‘He is the Chief Minister, why are you worried about it now?’: DKS

Agartala, Dec 21 (IANS) Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday urged the Chief Ministers of eight northeastern states to give more impetus to curbing the smuggling and other menaces of drugs in the region.

Addressing the 72nd plenary session of the North Eastern Council (NEC) here, the Home Minister said that the accusations against the northeastern states about drugs-related activities should be removed.

“Much endeavours were made to curb the drug menaces, but much more efforts must be undertaken by the Chief Ministers and all people concerned,” he said.

He said that the Centre has undertaken nationwide all-out efforts to achieve a “Nasha Mukt Bharat” (drugs-free India) and the northeastern states must be a part of the mission by making the region drug-free.

The Home Minister also urged the Chief Ministers to give priority to the effective implementation of the three new criminal laws — the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita (BNS), the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), and the Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam (BSA).

He said in February next year, he would hold a meeting with the Chief Ministers to discuss the progress and implementation of the three new laws.

Amit Shah said that after the Narendra Modi government came to power at the Centre, 20 accords were signed for the peace and harmony of the northeastern states and 10,574 cadres of various militant outfits were surrendered in different states of the region.

“A multi-dimensional approach involving the state polices, Army, Assam Rifles and other Central Armed Police Forces has been undertaken to maintain peace and to curb all unlawful activities in the northeastern region,” the Home Minister said.

The long pending inter-state border disputes in the northeastern states are being resolved amicably, he said.

DoNER (Development of North Eastern Region) Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia and his deputy Sukanta Majumdar also addressed the plenary session.

Chief Ministers of northeastern states Himanta Biswa Sarma (Assam), Pema Khandu (Arunachal Pradesh), N. Biren Singh (Manipur), Lalduhoma (Mizoram), Neiphiu Rio (Nagaland), Prem Singh Tamang (Sikkim), and Manik Saha (Tripura) and Governors of these states were present in the NEC meeting.

–IANS

sc/vd

Hyderabad, Dec 21 (IANS) Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) Working President K. T. Rama Rao on Saturday told the Telangana State Assembly that all BRS MLAs will resign if the Congress government proves that it is supplying 24-hour electricity to farmers or that it has waived loans of all farmers.

He alleged that the Congress government is making false claims that it is giving round-the-clock uninterrupted power.

Throwing the challenge during the debate on Rythu Bharosa, the BRS leader told Minister for Roads and Buildings Komatireddy Venkat Reddy that he was ready to come with him to Nalgonda district. “If you can show us even in one log book that 24-hour power is being supplied, all we MLAs will resign,” he said.

Similarly, KTR, as Rama Rao is popularly called, also offered to accompany the minister to any village in Kodangal or Sircilla constituency to check on farm loan waivers. “If you can show that loans of 100 per cent farmers were waived even one village, I will resign as MLA and take retirement from politics,” he said.

The BRS leader slammed the Congress government for not properly implementing the Rythu Bandhu scheme launched by the previous BRS government.

KTR said Congress promised enhanced investment support to farmers under Rythu Bharosa but failed to provide the assistance even under the existing scheme.

He claimed that the BRS started Rythu Bandhu to increase the area under cultivation. Citing the statement made by the government, he said the area under cultivation in the state increased from 1.41 crore acres in 2019-20 to 2.04 crore acres in 2020-21.

KTR mentioned that when the BRS came to power in 2014, Telangana had the second-highest number of farmer suicides in the country. He claimed that due to the measures taken by the BRS during the last 10 years, the farmer suicides came down from 11.1 per cent to 1.5 per cent.

The BRS leader alleged that the government was planning to impose cuts under the Rythu Bharosa scheme.

He demanded that the Assembly session be extended by 10 days for a comprehensive debate on electricity, irrigation, and Mission Bhagiratha.

The debate saw a sharp exchange of words and challenges and counter-challenges between BRS and Congress MLAs.

Minister Venkat Reddy threw a challenge at the BRS, saying if it could prove that every household was supplied drinking water under Mission Bhagiratha during its rule, he would not seek votes in the next elections.

He alleged that there was Rs 50,000 crore corruption under Mission Bhagiratha. To this, BRS MLA and former minister Harish Rao mentioned that the total cost of the scheme was only Rs 28,000 crore.

Earlier, Minister for Agriculture Tummala Nageswara Rao said the government has not yet formulated the guidelines. He said the guidelines will be framed after taking suggestions from the legislators.

–IANS

ms/vd

New Delhi, Dec 21 (IANS) The BJP on Saturday welcomed reports suggesting that Delhi Lieutenant Governor (L-G) V.K. Saxena has approved the prosecution of AAP convener and former Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in connection with the alleged liquor policy scam.

Reacting to the reports, BJP MP Manoj Tiwari said, “The ED investigation on Arvind Kejriwal is a welcome move. Regardless of how influential someone is, if they commit a crime, they must face justice.”

“I am confident that Kejriwal will be found guilty in the liquor policy scam, where the money of Delhi’s poor was looted. When convicted, he will face due punishment,” he added.

Speaking to IANS, Tiwari also accused Kejriwal of negligence, saying, “In the past decade, 21,000 lives were lost due to contaminated water in the capital, a direct consequence of his governance.”

Delhi BJP chief Virendra Sachdeva echoed similar sentiments, alleging a “deliberate conspiracy by Kejriwal” to “ruin” Delhi.

“The liquor policy scam has left a stain on Delhi, and this was bound to come to light. Kejriwal orchestrated a plan to loot the city through brokerage and commissions in the liquor trade. He must now face the consequences,” he told IANS.

“Even though Kejriwal and his associates are currently out on bail, they remain accused. The law will hold them accountable, and justice will prevail,” Sachdeva added.

Former Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia refuted the reports of sanction to prosecute Kejriwal, calling them “false and misleading.”

In a post on X, he challenged the claims, saying, “If LG Binay Saxena has given permission to prosecute Arvind Kejriwal, then why is the ED not showing the copy of that permission? It is clear that this news is false and misleading. Stop making empty claims to divert attention from the issue of insult to Babasaheb. Show where the sanction to prosecute is.”

The liquor policy scam is one of the most significant corruption allegations levelled against the AAP government by the BJP.

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) alleges that Kejriwal and Sisodia manipulated the Excise Policy 2021-22 to benefit a ‘South lobby’ in exchange for a Rs 100 crore bribe. The ED claims Rs 45 crore of this amount was used for AAP’s Goa election campaign.

Kejriwal was arrested by the ED in March for alleged money laundering and released on bail in September. Following his release, he resigned as Chief Minister, pledging to return only after securing a mandate in the 2025 elections.

The ED’s case against Kejriwal includes accusations of altering policy guidelines to favour specific liquor vendors. While a PMLA case is registered, the trial is yet to commence. The L-G’s sanction is reportedly a step toward initiating prosecution under the Supreme Court’s directive for approvals in such cases.

Meanwhile, Kejriwal has approached the Delhi High Court seeking the cancellation of the chargesheet against him. The court issued a notice to the ED on Friday in response to his plea.

The alleged scam has become a focal point in Delhi’s political landscape, with the BJP leveraging the issue to target the AAP ahead of the 2025 assembly elections.

–IANS

sd/skp