Red sanders smuggling continuing unabated under NDA rule, says YSRCP

Posted on by Vividh Bharathi

Amaravati, Dec 16 (IANS) Andhra Pradesh’s main opposition party YSR Congress on Monday said that smuggling of red sanders is “going on unabated” under the TDP-led NDA government while it was under check when it was in power.

YSRCP spokesperson Putta Sivasanakar Reddy told media persons that there are neither check-posts nor raids against red sanders smugglers while there was stringent action against them when Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy was the Chief Minister.

He recalled that even the Preventive Detention Act was invoked by the previous government to check red sanders smuggling.

When Peddiredi Ramchandra Reddy was Forest Minister, forest rangers were equipped with men and materials for proper functioning and the auction of seized red sanders fetched revenue, he said.

The YSRCP spokesperson said ever since N. Chandrababu Naidu became Chief Minister, there have been no cases against smugglers. He alleged that the smugglers are working in the garb of TDP workers and carrying the material in heritage vehicles. He claimed that earlier, logs of red sanders were found in his native village.

Sivasankar Reddy said during Naidu’s previous term, there was a large smuggling of red sanders and a leader from Kurnool made hay out of it. He alleged that the leader produced a film with ill-gotten wealth and married the heroine of the film.

The coalition government has been feeding stories in the media to divert the attention of the public from its failures, he alleged, and asked Forest Minister Pawan Kalyan to spell out the action taken to check the smuggling of forest wealth.

Data shows that red sanders smuggling was rampant during the TDP term and it was contained after Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy took over, he said.

Meanwhile, former MLA Bhumana Karunakar Reddy has condemned the “undemocratic and vindictive actions” of the coalition government.

He alleged in a clear attempt at political vendetta, the government attempted to demolish the River View resort at Sri Kalahasthi under false pretexts, despite valid permissions being in place.

Former MLA and senior YSRCP leader Madhusudhan Reddy intervened to prevent this unjust action, Karunakar Reddy said, adding that the government filed fabricated cases against him, falsely accusing him of obstructing officials.

The incident is part of a larger agenda to suppress YSRCP leaders who actively oppose the government’s unfair practices, he said. Madhusudhan Reddy, a vocal critic of the government’s atrocities, has been unfairly targeted. Lawyers presented clear evidence of the restaurant’s permissions, exposing the government’s baseless claims.

“We stand firmly with former MLA Madhusudhan Reddy and all those resisting these undemocratic acts. The party will continue to fight for justice and uphold the democratic rights of the people of the state,” Karunakar Reddy said.

–IANS

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Amit Shah in RS slams Congress on OBC quota, UCC, claims party wants ‘reservation for Muslims’

New Delhi, Dec 18 (IANS) Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday launched a scathing attack on the Congress party over its stance on reservation for Other Backward Classes, the Uniform Civil Code (UCC), and the Muslim Personal Law, among other issues during the ongoing Parliament’s Winter session in Rajya Sabha.

The Union Minister was replying to a debate in Rajya Sabha on 75 years of the Constitution of India when he made pointed remarks directed at the grand old party.

Union Home Minister Shah in Rajya Sabha declared that the BJP would not allow reservation based on religion, regardless of its political strength.

“Congress wants to give reservation to Muslims by increasing the quota limit beyond 50 per cent. Even if the BJP has just one MP, it will not allow reservation based on religion,” he affirmed.

In his speech, Home Minister Shah posed pointed questions to Congress regarding the delay in implementing the UCC, which he attributed to the introduction of Muslim Personal Law by India’s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru.

“Why hasn’t UCC come yet? It didn’t come because after the Constituent Assembly was concluded and elections were over, the country’s first PM Nehru Ji introduced Muslim Personal Law, not UCC. I want to ask the Congress party in this House that in a secular nation, should there be a common law for every religion or not? Why do they support the Muslim Personal Law? There can be no bigger political manoeuvre than this… They started appeasement right there by introducing the Muslim Personal Law,” Home Minister Shah remarked.

He continued his critique by stating, “Why wasn’t Sharia brought into criminal law? Personal law for marriage and inheritance, but why not Sharia for criminal law?”

Highlighting the government’s progress, Shah referred to the implementation of the UCC in Uttarakhand, stating that it would eventually be implemented nationwide after constitutional analysis and public discussions.

“We implemented UCC in Uttarakhand, we want to follow the democratic process. It will be analysed constitutionally. There will be discussions on a societal level and religious experts will opine about it,” he said.

Home Minister Shah asserted that the Modi government will look at all the suggestions and bring UCC in every state.

He also criticised the Congress for its contradictions regarding OBC reservation, accusing the party of blocking the Kaka Saheb Kalelkar Commission’s report, which recommended reservation for OBCs in 1995.

“Where is its report? It was forgotten because OBCs would have received reservations. Any report that comes has to be presented to the Cabinet, but instead of bringing it to Parliament, they kept it in the archives,” Home Minister Shah said, adding that the report’s rejection delayed the implementation of the Mandal Commission recommendations.

The senior BJP leader responded to Rahul Gandhi’s recent remarks about Veer Savarkar, stating that Savarkar had been the only person to be given a life sentence twice and asked him to consider Indira Gandhi’s praise of Savarkar on two occasions.

“If you don’t listen to us, at least listen to Indira Gandhi who has praised him in two instances,” Home Minister Shah remarked.

He urged all political parties to not link “patriotism, bravery, sacrifice, and service” with religion and political ideology.

The Union Home Minister did not shy away from criticising Congress’s actions in the past, including the 39th Amendment and the Emergency period. He referenced the Allahabad High Court’s decision to declare Indira Gandhi’s election null and void in 1975.

“The 49th Amendment in the Constitution crossed all the limits. August 10, 1975, was a black day. Indira Gandhi’s elections were declared null and void by the Allahabad High Court. The Amendment was used to subvert the High Court order and a retrospective amendment was brought to ensure that no judicial investigation is undertaken against the Prime Minister,” he added.

Shah also appealed to Congress to leave behind practices of “appeasement, dynastic politics, and corruption”, stating that the public will choose their leadership in the next election if they do so.

On the Congress’s allegations against the EVMs, he said, “Today, they lose and blame the EVM. The SC has rejected the plea against the EVM 24 times. The EC kept the EVM from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. for three days open for anyone to prove if it could be hacked. No one came… They lost Maharashtra and won in Jharkhand on the same day. The people of Maharashtra punished them for disrespecting their previous mandate. On the same day, EVM was blamed in Maharashtra and they prepared themselves for the swearing-in ceremony in Jharkhand.”

He also addressed Rahul Gandhi’s “Mohabbat ki dukaan” slogan raised during the 2022 Bharat Jodo Yatra, responding, “Love is not something to be sold in a shop, nor is it a tool for propaganda. Love is a feeling that resides in the heart and is meant to be shared with others.”

On Abrogation of Article 370, Home Minister Shah remarked, “When Narendra Modi became the PM of the country again in 2019, we abrogated Article 370 and Article 35A in Parliament. In Rajya Sabha, they (Congress) used to say that rivers of blood would flow in Jammu and Kashmir, but no one dared to even throw stones… (After the abrogation of Article 370).

He highlighted the progress in the Union Territory saying, “For the first time, 35,000 members of Panchayat were elected. After the abrogation of Article 370, more than two lakh tourists came to Jammu and Kashmir, terrorist activities were reduced by 92 per cent, people of Pahari, Gujjar and Bakarwal communities got reservations, the national flag is flying at Lal Chowk, the highest railway arch bridge is being built on Chenab river… After the abrogation of Article 370, your (Congress) shop of appeasement politics has closed.”

–IANS

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One nation, one election need of the hour: Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi

New Delhi, Dec 15 (IANS) As one nation, one election is once again in the news, BJP leader and former Union minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said on Sunday that simultaneous polls are the need of the hour.

Speaking to IANS, he said, “During the tenure of PM Narendra Modi, many important constitutional reforms have taken place in the last 10 years. And I believe that these reforms were pending for decades. This is the result of strong thinking. And that is why one nation, one election is the need of the hour.”

“…And this reform will strengthen our constitutional values and dignity. On the other hand, it will be very helpful for people to understand the election system in a simple and very smooth manner. Because on and off Assembly elections are being held somewhere, Lok Sabha elections are being held somewhere, Panchayat elections or local body polls are being held somewhere, and the country remains trapped in the elections. That’s why it is important,” the BJP leader added.

Moreover, the ‘One Nation, One Election’ Bill, officially known as the Constitution (One Hundred and Twenty-Ninth Amendment) Bill, 2024, will not be tabled in the Lok Sabha on Monday as the Revised Business List of the Lower House for the day does not mention the Bill.

Naqvi also reacted to Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray’s remarks urging BJP and Congress to stop using historical figures like Veer Savarkar and Jawaharlal Nehru for political gains.

He told IANS, “In fact, he should give this suggestion to his comrades (allies) because both Nehru and Savarkar played important roles in the development of the nation. No one can deny it.”

“…But the Congress party has been speaking ill about Savarkar since the beginning. And we all know that we should show respect to Nehru ji and Savarkar ji,” Naqvi said.

Earlier, Aaditya Thackeray had said, “The Congress and BJP should stop blaming Jawaharlal Nehru or Vinayak Damodar Savarkar for their politics and instead, focus on the future.”

–IANS

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