BJP protests outside Congress office in Ranchi over Kharge’s remark on PM Modi

Posted on by Vividh Bharathi

Ranchi, Oct 26 (IANS) The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Monday staged a protest outside the Congress office in Ranchi against Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge’s alleged objectionable remark related to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s father.

The demonstration was led by Jharkhand BJP chief Aditya Sahu and Leader of Opposition in the state Assembly, Babulal Marandi.

BJP workers marched to the Congress office and demanded an apology from Kharge. The situation turned tense for some time as workers of both the BJP and Congress came face-to-face outside the party office.

Anticipating unrest, the district administration had deployed heavy security in the area, with police personnel stationed in large numbers and barricades set up around the premises.

Protesters attempted to cross the barricades and move towards the Congress office, leading to heated arguments between the police and BJP workers.

Carrying party flags and placards, the protesters called for an end to what they described as disrespectful remarks against the Prime Minister and urged political leaders to maintain decorum in public discourse.

The protesters raised slogans against the Congress and Kharge, demanding an apology to the Prime Minister.

On the other hand, Congress workers present there also responded with slogans against the BJP. Some workers were seen climbing barricades to register their protest. Police promptly removed them from there, preventing any untoward incident.

Speaking during the protest, Babulal Marandi alleged that Congress leaders had repeatedly made objectionable statements against Prime Minister Modi and had now extended such comments to his parents.

He said political differences should be expressed within the bounds of decorum and civility.

The BJP has called for nationwide demonstrations and gheraos of Congress offices over the controversy. The Ranchi protest was part of that campaign.

Despite the heavy police deployment, workers from both parties remained steadfast in their respective demonstrations throughout the event.

–IANS

skp/dan

Related Posts

Rajnath Singh inaugurates Lucknow-Kanpur Expressway

Lucknow, July 13 (IANS) Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Monday led ceremonies for the inauguration and foundation stone-laying of three National Highway projects, including the Lucknow–Kanpur Expressway, in Uttar Pradesh, worth over Rs 4,850 crore.

Union Minister Nitin Gadkari and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath also participated in the events.

The new Lucknow–Kanpur Expressway is expected to reduce the travel time between Lucknow and Kanpur to just 30–35 minutes.

Rajnath Singh said, “Through this expressway, the light of development will reach even small towns and villages. I can confidently say that this expressway will prove to be a boon for the present and future generations.”

In a message on X, the Defence Minister said, “Today, the inauguration of the Lucknow-Kanpur 6-lane Expressway and the Lucknow-Hardoi 4-lane Expressway, both constructed by NHAI, has taken place. I extend my heartfelt congratulations to all the residents of the state, especially the people of Lucknow, on the inauguration of these projects.”

“Constructed at a cost of approximately Rs 4,200 crore, this 63-kilometer-long, 6-lane wide road connects the three districts of Lucknow, Kanpur, and Unnao into a single thread. With the completion of this expressway, people will be able to travel in less time with comfort and safety,” he wrote.

“Lucknow and Kanpur are both major cities, historical cities. On the one hand, Lucknow is a symbol of our cultural and administrative strength; on the other hand, Kanpur is a major hub of our industrial and economic potential. Lucknow and Kanpur are also important nodes of the Uttar Pradesh Defence Industrial Corridor,” he said.

Rajnath Singh praised the rapid pace of development in the state under CM Adityanath. “This is a matter of discussion not among state residents but also in other states,” he said.

“The strict law and order system given by the Chief Minister is a matter of pride for Lucknow and other cities,” he said.

Shedding light on the new and proposed projects, Gadkari said, “Reaching the airport will not take more than 25 minutes. I assure you of that. Similarly, travel from Lucknow to Sitapur will take about 50 minutes. We will also construct service roads along the Kisan Path in Lucknow.”

“After showing the final design to Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, we will finalise the project. I am also approving the Ayodhya–Gonda road project, along with the Gonda Bypass, for Rs 3,400 crore. We will try to begin work on it this year,” he said.

–IANS

rch/dan

Darjeeling politics: Uncertainty over presence of Anit Thapa’s BGPM in next meeting on permanent political solution

Kolkata, Dec 21 (IANS) As initiatives have started for another round of meetings for a permanent political solution in the hills of Darjeeling, Kalimpong, and Kurseong in north West Bengal, to be probably held in the next month, there is uncertainty over the presence of Anit Thapa-founded Bharatiya Gorkha Prajatantrik Morcha (BGPM) at the talks.

On one hand, the BJP’s two-time Lok Sabha member from Darjeeling Raju Bista, who is acting as a coordinator for arranging the proposed meeting, is against inviting the BGPM for the meeting.

The BGPM has a long-standing political alliance with the ruling Trinamool Congress and is the controlling party of the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA).

The BJP is of the opinion that the GTA cannot be a permanent solution for ending the political crisis in the hills.

Bista was assigned the task of coordinating the proposed tripartite meeting by Union Home Minister Amit Shah during his recent one-day visit to Siliguri in Darjeeling district this week to attend a programme on the occasion of the 61st Raising Day of the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB).

On the other hand, the Trinamool leadership in Darjeeling, including the Siliguri Municipal Corporation Mayor Gautam Deb, contends that no meeting will have any fruitful outcome without the participation of the party controlling the affairs in the GTA. “This will create larger uncertainties towards achieving any permanent political solution,” Deb said.

The Trinamool also has objected to the development of Bista getting the assignment for coordinating the proposed meeting. According to the party, such a meeting should be convened by the Union government, where the other two parties will be the state government and the GTA’s controlling party.

However, the BJP also has its own logic in the matter. According to them, since the BGPM is not a recognised political party as yet, there is no justification for inviting them to the proposed meeting.

–IANS

src/vd

West Bengal: Woman among five held for drug trafficking

Kolkata, Jan 29 (IANS) Following searches in several areas surrounding Kolkata, the Special Task Force (STF) of West Bengal Police has arrested a total of five drug traffickers, including a woman and seized illicit drugs with a market value of over Rs 1 crore.

The Bengal STF is conducting further investigation into the matter.

According to police sources, a team of STF on Wednesday conducted a raid at Canal West Road under Ultadanga Police Station area in north Kolkata and arrested one woman named Asma Khatun Peyada (42), a resident in that area and recovered 1.325 kilogram of heroin from there. The arrested woman will be produced in a court where the police will seek her custody.

The police informed that in the same case, four persons were arrested on January 25, and a vehicle was also seized from the Daktar Bagan area under Nimta Police Station on the Belgharia Expressway, in the North 24 Parganas district. During the search, a total of 3 kilograms of ‘power’ (used to enhance the addiction of heroin) and 410 grams of heroin were seized.

The arrested persons were identified as Md Rafique (55), a resident of Narkeldanga in north Kolkata; Abhishek Karmakar (30), a resident of Duttapukur in North 24 Parganas district; Hasem Ali (30), a resident of Barasat in the same district and Brindaban Das Bairagya (34), a resident of Kaliganj in Nadia district.

A senior officer of West Bengal STF said, “With yesterday’s arrest, the total figure of arrests in this case reached five. The approximate value of the seized contraband in the grey market is more than Rs 1 crore. Further investigation into the matter is ongoing. The arrested will be questioned to find more about the network of drug traffickers and who else is involved in the case.”

According to police sources, the previous four arrests made in this case were not disclosed in a bid to catch the other members of the gang. Based on information obtained by the officers after interrogating the four, they came to know about the woman drug trafficker. Subsequently, the woman was arrested.

–IANS

sch/uk