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This is an archive article published on August 28, 2023

Evening Picture: AAP seizes on Modi v/s Shivraj in ‘Revdi’ debate; Cong claims I.N.D.I.A vote share more than NDA’s

BJP highlights PM Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY); SP hits out at Yogi govt over 'law and order'

BJPPrime Minister Narendra Modi and Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan. (Facebook/Shivraj Singh Chouhan)
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Evening Picture: AAP seizes on Modi v/s Shivraj in ‘Revdi’ debate; Cong claims I.N.D.I.A vote share more than NDA’s
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The Congress hit out at the BJP’s unemployment pitch across its social media platforms on Monday, calling the Rozgar mela, through which 51,000 appointment letters were distributed to paramilitary recruits on Monday, a PR stunt.

“After maintaining silence on unemployment for 9 years, PM Modi has now brought ‘Rozgar Mela’ in the election year. Had promised 2 crore jobs and is distributing a few thousand appointment letters. This whole PR stunt is being done to improve the tarnished image. Everyone knows this thing,” the party said.

Jairam Ramesh, the Congress general secretary of communications, said that jobs for already sanctioned posts have not been filled up for years and that Mela makes it seem like the “the PM is singularly responsible for mostly routine job offers”.

“The PM Rozgar Mela is a gimmick and is yet another proof of a gigantic ego, enormous vanity, the unbounded self-obsession and the refusal to accept responsibility for the dire unemployment situation,” he said.

Among the day’s share of graphics and infographics that the party put out was an interesting number that placed it ahead of the BJP in the crucial 2024 Lok Sabha polls.

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The Congress claimed that Opposition grouping I.N.D.I.A’s vote share was 49%, while that of the BJP-ruled National Democratic Alliance was 41%.

The BJP shared infographics too, along with images and videos, on the PM Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY), which the party said had led to opening of over 50.09 crore bank accounts with ₹2.03 lakh crore deposits, 55.5% of these accounts being opened by women.

Party spokesperson Amit Malviya said on X: ” Imagine, 67 years after Independence and Indira Gandhi’s draconian move to nationalise banks, India still remained largely unbanked, till Prime Minister Modi took upon himself to ensure that everyone has a bank account, so that people could be part of the formal banking system.”

The BJP also took potshots at the Congress and its leader Rahul Gandhi. Alongside a Congress “announcement” of Rahul Gandhi as Prime Ministerial candidate,” the BJP put up a cartoon, saying: “Rahul Gandhi is seen in a helicopter with a caption: Brand new Hot Air I.N.D.I.A, your ticket to disaster.”

The Aam Aadmi Party brought up the freebie versus welfare debate, and hit out at the BJP’s stand on the issue.

Sharing statements of Modi and Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan one after the other in a video, it said. “Listen to Madhya Pradesh CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan’s statement against Modi ji.”

It featured Modi’s speech last year saying that freebies, which he termed as revdis, were “very dangerous” for the country, its development and well-being. “These days, people are giving out revdi and getting votes. The revdi culture is antithetical to development,” the PM says.

We then see Chouhan’s speech from Sunday. “Now in a single click, you will get money in your back account so that you can celebrate Rakhi properly,” the CM can be heard saying.

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Facing anti-incumbency, Chouhan has been widening the reach of his schemes. On Sunday, he increased the amount given under his government’s Ladli Behna scheme from Rs 1,000 per month to Rs 1,250, calling it a Raksha Bandhan gift. Chouhan also announced increased reservations for women in government jobs, and said cooking gas cylinders would be made available for Rs 450 in the state this month.

The Samajwadi Party kept up up its attacks on the Uttar Pradesh BJP government headed by Yogi Adityanath, over law and order in the state. On its official X account, the party shared a compilation of news reports of crime in Uttar Pradesh, captioning in Hindi: “The bloody game of criminals is not stopping! Law and order failed in BJP government!”

Political Pulse recommends:

1. Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan, two states in the Hindi heartland, which has been the BJP’s strength, go to polls later this year. Since a meeting to assess the scenario in these states, the party has taken several steps to regain ground. Liz Mathew reports.

2. Amid the ongoing conflict in Manipur and the tussle between Punjab Governor Banwarilal Purohit and Aam Aadmi Party Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, the subject of President’s Rule has come up several times in recent political discourse. Anjishnu Ray explores President’s rule through numbers — the highest times, the longest periods, among others.

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3. . On Thursday, the Uttar Pradesh government ordered the release of Amarmani Tripathi, 66, and his wife Madhumani, 61, who had been serving life imprisonment in a murder case since 2007. How is his home turf Nautanwa — which believes its “tallest leader” was “framed” in the case — reacting? Asad Rehman reports.

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