi here late on Thursday in protest against Prime Minister Narendra Modi's security breach in Punjab a day ago.
The prime minister was stuck on a flyover in Congress-led Punjab for 15-20 minutes on Wednesday due to a blockade by some protesters, an incident the Union Home Ministry described as a "major lapse" in his security. According to leaders of the grand old party, the protesters also vandalised the office of Manipur Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC).
The Congress’s campaign committee chief in Punjab, Sunil Kumar Jakhar, has left on a foreign trip even as the state is set to go to the polls in a few weeks and the party is not even close to finalising candidates, sources close to the party’s former state president said.
Jakhar left the country after attending a screening committee meeting in Delhi on Wednesday. Sources close to him also said he had chosen to go abroad as the Congress’s central election committee meetings would anyway be held virtually because of the pandemic’s third wave. (With Kanchan Vasdev)
Citing the latest surge in Covid-19 cases, the Congress on Wednesday announced that it would not hold any rallies or girls’ marathons in poll-bound Uttar Pradesh and urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath to refrain from holding large public events in the state. The Congress will instead hold nukkad meetings (small street-corner gatherings) and door-to-door campaign to reach out to people ahead of the Assembly polls in the state.
The decision was announced a day after a near stampede-like situation was seen at the party’s Bareilly marathon for girls. Though no one was seriously injured, an FIR has been registered against the chief of the party’s district unit.
“We have decided to cancel all our public rallies and marathons for the girls following a sudden rise in Covid-19 cases. It should set an example for Prime Minister (Narendra Modi) and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath to avoid public meetings of huge gatherings for the inauguration and foundation-laying events,” state Congress chief Ajay Kumar Lallu told The Indian Express. (With Maulshree Seth)
The Centre is considering action under the Special Protection Group (SPG) Act against Punjab Police officers following the alleged breach in security of Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his visit to Punjab on Wednesday.
With farmer protesters blocking the road, the PM’s cavalcade was stranded on a flyover 30 km from the National Martyrs Memorial in Hussainiwala, Punjab, on Wednesday. Calling it “a major lapse in the security of the PM”, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) had sought a report from the Punjab government and asked it “to fix responsibility for this lapse and take strict action”. (Read more here)
RLD president Jayant Chaudhary on Thursday met Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav here and had detailed discussions on the upcoming assembly elections which the two parties have decided to fight together.The RLD chief who reached here in the afternoon met the SP president for about two hours, a senior RLD leader said. Details of the meeting were not available but media reports suggested it was to finalise the seat-sharing arrangement between the two pre-poll allies. The two leaders later shared a picture of their meeting on their Twitter handles.
'Cemented our ties for the development of Uttar Pradesh,' said Chaudhary in his tweet. Yadav, on the other hand, said, 'Talking about the future development of UP with Shri Jayant Chaudhary ji.'
A day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s cavalcade was stranded on a flyover in Punjab, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has constituted a committee to probe the security lapse.
The committee will be headed by Secretary (Security) in the Cabinet Secretariat Sudhir Kumar Saxena, and will have Intelligence Bureau Joint Director Balbir Singh and SPG IG S Suresh as members. Read more
Hindus expelled from Pakistan and Bangladesh, and living in Uttar Pradesh, have been accommodated in the land that the state government freed from encroachers, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said on Thursday. He also said his government has introduced transparency in all government exams, thereby marking a paradigm shift in the recruitment process from the previous regime.
"Hindus, who were living in Meerut for decades after facing expulsion from Pakistan and Bangladesh, could not afford to build their own houses or buy lands. We have given 63 such Bengali Hindu families two acres of land and 200 square yards for housing per family in Kanpur Dehat. These lands were freed from 'bhu mafia' (land grabbers)," he said.
Each of the 63 families is also given Rs 1.20 lakh under 'Mukhyamantri Awas Yojana', Adityanath said at a programme organised to distribute appointment letters to candidates selected for various posts in government services. --PTI
Amidst the buzz surrounding the Uttar Pradesh elections, one is growing louder by the day: will Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath contest, and from which seat?
Adityanath had earlier announced that he would contest the Assembly elections, a first for him. The former five-time parliamentarian had entered the UP House via the Legislative Council after the 2017 results. Read more here
Punjab BJP president Ashwani Sharma in a presser on Thursday claimed the Punjab Police was hand-in-glove with protesters who blocked the route of PM Modi's cavalcade and that of the buses of BJP supporters, headed towards the Ferozepur rally.
The Centre is mulling action under the Special Protection Group (SPG) Act against certain Punjab Police officers following an alleged security breach during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the state on Wednesday.
PM Modi’s cavalcade was stranded on a flyover 30 km from National Martyrs Memorial in Hussainiwala, Punjab following protesters blocking the road ahead. Calling it “a major lapse in the security of PM”, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on Wednesday sought a report from the Punjab government and said it had asked the state government “to fix responsibility for this lapse and take strict action”.
Sources said that even as the state government probes the incident, the Centre is preparing to take action against erring officials under provisions of the SPG. This could entail summoning of responsible officers to Delhi or institution of a central level enquiry against them, added sources. Read more
The Election Commission Thursday reviewed the Covid-19 situation in the poll-bound states with the Union health secretary Rajesh Bhushan and health experts after which it emphasised the need for vaccination of all eligible people there, sources told PTI.
This is the second time when Bhushan briefed the EC top brass on the emerging Covid-19 situation in the country and in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Goa, Punjab and Manipur in particular.
In a separate meeting, the election panel also discussed the law and order situation in the five states — Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Goa, Punjab and Manipur — with Union Home Secretary Ajay Kumar Bhalla.
The final voters' list of Muzaffarnagar district has been released containing names of 20,20,826 people, including over one lakh new voters spreading over six constituencies, a senior official said.
During last assembly polls in 2017, total voters in the district were 19,13,41.
According to Additional District Election Officer Narender Bahadur Singh, 1,07,415 new people have enrolled in electoral rolls and final voters' list now contains 20,20,826 names. He said that 136 people in the district have enrolled in the third gender category. (PTI)
The Punjab government on Thursday constituted a two-member high level committee to conduct a "thorough probe" into lapses during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Ferozepur, an official spokesperson said.
The committee, which will submit its report within three days, comprises Justice (Retd.) Mehtab Singh Gill and Principal Secretary, Home Affairs and Justice, Anurag Verma.
"In order to carry out a thorough probe into the lapses that occurred during the Prime Minister's visit to Ferozepur yesterday, the Punjab Government has constituted a high level committee," the spokesperson said. (PTI)
President Ram Nath Kovind received a first-hand account from Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the security breach in his convoy in Punjab on Wednesday. He expressed concern over the breach in Modi's security during his visit to Punjab.
In a major security lapse, the prime minister's convoy was stranded on a flyover due to a blockade by protesters in Ferozepur on Wednesday. He returned from poll-bound Punjab without attending any event, including a rally.
THE ELECTION Commission (EC) on Wednesday reviewed poll preparedness in Manipur, focusing on the conduct of safe elections amid the pandemic.
With this, the EC has wrapped up the exercise of reviewing poll preparedness in all five states where Assembly elections are slated to be held in the next couple of months. The poll panel is expected to announce the election dates for the five states soon.
During the review meeting, Chief Election Commissioner Sushil Chandra conveyed his concern to the Manipur Chief Secretary regarding the low vaccination rate in the state and asked for expediting it, the EC said in a statement.
Read more
Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan will brief the Election Commission on the latest Covid situation in the five poll-bound states, sources told PTI.
This will be the second time when Bhushan will brief the EC top brass on the emerging COVID-19 situation in the country and in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Goa, Punjab and Manipur in particular.
Key to the unprecedented security breach involving the Prime Minister in Punjab Wednesday is how his cavalcade was, effectively, grounded for 15 minutes on a flyover en route to his destination, the Hussainiwala National Martyrs Memorial, 30 km away, and a subsequent rally.
The Indian Express spoke to several police, local officials and protesting farmers who blocked the road, to find that behind the breach was a series of lapses marked by crossed wires, the exigencies of politics and a failure by the state police and administration to respond as per protocol.
Result: the PM’s cavalcade remained stranded on the bridge for over 15 minutes before deciding to turn back around 1.20 pm.
Read more
Over 14.66 lakh voters in the age group of 18-19 years will be exercising their franchise for the first time in this year's Uttar Pradesh.
A total of 52,80,882 voters' names have been added during revision of electoral rolls. The figure comprises 23,92,258 men, 28,86,988 women and 1,636 transgenders, Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Ajay Shukla said, while releasing the final electoral rolls here.
A total of 14,66,470 names were added in the age group of 18-19 which comprises 27.76 per cent of the total names added, he said. (PTI)
Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Wednesday said the accountability of the Special Protection Group (SPG) and the Intelligence Bureau (IB) should be fixed first for the PM security breach incident in Punjab.
He said the two agencies are primarily responsible for the Prime Minister's security and the local police only work in coordination with them during the PM visit.
“It is a serious matter if any lapse in the security of the Prime Minister had indeed occurred. It is serious because the nation has lost two prime ministers, Indira Gandhi and then Rajiv Gandhi in the past,” he said. Gehlot said without the clearance of the SPG the convoy cannot move.
The SPG and IB give clearance for movement only after they are fully sure of the security arrangements, he said. (PTI)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vehicle was stationary for 15-20 minutes on a flyover on the way from Bathinda to Hussainiwala National Martyrs’ Memorial in Ferozepur on Wednesday (January 5) afternoon, after which his cavalcade returned to Bathinda airport. The extraordinary breach of the Prime Minister’s security was caused by protesters who had blocked the road ahead. But who were the protesters who held up PM Modi’s vehicle? Read explainer by Anju Agnihotri Chaba
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Wednesday said the Punjab government should apologise to the people of the country for the "serious lapse" in the security of Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his visit to the state.
Modi's visit to poll-bound Punjab was cut short earlier in the day after a "major security lapse" as he was stranded on a flyover for 20 minutes, prompting the Union Home Ministry to seek an immediate report from the state government and strict action against those responsible.
Speaking to reporters about the incident, Adityanath said, "What has happened in Punjab is an example of the chaos and disorder prevailing in the state. The government of the Congress-ruled state should apologise to the people of the country for this."
"The Congress has always been contemptuous of the constitutional system of the country. The country has once again seen an example of this," he said. This kind of "serious lapse in security" of the prime minister is "unforgivable", he added. (PTI)
The Punjab unit of BJP Wednesday slammed Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi over Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s cavalcade being stopped near Ferozepur and said it could not have happened without a sanction from the Chief Minister and his government. The saffron party also demanded Channi and his entire cabinet’s immediate resignation.
Addressing a press conference in Ferozepur after the PM had to return to Bathinda because of the protests, state BJP President Ashwani Sharma said that it is a matter of shame that the state government failed to provide adequate security to the Prime Minister.
Flanked by Union Minister Meenakshi Lekhi and newly-joined leader of the party from Congress Rana Gurmit Singh Sodhi, Sharma said, “The PM’s cavalcade had been blocked as part of a conspiracy. Buses filled with BJP supporters heading towards Ferozepur from various parts of the state were also stopped due to the same conspiracy.” Read more
"It's a conspiracy. It must be made sure that strong action will be taken against responsible persons. Attempt to suspend some junior officials will not solve the matter," says Union Minister & Punjab BJP in-charge Gajendra Singh Shekhawat while referring to PM Modi's "security breach" incident in Punjab. (ANI)
Union Home Minister Amit Shah says, “Today’s Congress-made happening in Punjab is a trailer of how this party thinks and functions. Repeated rejections by the people have taken them to the path of insanity. The topmost echelons of the Congress owe an apology to the people of India for what they have done.”
“Never before in the history of our country, a state govt knowingly constructed a scenario where the PM will be brought to harm. We know Congress hates Modi, but today they tried to harm the PM of India,” says Union Minister & BJP leader Smriti Irani. (ANI)
"What has happened today is just not acceptable. It's against Panjabiyat. A secure passage for the Prime Minister of India to address BJP's political rally in Ferozpur should have been ensured. That’s how democracy works," tweets Punjab Congress leader Sunil Jakhar.
Though the construction of the Ram temple in Ayodhya continues to dominate poll-eve politics in Uttar Pradesh, the deity's subsequent incarnation Lord Krishna too has made an entry in the political arena with the ruling party and the opposition repeatedly invoking him.
So far, God Krishna's torchbearers have been the current and a previous chief minister, a deputy CM, Deputy Speaker of the legislative assembly, a state cabinet minister and Mathura MP Hema Malini.
UP's Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya stirred the cauldron on December 1, making a remark that seemed to suggest that the ruling BJP is “preparing” for a grand temple in Mathura -- after the temple projects in Ayodhya and Varanasi.
In recent months, right-wing Hindu outfits have moved local courts seeking the installation of a Krishna idol in Aurangzeb-era Shahi Idgah mosque, which they claim is the “actual birthplace” of the deity. The mosque is located close to the current Krishna temple in the “Janmasthan” complex in Mathura.
UP's Dairy Development, Animal Husbandry and Fisheries Laxmi Narayan Chaudhary, who hails from Mathura, last month too appeared to indirectly lobby for a new temple or an expansion to the existing Mathura temple.
"If the Krishna temple is not built in Mathura, would it be built in Lahore," he said.
Krishna chants gained more currency when Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav invoked the deity. On Monday, he claimed that the deity comes to him in his dreams every night, telling the opposition leader that he would form the government in the upcoming assembly polls and establish a "Ram Rajya" in UP. (PTI)
Former Punjab CM Amarinder Singh tweets, “Complete failure of law and order in Punjab, CM and HM Punjab, in particular. When you cannot provide smooth passage to the Prime Minister of the country and that too just 10km from the Pakistan border, you have no right to stay in office and should quit!”
“It's a matter of shame that PM Modi's cavalcade was stopped by protesters on his way to launch development schemes for welfare of Punjab. This is a serious security lapse and the fact that the Punjab CM didn't address the issue makes matters even worse,” says Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma.
He adds, “While PM is going all out to ensure holistic development of Punjab, today's incident shows how Congress is least interested in development and only wants to play politics. Such a security breach in the crucial border state must be enquired at the highest levels.” (ANI)
Alleging security breach during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Punjab on Wednesday, the Ministry of Home Affairs has sought a report from the state government asking how the PM’s cavalcade was stranded on a flyover for over 15 minutes due to a protest, when his programme had been duly communicated to the state police.
“The PM’s schedule and travel plan was communicated well in advance to Punjab Government. As per procedure, they have to make necessary arrangements for logistics, security as well as keep a contingency plan ready. Also in view of the contingency plan Punjab Government has to deploy additional security to secure any movement by road, which were clearly not deployed,” the MHA said in a statement. Read more
BJP president J P Nadda accused the Congress government in Punjab on Wednesday of trying "all possible tricks to scuttle" Prime Minister Narendra Modi's programmes, including a rally, in the state.
Hitting out at the state government after Modi's rally was called off and another programme disrupted as protesters blocked his route breaching the security protocol, Nadda said what is extremely worrisome is that the incident was also a big security lapse.
"Protestors were given access to the Prime Minister's route while the Punjab CS (chief secretary) and DGP gave assurances to SPG that the route is clear. To make matters worse, CM Channi refused to get on the phone to either address the matter or solve it. The tactics used by the Congress government in Punjab would pain anyone who believes in democratic principles," he said in a tweet.
Nadda alleged that the state police was instructed to prevent people from attending Modi's rally and a large number of buses were stranded because of the high-handedness of the police in connivance with the protesters.
In doing so, they did not bother that the prime minister was to pay tributes to Bhagat Singh and other freedom fighters, and lay the foundation stone for key development works, the BJP president said. (PTI)
In view of the evolving Covid situation and rising number of new cases in Kolkata, BJP national president JP Nadda's scheduled visit to West Bengal on 9-10th January stands postponed, says the state's BJP unit. (ANI)
PM Modi was stuck on a flyover for 15-20 minutes, says MHA
BJP national president J P Nadda tweets, “Fearing a resounding defeat at the hands of the electorate, the Congress Government in Punjab tried all possible tricks to scuttle the PM @narendramodi Ji’s programmes in the state.”
Reacting to the incident in a TV interview on a Punjabi channel, Punjab CM Charanjit Channi says, “No security lapse. PM’s road plans were made at the last minute. He was supposed to go by helicopter. I was up late at night overseeing security arrangements for his rally. 70,000 chairs were put up for rally but only 700 people turned up.”
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has skipped the rally in Punjab’s Ferozepur over security lapses, a statement by the Ministry of Home Affairs said. “Around 30-kms away from National Martyrs Memorial in Hussainiwala, when the PM’s convoy reached a flyover, it was found that the road was blocked by some protestors. The PM was stuck on a flyover for 15-20 minutes. This was a major lapse in the security of PM,” the statement read.
"The PM’s schedule and travel plan was communicated well in advance to Punjab Government. As per procedure, they have to make necessary arrangements for logistics, security as well as keep a contingency plan ready. Also in view of the contingency plan Punjab Government has to deploy additional security to secure any movement by road, which were clearly not deployed," the statement further read.
"After this security lapse, it was decided to head back to Bathinda airport," it added.
Samajwadi Party leader Firoz Pappu was allegedly killed by unidentified assailants near his house here, police said on Wednesday. The incident took place when Pappu (35), former chairman of Tulsipur nagar panchayat, was returning home on Tuesday night when the assailants slit his throat, they said.
Considering the gravity of the situation, a large number of police personnel have been deployed in the area and senior officials, including commissioner and DIG, rushed to the spot to take stock of the situation. According to police, Pappu was returning home after campaigning for the upcoming Uttar Pradesh elections when the incident took place. The family rushed him to the community health centre, Tulsipur where the doctors declared him brought dead.
As soon as the news spread, a large number of his supporters and Samajwadi Party leaders, including former minister S P Yadav, reached the hospital. Yadav announced the suspension of all programmes of the Samajwadi Party on Wednesday and demanded immediate arrest of the criminals. (PTI)
Congress General Secretary (Organisation) KC Venugopal told news agency ANI that it has decided to postpone major rallies in Uttar Pradesh and other poll-bound states. "We have asked state units to assess the COVID-19 situation in their states and take a decision on holding rallies," he said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will likely skip the rally in Ferozepur, an official said, without stating a reason for the same.
Captain Amarinder Singh, former CM of Punjab, reached the rally venue at Ferozepur on Wednesday, ahead of PM Modi's visit. Meanwhile, BJP supporters at the venue carried cut outs of PM Modi.
The Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee has also written to Chief Election Commissioner Sushil Chandra to cancel big rallies in light of the anticipated third wave of Covid-19 and urge political parties to carry out smaller rallies with social distancing. It also claimed that PM Narendra Modi and UP CM Yogi Adityanath were using government resources to inaugurate development projects and hold rallies in the state, and asked EC to stop such campaigning.