‘Joyous day for Assam’, say BJP leaders as Legislature Party meets to elect its leader

Posted on by Vividh Bharathi

Guwahati, May 10 (IANS) The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Legislature Party meeting is being held in Guwahati on Sunday to elect its leader, paving the way for the formation of the NDA government in Assam for a third consecutive term.

The meeting of the newly-elected BJP MLAs is being held at the Atal Bihari Vajpayee Bhawan in Guwahati. Following the BJP Legislature Party meeting, a joint meeting of NDA legislators is also scheduled to take place to formally elect the leader of the ruling alliance in the state.

Preparations are simultaneously underway for the swearing-in ceremony of the new NDA government, scheduled for May 12. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah are expected to attend the event, along with several Union Ministers and Chief Ministers from BJP-ruled states.

Assam BJP president Dilip Saikia said the party would formally stake a claim to form the government before Governor Lakshman Prasad Acharya later in the day.

“We will elect the leader of the BJP Legislature Party today… After this, a meeting with the NDA legislators would be held. Later in the day, we will meet the Governor and stake a claim for the government,” Saikia said.

He further said that preparations for the oath-taking ceremony were progressing rapidly and that the alliance leadership would participate in the event in large numbers.

“The preparations for the swearing-in ceremony are in full swing. The Chief Minister will take an oath. PM Modi, HM Amit Shah and BJP National President, along with top leaders of the NDA, will be present,” he added.

Outgoing Minister Bimal Bora said the electoral outcome reflected growing support for the BJP not only in Assam but across the country.

“Not only Bengal and Assam, but the entire nation needs a BJP government. People have expressed hope as they are fed up with the misgovernance of the Congress party. Assam’s public has been showing this for the past several years, and now the people of Bengal have also chosen the BJP government,” Bora told reporters.

Highlighting the NDA’s strong performance in Assam, he added, “In Assam, out of 126 seats, we have won 102. This is an absolute majority.”

BJP MLA-elect Kamalakhya Dey Purkayastha also voiced support for incumbent Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma continuing in office for another term.

“People want Himanta Biswa Sarma to become the Chief Minister for another term. People not only here in Assam, but also the entire nation, want him to become the Chief Minister of the state,” Purkayastha told IANS.

Purkayastha, who had earlier been associated with the Congress party, also criticised his former party while speaking about the political transition in the state.

“I was with them, and I have seen their agenda… If Hindus have a problem, that will not be solved. They were trying to ruin everything with their so-called idea of secularism… It is my privilege to be here today and to see Himanta Biswa Sarma take oath as the Chief Minister,” he said.

Rajya Sabha MP Jogen Mohan described the occasion as an important moment for the state and expressed confidence about the formation of the new government.

“This is a very joyous occasion for Assam. Our NDA Legislature Party leader will be selected today,” he told IANS.

The NDA alliance secured a commanding majority in the Assam Assembly elections, clearing the path for the BJP-led coalition to return to power in the northeastern state for a third straight term.

–IANS

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Due to Siddaramaiah govt policy, liquor shops available every 500m in Karnataka, says Vijayendra

Bengaluru, Feb 4 (IANS) BJP state President and MLA B.Y. Vijayendra on Wednesday attacked the Siddaramaiah government over the alleged excise ‘scam’, saying that due to the state government’s policy, liquor shops are available almost every 500 metres in the state.

Speaking to the media, Vijayendra stated, “The BJP and JD(S) have taken the stand that the Chief Minister of the Congress-led government, which is steeped in corruption, must take a firm decision in the excise matter.”

Vijayendra demanded that the Excise Minister’s resignation be obtained first, and only then should a corruption investigation be conducted.

He said the government’s massive corruption has now reached the Excise Department as well. On one hand, the state government has failed to mobilise funds for its guarantees, and on the other, it has increased targets in the Excise Department, turning Karnataka into a state of alcoholics.

Liquor licences are being issued indiscriminately, he alleged.

Due to the state government’s policy, liquor shops are available almost every 500 metres. Whichever department one looks at, corruption is rampant. Even the head of the Excise Department has publicly stated that there is a Rs 6,000 crore scam in the department, he pointed out.

He alleged that an audio tape has been made public in which references were made to Excise Minister R.B. Thimmapur, his son and the Chief Minister. The Excise Minister has delivered long speeches in the past about who had resigned earlier. He also reminded the Chief Minister that Minister George had resigned in the Deputy SP M. Ganapathi suicide case.

After this government came to power, the Valmiki Development Corporation scam occurred, in which an officer died by suicide. Under unavoidable circumstances, Minister B. Nagendra had to resign, he said.

The state BJP chief added that the arrogance of ministers, including the Chief Minister, was seen in the Assembly on Tuesday, making it clear that this corruption is not limited to ministers alone.

“Karnataka has been converted into an ATM for the Congress high command. Pressure is being exerted to prevent the Excise Minister from resigning. If he resigns, it is not known whose roots it may shake, and therefore, the Congress government is protecting him,” he alleged.

Vijayendra said the BJP and JD(S) staged an overnight protest on Tuesday and announced that the agitation would continue.

Responding to allegations by opposition parties over the alleged Rs 6,000-crore excise scam and their day-and-night protest inside the Vidhana Soudha demanding his resignation, Karnataka Excise Minister R.B. Thimmapur stated that he would not resign under any circumstances.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Janata Dal(Secular) continued their day-and-night protest at the Vidhana Soudha on Wednesday, demanding the resignation of Excise Minister R.B. Thimmapur over the alleged excise scam.

–IANS

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‘Will you ask forgiveness being Congress President for injustice done to Ambedkar’, asks K’taka BJP to Kharge

Bengaluru, Dec 26 (IANS) The Karnataka BJP unit on Thursday challenged Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge asking whether he is in a position to ask forgiveness for the injustices done to Ambedkar by the grand old party.

Addressing a press conference in Bengaluru at the party headquarters, the Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Council, Chalavadi Narayanaswamy, asked, “Mallikarjun Kharge, being the Congress President, will you be able to ask forgiveness for injustice done to Ambedkar by the Congress?”

“You (Kharge) are the Congress President now. You are so helpless. You said on the floor of the House that it is only Sonia Gandhi who can do anything to you, no one else. Why have you become the Congress President? Do Dalits need such slavery? This is my question. Can you ask once now why B.R. Ambedkar was not given Bharat Ratna by the Congress party? You don’t dare to question. You are happy with the power that you wanted and got in the party,” Narayanaswamy said.

“Union Home Minister Amit Shah has insulted the Congress and not Ambedkar. I want to question Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge. I have respect for him, he was all right when he was in Karnataka. Now he has become a puppet. Are you strong enough to ask forgiveness as a Congress President for injustice done to Ambedkar by the Congress party?” he reiterated.

Narayanaswamy also said, “Ambedkar was not a member of the Congress. The party had opposed his ideals from the days of the roundtable conference till his death. During the formation of the interim government, it was not a single-party government. Ambedkar, Syama Prasad Mukherjee were included,” he said.

“Ambedkar contributed immensely and why did he have to resign? Then PM late Jawahar Lal Nehru could not tolerate him. After the Constitution was formulated, his workload became lesser. Ambedkar had a vision of the economy and expressed his wish to handle the Finance portfolio and also the Planning department. Nehru did not agree and refused,” the BJP leader added.

“Ambedkar fought for the voting rights of women. Ambedkar tried to introduce the Hindu Code Bill and the Congress opposed it. Against this backdrop, Ambedkar quit the Congress. Ambedkar was behind the establishment of the Reserve Bank of India and not Jawahar Lal Nehru,” Narayanaswamy underlined.

“I want to ask the Congress leaders where is the resignation letter of Ambedkar. It should be preserved in the Rashtrapati Bhavan. Is it there? It is not available. Because Ambedkar has exposed the Congress and that’s why it was destroyed. Ambedkar in his 40-minute speech in the Parliament has exposed the Congress and it is available,” he said.

“Union Minister Amit Shah has only said that the Congress party which insulted Ambedkar all through now made it a fashion to take Ambedkar’s name for electoral gains,” he said while targeting the Congress-led state government.

“The Congress is arranging sponsored protests across the state and country. When Ambedkar came out with the Constitution the BJP was not established. The BJP took birth to support the ideology of Ambedkar,” Narayanaswamy added.

“What happened to Jagjivan Ram, a senior Congress leader? He quit Congress and established his party. What happened to Sardar Patel? It is the BJP which gave him the respect, not the Congress. V.P. Singh had to quit the Congress to become the PM. What happened to former PM late Lal Bahadur Shastri?… Sitaram Kesari, Pranab Mukherjee? None barring the Gandhi family in the Congress are tolerated,” he said.

State BJP President B.Y. Vijayendra said: “The Congress never wasted any opportunity to insult Ambedkar. From the time of Jawahar Lal Nehru to the present day, the Congress never showed respect to Ambedkar. Narayan Sadoba Kajrolkar, the personal assistant of Ambedkar, was made to contest elections against him. The Congress defeated Ambedkar in the Lok Sabha election and even awarded Padma Bhushan to Kajrolkar.”

“Jogendra Nath Mandal, a close aide of Ambedkar, vacated his seat in West Bengal for him. But the evil Congress conspired and the region where the seat represented by Ambedkar was located was given away to the then East Pakistan. Ambedkar has clearly stated that the Congress is a burning house and there is no future for Scheduled Castes in the party,” Vijayendra underlined.

“Union Minister Amit Shah has exposed the Congress. The Congress is trying to misguide the people of the country and they can’t succeed,” he added.

–IANS

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CM Yogi Adityanath says ‘no need to worry’ about Covid-19 outbreak in UP

Lucknow, May 22 (IANS) Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has directed health officials to remain alert about the spread of Covid-19 in the state but also said there was nothing to worry as far as Uttar Pradesh was concerned.

During a review meeting with the health department on the Covid-19 situation, the CM said, “There is nothing to worry about given the present situation in Uttar Pradesh, but being alert is significant.”

“The Indian government has not issued any guidelines on Covid-19 so far. But in view of the surge of cases of of the JN.1 variant in Thailand, Singapore and Hong Kong, we need to remain alert. All teams at medical colleges and hospitals should remain alert,” the CM told officials in the meeting.

He added that personnel at hospitals should be kept alert to deal with emergency cases.

He told officials to focus on the prevention of dengue, malaria and kala-azar or black fever.

“Ten-bed ICU, ventilator units, oxygen plants and other facilities made operational during previous Covid surges should be kept functional. The state’s health facility is capable of dealing with any situation,” the CM said.

Highlighting the infrastructure developed during previous waves of the pandemic, the Chief Minister directed that the 10-bed ICUs, ventilators, and oxygen plants established in district hospitals must always remain operational.

He emphasised the importance of regular testing and timely maintenance of these critical facilities.

He also called for the continued training and effective deployment of health workers, recognising their commendable contributions during the pandemic.

Chief Minister Adityanath also instructed relevant departments to begin preparations to prevent seasonal communicable diseases such as dengue, malaria, and kala-azar.

He directed the Health Department, Medical Education Department, and local administration to work closely to ensure proactive measures are in place.

Concluding the review, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath reiterated that the Uttar Pradesh government is fully prepared and committed to addressing all potential health challenges, including Covid-19.

He assured that the state’s healthcare system remains alert, capable, and equipped to safeguard public health.

According to the official statement, Chief Minister Adityanath noted that the Central government has issued no new advisory regarding Covid-19.

Still, considering the rising number of JN.1 cases in Thailand, Singapore, and Hong Kong, he stressed the need for continued surveillance in Uttar Pradesh.

He instructed all medical colleges, district hospitals, and health units across the state to remain on high alert and be fully prepared to handle any potential emergency.

–IANS

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