<p>It will be a tough election for BJP in Gujarat. The state is feeling Narendra Modi&rsquo;s absence acutely as it has failed to manage agitations launched by Hardik Patel and Alpesh Thakor.</p>

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<p>The situation gets further complicated for BJP because of dwindling economy as Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi continues to pillory the PM on the issue of jobs in Gujarat.</p>

<p>The question is that despite everything in place, is Congress walking the right path?</p>

<p>In my opinion, Congress has taken a big risk by churning out a campaign which will eventually end up pitting Rahul Gandhi against the Indian Prime Minister in his home state Gujarat. The believers can dismiss it as Goliath vs David adventure but assembly elections in the past have shown that investing Rahul Gandhi&rsquo;s political equity in state elections is an exercise in futility. Uttar Pradesh has demonstrated it twice. Once Rahul Gandhi went alone and the second time, he went into a tie-up with the Samajwadi Party.</p>

<p>Even in 2004, when the Congress campaign was lethargic, it ended getting 12 seats out of 26 seats. The campaign was not focused on Modi and it attended to local issues. Rahul Gandhi in Gujarat has symbolically reaffirmed that neither he is an atheist not averse to participation in the religious ceremony but he has chosen to attack Narendra Modi directly.</p>

<p>After Ahmed Patel&rsquo;s re-election to Rajya Sabha, the confidence of the Congress Party has gone up but it neither has big faces nor a viable leadership in Gujarat which atrophied in the last 15 years. It is in this context, Congress must revaluate whether high pitched anti-Modi campaigns serves well in Gujarat or a more low-key campaign, using the faces of state faces which avoids polarisation on the basis of personality.</p>

<p>Many in the Congress would believe that time has come to turn the tide as GST has caused a massive economic problem to the traders and in&nbsp;organised sectors. However, it would be foolhardy to believe that it has impacted Narendra Modi&rsquo;s credibility.</p>

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<h5>The electorate will reach an equilibrium and it can only reach if it doesn&rsquo;t become Rahul Gandhi vs Narendra Modi.</h5>
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<p>It is not a 1987 moment where Rajiv Gandhi was accused of taking a bribe and led to a split in the&nbsp;Congress. Amit Shah is not Narendra Modi nor Rajiv&#39;s son-in-law Robert Vadra whose public profile added fuel to the fire when reports on him started coming out. Gujarat is a golden opportunity for the Congress to beef up its support base. Even during 2014 Lok Sabha elections, Congress got 33.5 per cent of the vote, a down from 38.9 that it got in the Assembly election of 2012.</p>

<p>BJP&rsquo;s vote share has increased to 60 per cent in 2014 but it will not get this vote in the assembly. The electorate will reach an equilibrium. The only chance BJP has of reaching the numbers is if the electoral show can only reach if it doesn&rsquo;t become Rahul Gandhi vs Narendra Modi. Congress can make gains if it avoids polarisation around Narendra Modi&rsquo;s personality.</p>

<p>Even if the issue is economic, it is impinging on the prime minister. Many would argue that politics cannot be done without taking a risk. In my opinion, it is not a calculated political risk. It seems party wants to go out for a kill. It is hubris. If Congress continues to make elections a fight between Rahul Gandhi and Narendra Modi, it might end up in the same space where it found itself in 2012</p>


Rahul Gandhi's strategy of going against Modi won't work out for coming elections

It will be a tough election for BJP in Gujarat. The state is feeling Narendra Modi’s absence acutely as it has failed to manage agitations launched by Hardik Patel and Alpesh Thakor. Congress has taken a big risk by churning out a campaign which will eventually end up pitting Rahul Gandhi against Narendra Modi. × The situation gets further complicated for BJP because of dwindling economy as Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi continues to pillory the PM on the issue of jobs in Gujarat. The question is that despite everything in place, is Congress walking the right path? In my opinion, Congress has taken a big risk by churning out a campaign which will eventually end up pitting Rahul Gandhi against the Indian Prime Minister in his home state Gujarat. The believers can dismiss it as Goliath vs David adventure but assembly elections in the past have shown that investing Rahul Gandhi’s political equity in state elections is an exercise in futility. Uttar Pradesh has demonstrated it twice. Once Rahul Gandhi went alone and the second time, he went into a tie-up with the Samajwadi Party. Even in 2004, when the Congress campaign was lethargic, it ended getting 12 seats out of 26 seats. The campaign was not focused on Modi and it attended to local issues. Rahul Gandhi in Gujarat has symbolically reaffirmed that neither he is an atheist not averse to participation in the religious ceremony but he has chosen to attack Narendra Modi directly. After Ahmed Patel’s re-election to Rajya Sabha, the confidence of the Congress Party has gone up but it neither has big faces nor a viable leadership in Gujarat which atrophied in the last 15 years. It is in this context, Congress must revaluate whether high pitched anti-Modi campaigns serves well in Gujarat or a more low-key campaign, using the faces of state faces which avoids polarisation on the basis of personality. Many in the Congress would believe that time has come to turn the tide as GST has caused a massive economic problem to the traders and in organised sectors. However, it would be foolhardy to believe that it has impacted Narendra Modi’s credibility. The electorate will reach an equilibrium and it can only reach if it doesn’t become Rahul Gandhi vs Narendra Modi. × It is not a 1987 moment where Rajiv Gandhi was accused of taking a bribe and led to a split in the Congress. Amit Shah is not Narendra Modi nor Rajiv's son-in-law Robert Vadra whose public profile added fuel to the fire when reports on him started coming out. Gujarat is a golden opportunity for the Congress to beef up its support base. Even during 2014 Lok Sabha elections, Congress got 33.5 per cent of the vote, a down from 38.9 that it got in the Assembly election of 2012. BJP’s vote share has increased to 60 per cent in 2014 but it will not get this vote in the assembly. The electorate will reach an equilibrium. The only chance BJP has of reaching the numbers is if the electoral show can only reach if it doesn’t become Rahul Gandhi vs Narendra Modi. Congress can make gains if it avoids polarisation around Narendra Modi’s personality. Even if the issue is economic, it is impinging on the prime minister. Many would argue that politics cannot be done without taking a risk. In my opinion, it is not a calculated political risk. It seems party wants to go out for a kill. It is hubris. If Congress continues to make elections a fight between Rahul Gandhi and Narendra Modi, it might end up in the same space where it found itself in 2012

Modi vs Rahul Gandhi: Political harakiri for Congress in Gujarat election

<p>Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chief Amit Shah on Sunday protested against the alleged killings of his party activists in Kerala with a &quot;Jan Raksha Yatra&quot;&nbsp;(people`s protection march) in New Delhi.</p>

<p>The BJP president, while addressing the public, said that the party members are being threatened and lynched ever since the Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPM) has come into power in Kerala.</p>

<p>&quot;Since the CPM formed its government in Kerala, more than 12 workers of the BJP and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) have been mercilessly murdered. Life can be taken with a bullet, but the bodies of our workers were chopped to pieces to instill fear, even then we aren&#39;t scared of sacrifice. We won&#39;t revert with violence unlike the communist party. We do not believe in the politics of violence,&quot; Shah added.</p>

<p>Shah alleged that at least 120 BJP workers have been killed since the communists came to power in Kerala.</p>

<p>&quot;The chief minister of Kerala, Pinarayi Vijayan, should be ashamed of himself, because maximum political killings have taken place in his own home district,&quot; he added.</p>

<p>Shah further questioned all the human rights activists asking, &quot;Where did they go when 12 BJP workers were brutally killed? If they are against violence, why don`t they carry out a candle march for our workers?&quot;</p>

<p>He asserted that the BJP would challenge the left and the communists, wherever they are.</p>

<p>&quot;We will begin a Satyagraha. We will not resort to violence. I urge you all to join our fight against the brutal regime of the left,&quot; Shah asserted.</p>

<p>Earlier this week, Shah had kicked off the Jan Raksha Yatra (people&#39;s protection march) from Payyannur in Kerala. According to the party, he skipped the march in Pinarayi -- the hometown of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan -- as he had to attend a meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.Shah, after leaving his party`s march against the CPM in Kerala midway, embarked upon another yatra against the left party here today.</p>

<p>However, the president is expected to go back to Kerala on October 15, the day party&#39;s yatra ends.</p>

<p>The party will take out the Jan Raksha Yatra every day from every state capital till October 16.&nbsp;</p>


BJP chief Amit Shah on Sunday protested against the alleged killings of his party activists in Kerala with a 'Jan Raksha Yatra'

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chief Amit Shah on Sunday protested against the alleged killings of his party activists in Kerala with a "Jan Raksha Yatra" (people`s protection march) in New Delhi. The BJP president, while addressing the public, said that the party members are being threatened and lynched ever since the Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPM) has come into power in Kerala. "Since the CPM formed its government in Kerala, more than 12 workers of the BJP and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) have been mercilessly murdered. Life can be taken with a bullet, but the bodies of our workers were chopped to pieces to instill fear, even then we aren't scared of sacrifice. We won't revert with violence unlike the communist party. We do not believe in the politics of violence," Shah added. Shah alleged that at least 120 BJP workers have been killed since the communists came to power in Kerala. "The chief minister of Kerala, Pinarayi Vijayan, should be ashamed of himself, because maximum political killings have taken place in his own home district," he added. Shah further questioned all the human rights activists asking, "Where did they go when 12 BJP workers were brutally killed? If they are against violence, why don`t they carry out a candle march for our workers?" He asserted that the BJP would challenge the left and the communists, wherever they are. "We will begin a Satyagraha. We will not resort to violence. I urge you all to join our fight against the brutal regime of the left," Shah asserted. Earlier this week, Shah had kicked off the Jan Raksha Yatra (people's protection march) from Payyannur in Kerala. According to the party, he skipped the march in Pinarayi -- the hometown of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan -- as he had to attend a meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.Shah, after leaving his party`s march against the CPM in Kerala midway, embarked upon another yatra against the left party here today. However, the president is expected to go back to Kerala on October 15, the day party's yatra ends. The party will take out the Jan Raksha Yatra every day from every state capital till October 16.

BJP, RSS workers mercilessly murdered during CPM government's rule: Amit Shah

<p>Spurred by the spate of recent electoral victories, the Bharatiya Janata Party has become audaciously ambitious. It has begun to not just enter enemy territory with new-found confidence and aggression but also march into enemy strongholds within that forbidden territory.</p>

<p>On October 3, party president Amit Shah launched the Jan Raksha Yatra (March for People&rsquo;s Protection) in the Marxist bastion of Kerala &mdash; and from Kannur district which has been the centre of political violence. If the BJP&rsquo;s opponents thought this was another symbolic show to remind the people of the party&rsquo;s presence in this southern state, and no more, they were soon disabused of the notion when Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath arrived on wednesday to participate in the high-profile event.</p>

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<p>The message is clear. The BJP will play every card to enhance its footprint in Kerala. If the politics of polarisation needs to be resorted to, so be it. But polarisation does not happen in a vacuum; a context is necessary. The Communist Party of India (Marxist) rule has created a fertile ground for deep disaffection among large sections of the populace in the state and the BJP (along with the RSS which has had a strong presence for years) is set to exploit the situation.</p>

<p>Amit Shah claimed that more than 84 BJP-RSS workers had been killed in Kannur alone since 2001 by Left-supported individuals and organisations. One can quibble over the figure or the counter-claim that right-wing activists too have participated in political violence. But there cannot be a denial of the ground reality that the major victims have been the Rightists.</p>

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<h5>The Jan Raksha Yatra is arguably the BJP&rsquo;s most determined effort so far in Kerala.</h5>
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<p>The BJP believes that by ratcheting up public sentiment against such killings and other forms of violence, it can eventually create a conducive electoral environment in its favour. That is to be seen; for now, State Assembly elections are far away. But the Lok Sabha poll will be held in less than two years and the party hopes to harvest some advantage from its counter-aggression. To that end, the Jan Raksha Yatra is, arguably, the BJP&rsquo;s most determined effort so far in Kerala.</p>

<p>The Marxists have been dismissive of their opponent&rsquo;s drive, and they have been especially critical of the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister&rsquo;s presence, advising him to mend governance in his home state before condemning the Left rule in Kerala. But there is no doubt that the Left is worried.</p>

<p>Unlike the BJP which is ruling most parts of the country either on its own or with the help of allies, the Left Front, and especially the CPI (M), is facing an existential crisis. It has been driven out from its one-time stronghold, West Bengal, by Mamata Banerjee&rsquo;s Trinamool Congress. This was bad enough, but worse has followed. For all practical purposes, it&rsquo;s not even the main opposition there; the BJP has occupied that spot. Given that it has been marginalised in a state which it once ruled for three uninterrupted decades, the CPI (M)&rsquo;s salvation lies in Kerala where, in any case, it cannot presume invincibility since the Congress has been breathing down its neck. But the Congress is a friendly opposition when compared to the BJP.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The BJP&rsquo;s game plan is simple enough. Exploit the anger among the people over political violence against its people and the larger Sangh family, attribute such violence to the Marxists&rsquo; ideology of intolerance, link the incidents to minority appeasement politics of the Left, and arouse passions in the name of majority-victimhood. The more it can do this the more it would push the Left into the anti-majority-community trap. Yogi Adityanath is a perfect candidate to further this strategy in the deep south. He is charismatic and a crowd-puller. It helps that he is also considered a &lsquo;Hindu mascot&rsquo;.</p>

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<h5>If the BJP manages to enhance its presence in Kerala, it will be as much due to its perseverance as it will be on account of the Marxists&rsquo; obstinacy to change with the times.&nbsp;</h5>
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<p>There is something to be said in favour of striking when the iron is hot. Not only is the CPI (M) battling for political relevance, but it has also been facing embarrassment from within. A gentleman named Ritabrata Banerjee has been doing his bit in this regard. Once the blue-eyed boy of the Marxists and a Rajya Sabha MP, the highly visible Banerjee was expelled from the CPI (M) last month for &ldquo;grave anti-party activities&rdquo;. He claimed to have fallen foul with the senior leadership after he began to speak out in party forums against the &lsquo;Kannur cabal&rsquo; comprising among others, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and senior leader Kodiyeri Balakrishnan.</p>

<p>In interviews to television channels, Banerjee gleefully tore into the Marxists, saying that he had been targeted by the party leaders for, among other things, saying &ldquo;Bharat Mata ki Jai&rdquo;. He added that certain party leaders whose wish prevailed had problems with his lifestyle &mdash; including the apple watch he wore and the foreign trips he undertook!</p>

<p>There is of course little need to make a martyr out of him or take all that he has said as unadulterated truth. Nonetheless, he seems to have underlined the basic problems the Marxists are confronted with, and are increasingly failing to effectively address: That the CPI (M) has lost its connection with the aspirations and demands of the new voter who not just abhors retributive politics but also frowns at dated ideological positions and defers with the party on issues of &lsquo;nationalism&rsquo;. If the BJP manages to enhance its presence in Kerala, it will be as much due to its perseverance as it will be on account of the Marxists&rsquo; obstinacy to change with the times.&nbsp;</p>

<p>There are two primary reasons for the BJP&rsquo;s focus on Kerala. The first is simply that it&rsquo;s a hard nut to crack &mdash; and Amit Shah enjoys nothing better than meeting such challenges head-on &mdash; even if it entails the use of techniques in the book and outside of it. In southern India, the party has a fighting chance in Karnataka where the Assembly election is due next year. It rules in alliance in Andhra Pradesh, and is contemplating various combinations to unlock Tamil Nadu. But whereas it&rsquo;s at the mercy of regional allies, both current and potential, to be relevant elsewhere in the south, in Kerala it hopes to be a dominant player, even if it stitches deals with regional outfits.</p>

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<h5>BJP may yet have a long road to traverse in Kerala.</h5>
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<p>The second reason stems from its own electoral performance in the past few years. In the 2016 Assembly election, the BJP-led NDA received over 14 per cent of the votes; it won one seat; and finished second in six others. Compare these to the five per cent vote-share in 2001, under five per cent in 2006, six per cent in 2011 &mdash; and a little less than 11 per cent in the 2014 Lok Sabha poll, and the cause for the BJP&rsquo;s optimism becomes obvious. A CSDS-Lokniti survey done for a leading national daily soon after the last Assembly poll informed that the BJP had cut into the support base of both the Left and the Congress. Interestingly, the party also managed to win over a small segment of the Christian votes.&nbsp;</p>

<p>While these should cheer, and have cheered, the Rightist party and its supporters, the BJP may yet have a long road to traverse in Kerala. The moot question is: Will the party resort to dangerous social divisions to succeed electorally or moderate its stance and bank on inclusivity?</p>


Amit Shah comes up with a master plan to enhance BJP's dominance in Kerala

Spurred by the spate of recent electoral victories, the Bharatiya Janata Party has become audaciously ambitious. It has begun to not just enter enemy territory with new-found confidence and aggression but also march into enemy strongholds within that forbidden territory. On October 3, party president Amit Shah launched the Jan Raksha Yatra (March for People’s Protection) in the Marxist bastion of Kerala — and from Kannur district which has been the centre of political violence. If the BJP’s opponents thought this was another symbolic show to remind the people of the party’s presence in this southern state, and no more, they were soon disabused of the notion when Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath arrived on wednesday to participate in the high-profile event. Amit Shah claimed that more than 84 BJP-RSS workers had been killed in Kannur alone since 2001 by Left-supported individuals and organisations. × The message is clear. The BJP will play every card to enhance its footprint in Kerala. If the politics of polarisation needs to be resorted to, so be it. But polarisation does not happen in a vacuum; a context is necessary. The Communist Party of India (Marxist) rule has created a fertile ground for deep disaffection among large sections of the populace in the state and the BJP (along with the RSS which has had a strong presence for years) is set to exploit the situation. Amit Shah claimed that more than 84 BJP-RSS workers had been killed in Kannur alone since 2001 by Left-supported individuals and organisations. One can quibble over the figure or the counter-claim that right-wing activists too have participated in political violence. But there cannot be a denial of the ground reality that the major victims have been the Rightists. The Jan Raksha Yatra is arguably the BJP’s most determined effort so far in Kerala. × The BJP believes that by ratcheting up public sentiment against such killings and other forms of violence, it can eventually create a conducive electoral environment in its favour. That is to be seen; for now, State Assembly elections are far away. But the Lok Sabha poll will be held in less than two years and the party hopes to harvest some advantage from its counter-aggression. To that end, the Jan Raksha Yatra is, arguably, the BJP’s most determined effort so far in Kerala. The Marxists have been dismissive of their opponent’s drive, and they have been especially critical of the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister’s presence, advising him to mend governance in his home state before condemning the Left rule in Kerala. But there is no doubt that the Left is worried. Unlike the BJP which is ruling most parts of the country either on its own or with the help of allies, the Left Front, and especially the CPI (M), is facing an existential crisis. It has been driven out from its one-time stronghold, West Bengal, by Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress. This was bad enough, but worse has followed. For all practical purposes, it’s not even the main opposition there; the BJP has occupied that spot. Given that it has been marginalised in a state which it once ruled for three uninterrupted decades, the CPI (M)’s salvation lies in Kerala where, in any case, it cannot presume invincibility since the Congress has been breathing down its neck. But the Congress is a friendly opposition when compared to the BJP. The BJP’s game plan is simple enough. Exploit the anger among the people over political violence against its people and the larger Sangh family, attribute such violence to the Marxists’ ideology of intolerance, link the incidents to minority appeasement politics of the Left, and arouse passions in the name of majority-victimhood. The more it can do this the more it would push the Left into the anti-majority-community trap. Yogi Adityanath is a perfect candidate to further this strategy in the deep south. He is charismatic and a crowd-puller. It helps that he is also considered a ‘Hindu mascot’. If the BJP manages to enhance its presence in Kerala, it will be as much due to its perseverance as it will be on account of the Marxists’ obstinacy to change with the times. × There is something to be said in favour of striking when the iron is hot. Not only is the CPI (M) battling for political relevance, but it has also been facing embarrassment from within. A gentleman named Ritabrata Banerjee has been doing his bit in this regard. Once the blue-eyed boy of the Marxists and a Rajya Sabha MP, the highly visible Banerjee was expelled from the CPI (M) last month for “grave anti-party activities”. He claimed to have fallen foul with the senior leadership after he began to speak out in party forums against the ‘Kannur cabal’ comprising among others, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and senior leader Kodiyeri Balakrishnan. In interviews to television channels, Banerjee gleefully tore into the Marxists, saying that he had been targeted by the party leaders for, among other things, saying “Bharat Mata ki Jai”. He added that certain party leaders whose wish prevailed had problems with his lifestyle — including the apple watch he wore and the foreign trips he undertook! There is of course little need to make a martyr out of him or take all that he has said as unadulterated truth. Nonetheless, he seems to have underlined the basic problems the Marxists are confronted with, and are increasingly failing to effectively address: That the CPI (M) has lost its connection with the aspirations and demands of the new voter who not just abhors retributive politics but also frowns at dated ideological positions and defers with the party on issues of ‘nationalism’. If the BJP manages to enhance its presence in Kerala, it will be as much due to its perseverance as it will be on account of the Marxists’ obstinacy to change with the times. There are two primary reasons for the BJP’s focus on Kerala. The first is simply that it’s a hard nut to crack — and Amit Shah enjoys nothing better than meeting such challenges head-on — even if it entails the use of techniques in the book and outside of it. In southern India, the party has a fighting chance in Karnataka where the Assembly election is due next year. It rules in alliance in Andhra Pradesh, and is contemplating various combinations to unlock Tamil Nadu. But whereas it’s at the mercy of regional allies, both current and potential, to be relevant elsewhere in the south, in Kerala it hopes to be a dominant player, even if it stitches deals with regional outfits. BJP may yet have a long road to traverse in Kerala. × The second reason stems from its own electoral performance in the past few years. In the 2016 Assembly election, the BJP-led NDA received over 14 per cent of the votes; it won one seat; and finished second in six others. Compare these to the five per cent vote-share in 2001, under five per cent in 2006, six per cent in 2011 — and a little less than 11 per cent in the 2014 Lok Sabha poll, and the cause for the BJP’s optimism becomes obvious. A CSDS-Lokniti survey done for a leading national daily soon after the last Assembly poll informed that the BJP had cut into the support base of both the Left and the Congress. Interestingly, the party also managed to win over a small segment of the Christian votes. While these should cheer, and have cheered, the Rightist party and its supporters, the BJP may yet have a long road to traverse in Kerala. The moot question is: Will the party resort to dangerous social divisions to succeed electorally or moderate its stance and bank on inclusivity?

BJP ambitious to gain majority in CPIM's Kerala

<p>An aggressive campaign by BJP in Kerala against the killing of its workers is not an exercise in isolation. It is a campaign for 2019 which BJP is taking through states in which it had no historic presence. In every state, slogans have differed but the aim has been the same and that being expansion of the organisational structure of the party. The political aggression is high but it isn&rsquo;t new as the exercise started immediately after Lok Sabha elections in 2014.<br />
&nbsp;<br />
BJP after its massive win in general elections started to disrupt existing political equations in the states. Instead of having an alliance with a local party in Haryana, BJP chose to go alone and formed the government. This story was repeated in states, such as Assam, Jammu and Kashmir and West Bengal. In states like Assam, BJP tasted success and in West Bengal, it was able to expand it voters base but electorally it got trounced.</p>

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<h5>How BJP expects to gain where more than 50 percent of the population is Christian and Muslim.</h5>
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<p>In both situations, BJP did get away by gaining something. Similarly, BJP wants to push the final frontier in Kerala as it did in JK and Assam, the two states where it was thought impossible for BJP to gain a foothold. BJP broke regional leaders and tapped into anxieties which cut across caste in the states. The exception being Kashmir valley where BJP despite its best effort could not open an account but instead swept Jammu.</p>

<p>The question then arises is how BJP expects to gain where more than 50 percent of the population is Christian and Muslim. BJP has been able to evolve a working relationship with the church in Goa but it still has a substantial Hindu population to bank upon. Kerala is a laboratory and a test case for BJP. In Kerala, not only BJP will have to reset and alignment between Congress and CPM, but will have to push the communist party to the margin. In this case, it is directly competing with CPM for the affections of the Ezheva community.<br />
&nbsp;<br />
The killings are not new. Kannur has been known as the killing field of Kerala. The activism for it at the national level is new. BJP has decided to lend national heft for regional gains. This has happened because BJP feels that Hindutva blended with OBC and Dalit politics will yield electoral results in the state.<br />
&nbsp;<br />
It can also be explained in the context of &lsquo;Sanskritisation&rsquo; which OBCs have undergone throughout India and have come to represent the core Hindutva politics in the North and the West. Most of these communities in 1960, 70s and 80s consolidated under socialist parties under the banner of &lsquo;Kisan&rsquo; politics, directly pitching itself against the Congress Party.</p>

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<h5>Even if campaigns in West Bengal or Kerala don&rsquo;t yield electoral numbers, BJP, at least, gets to dominate the political discourse and expand the party.</h5>
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<p>&nbsp;<br />
By end of the 1990s, the consolidated socialist front, however,&nbsp;fragmented into caste-based parties throughout India. BJP today dominates this political landscape. This development coupled with the fragmentation of Dalit votes has benefitted BJP immensely. Even in Kerala, under the rubric of Hindutva, BJP is actively pursuing backward and Dalit sections despite the antagonistic relationship it shared with these communities both at the social level and cultural level.</p>

<p>It is for this reason, Yogi Adityanath was the first person from north India to grace the yatra started by BJP President Amit Shah.</p>

<p>Similar, disruptions will continue in other states as well. BJP has already occupied the Opposition&rsquo;s space in Orissa. In Telangana, it doesn&rsquo;t want to move fast lest TRS allies with the Opposition. It is for this reason that despite political upheaval in Tamil Nadu, BJP is trying its best to stabilise the government.<br />
&nbsp;<br />
The North Indian states are already saturated. BJP intends to come to power by using the states which rejected them during 2014. It is for this very reason states like West Bengal, Orissa, Assam, Telangana, Tamil Nadu and Kerala have become very important. BJP knows that in 2019 the road to Delhi will need to be paved in from South and East India and not North.<br />
&nbsp;<br />
For the Opposition, the job has become tougher. BJP has the movers advantage. They never expected BJP to continue into the election mode even after the Lok Sabha elections. BJP is making every election count. It tasted royal defeats in Bihar and Delhi. It realises that it takes very little to diffuse political momentum in a country like India. So even if campaigns in West Bengal or Kerala don&rsquo;t yield electoral numbers, BJP, at least, gets to dominate the political discourse and expand the party.</p>

<p>This is what BJP intends to do in Kerala. It is making every state election count to become the dominant party in the country, replacing Congress as the biggest and largest party with completely different ideological underpinning.</p>


BJP intends to come back to power in 2019 by using the states, such as Kerala which rejected them during 2014.

An aggressive campaign by BJP in Kerala against the killing of its workers is not an exercise in isolation. It is a campaign for 2019 which BJP is taking through states in which it had no historic presence. In every state, slogans have differed but the aim has been the same and that being expansion of the organisational structure of the party. The political aggression is high but it isn’t new as the exercise started immediately after Lok Sabha elections in 2014. BJP after its massive win in general elections started to disrupt existing political equations in the states. Instead of having an alliance with a local party in Haryana, BJP chose to go alone and formed the government. This story was repeated in states, such as Assam, Jammu and Kashmir and West Bengal. In states like Assam, BJP tasted success and in West Bengal, it was able to expand it voters base but electorally it got trounced. How BJP expects to gain where more than 50 percent of the population is Christian and Muslim. × In both situations, BJP did get away by gaining something. Similarly, BJP wants to push the final frontier in Kerala as it did in JK and Assam, the two states where it was thought impossible for BJP to gain a foothold. BJP broke regional leaders and tapped into anxieties which cut across caste in the states. The exception being Kashmir valley where BJP despite its best effort could not open an account but instead swept Jammu. The question then arises is how BJP expects to gain where more than 50 percent of the population is Christian and Muslim. BJP has been able to evolve a working relationship with the church in Goa but it still has a substantial Hindu population to bank upon. Kerala is a laboratory and a test case for BJP. In Kerala, not only BJP will have to reset and alignment between Congress and CPM, but will have to push the communist party to the margin. In this case, it is directly competing with CPM for the affections of the Ezheva community. The killings are not new. Kannur has been known as the killing field of Kerala. The activism for it at the national level is new. BJP has decided to lend national heft for regional gains. This has happened because BJP feels that Hindutva blended with OBC and Dalit politics will yield electoral results in the state. It can also be explained in the context of ‘Sanskritisation’ which OBCs have undergone throughout India and have come to represent the core Hindutva politics in the North and the West. Most of these communities in 1960, 70s and 80s consolidated under socialist parties under the banner of ‘Kisan’ politics, directly pitching itself against the Congress Party. Even if campaigns in West Bengal or Kerala don’t yield electoral numbers, BJP, at least, gets to dominate the political discourse and expand the party. × By end of the 1990s, the consolidated socialist front, however, fragmented into caste-based parties throughout India. BJP today dominates this political landscape. This development coupled with the fragmentation of Dalit votes has benefitted BJP immensely. Even in Kerala, under the rubric of Hindutva, BJP is actively pursuing backward and Dalit sections despite the antagonistic relationship it shared with these communities both at the social level and cultural level. It is for this reason, Yogi Adityanath was the first person from north India to grace the yatra started by BJP President Amit Shah. Similar, disruptions will continue in other states as well. BJP has already occupied the Opposition’s space in Orissa. In Telangana, it doesn’t want to move fast lest TRS allies with the Opposition. It is for this reason that despite political upheaval in Tamil Nadu, BJP is trying its best to stabilise the government. The North Indian states are already saturated. BJP intends to come to power by using the states which rejected them during 2014. It is for this very reason states like West Bengal, Orissa, Assam, Telangana, Tamil Nadu and Kerala have become very important. BJP knows that in 2019 the road to Delhi will need to be paved in from South and East India and not North. For the Opposition, the job has become tougher. BJP has the movers advantage. They never expected BJP to continue into the election mode even after the Lok Sabha elections. BJP is making every election count. It tasted royal defeats in Bihar and Delhi. It realises that it takes very little to diffuse political momentum in a country like India. So even if campaigns in West Bengal or Kerala don’t yield electoral numbers, BJP, at least, gets to dominate the political discourse and expand the party. This is what BJP intends to do in Kerala. It is making every state election count to become the dominant party in the country, replacing Congress as the biggest and largest party with completely different ideological underpinning.

Kerala violence is the pretext; 2019 election is BJP's  goal

<p>Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath joined BJP chief Amit Shah&#39;s <em>Jan Raksha Yatra </em>today, a 15-day foot march, which began on Tuesday to protest against CPM&#39;s alleged violence against&nbsp;BJP workers in Kerala.</p>

<p>Amit Shah&#39;s <em>Jan Raksha Yatra</em>, held under the theme of &#39;All have to live! Against Jihadi-Red Terror&#39;, from Payyannur will travel through the state before ending in Thiruvananthapuram on October 17.</p>

<p>UP CM Yogi Adityanath while joining the rally in Kannur said: &quot;There is no place for violence in a democracy, but political killings are continuing here.&quot;</p>

<p>&quot;This <em>yatra</em> is a mirror for communist governments in Kerala and Tripura. They should put an end to political killings,&quot; the UP chief minister added.</p>

<p>The BJP chief had met the family members of RSS-BJP workers killed in the political violence in the state and also inaugurated an exhibition organised in their memory.</p>

<p>Speaking to reporters during the rally, the BJP chief said the point for the rally is to focus &quot;political violence&quot;&nbsp;in the state.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&quot;At least thirteen BJP workers were killed in the state, they burnt the offices and dismembered the bodies of the BJP workers,&quot; Amit Shah asserted.</p>

<p>&quot;Most of the deaths occurred in Kannur district, this is the reason to start the yatra from here,&quot; he said.</p>

<p>Kannur district is also Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan&#39;s hometown.</p>

<p>Amit Shah added that he will take more <em>yatras</em> in other state capitals including in Delhi.</p>


Amit Shah's Jan Raksha Yatra, held under the theme of 'All have to live! Against Jihadi-Red Terror', from Payyannur will travel through Kerala

Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath joined BJP chief Amit Shah's Jan Raksha Yatra today, a 15-day foot march, which began on Tuesday to protest against CPM's alleged violence against BJP workers in Kerala. Amit Shah's Jan Raksha Yatra, held under the theme of 'All have to live! Against Jihadi-Red Terror', from Payyannur will travel through the state before ending in Thiruvananthapuram on October 17. UP CM Yogi Adityanath while joining the rally in Kannur said: "There is no place for violence in a democracy, but political killings are continuing here." "This yatra is a mirror for communist governments in Kerala and Tripura. They should put an end to political killings," the UP chief minister added. The BJP chief had met the family members of RSS-BJP workers killed in the political violence in the state and also inaugurated an exhibition organised in their memory. Speaking to reporters during the rally, the BJP chief said the point for the rally is to focus "political violence" in the state. "At least thirteen BJP workers were killed in the state, they burnt the offices and dismembered the bodies of the BJP workers," Amit Shah asserted. "Most of the deaths occurred in Kannur district, this is the reason to start the yatra from here," he said. Kannur district is also Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan's hometown. Amit Shah added that he will take more yatras in other state capitals including in Delhi.

WATCH: CM Adityanath hits out at Kerala govt over 'political killings' during Amit Shah's yatra

<p>&quot;The entire cycle of violence has been generated by the RSS,&quot; CPM general secretary Sitaram Yechury said on Wednesday in response to BJP President Amit Shah&#39;s Jan Raksha Yatra through Kerala.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&quot;It is a case of the pot calling the kettle black,&quot; Yechury added.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">The entire cycle of violence has been generated by the RSS: Sitaram Yechury, CPI(M) <a href="https://t.co/kN22wiZWC7">pic.twitter.com/kN22wiZWC7</a></p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/915537220362149888?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 4, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">It is a case of the pot calling the kettle black: CPM&#39;s Sitaram Yechury on BJP&#39;s Jan Raksha Yatra <a href="https://t.co/WACHQqTC6O">pic.twitter.com/WACHQqTC6O</a></p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/915538210171772928?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 4, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p>The Jan Raksha Yatra is a 15-day march through Kerala.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The yatra began on Tuesday at Payyanur -- chief minister Pinari Vijayan&#39;s hometown -- and will travel through Kerala before&nbsp;ending in Thiruvananthapuram on October 17.</p>

<p>The theme of the march is &quot;All have to live! Against Jihadi-Red Terror&quot;.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The march is meant to protest against the ruling CPM&#39;s alleged use of violence against BJP workers in the state.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The CPM and the BJP have waged a long battle in Kerala, with both sides losing a number of party workers to violence.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The yatra was on Wednesday joined by Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath.</p>

<p><a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/watch-uttar-pradesh-cm-adityanath-joins-amit-shah-in-kerala-yatra-20982" target="_blank">WATCH: CM Adityanath hits out at Kerala govt over &#39;political killings&#39; during Amit Shah&#39;s yatra</a></p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>


BJP President Amit Shah's 15-day Jan Raksha Yatra is meant to protest against the ruling CPM's alleged use of violence against BJP workers in the state

"The entire cycle of violence has been generated by the RSS," CPM general secretary Sitaram Yechury said on Wednesday in response to BJP President Amit Shah's Jan Raksha Yatra through Kerala. "It is a case of the pot calling the kettle black," Yechury added. The entire cycle of violence has been generated by the RSS: Sitaram Yechury, CPI(M) pic.twitter.com/kN22wiZWC7 — ANI (@ANI) October 4, 2017 × It is a case of the pot calling the kettle black: CPM's Sitaram Yechury on BJP's Jan Raksha Yatra pic.twitter.com/WACHQqTC6O — ANI (@ANI) October 4, 2017 × The Jan Raksha Yatra is a 15-day march through Kerala. The yatra began on Tuesday at Payyanur -- chief minister Pinari Vijayan's hometown -- and will travel through Kerala before ending in Thiruvananthapuram on October 17. The theme of the march is "All have to live! Against Jihadi-Red Terror". The march is meant to protest against the ruling CPM's alleged use of violence against BJP workers in the state. The CPM and the BJP have waged a long battle in Kerala, with both sides losing a number of party workers to violence. The yatra was on Wednesday joined by Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath. WATCH: CM Adityanath hits out at Kerala govt over 'political killings' during Amit Shah's yatra

Kerala: As Amit Shah marches, Yechury blames 'entire cycle of violence' on RSS

<p>BJP President Amit Shah said Monday that Rahul Gandhi should wear Gujarati spectacles -- and not Italian ones -- then he will see development in Gujarat.&nbsp;</p>

<p>He also added that if Rahul dreams of Gujarat, then he should visit Porbandar -- and not Italy.&nbsp;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="hi">Agar Rahul ko Gujarat ke sapne aate hain toh unko pura karne ke liye Italy nahi, Porbandar aana padega: Amit Shah in Porbandar <a href="https://t.co/5IY1gKPBGP">pic.twitter.com/5IY1gKPBGP</a></p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/914771768249692160?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 2, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p>&nbsp;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="hi">Agar Rahul ko Gujarat ke sapne aate hain toh unko pura karne ke liye Italy nahi, Porbandar aana padega: Amit Shah in Porbandar <a href="https://t.co/5IY1gKPBGP">pic.twitter.com/5IY1gKPBGP</a></p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/914771768249692160?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 2, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p>Rahul&#39;s mother and Congress President Sonia Gandhi was born Italian; she is now an Indian citizen.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Rahul was recently in Gujarat, which is soon going to the polls this year.&nbsp;</p>

<p><a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/gujarat-government-is-running-from-a-remote-control-rahul-gandhi-20680" target="_blank">Also read:&nbsp;Gujarat government on remote control: Rahul Gandhi </a></p>

<p>Shah was speaking in Porbandar, Gujarat.&nbsp; &nbsp;</p>

<p>Shah had on Sunday flagged off the Gujarat Gaurav Yatra -- to highlight development in the state under two decades of BJP rule -- from Karamsad, which is where Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel is from.</p>


He also added that if Rahul dreams of Gujarat, then he should visit Porbandar -- and not Italy.?

BJP President Amit Shah said Monday that Rahul Gandhi should wear Gujarati spectacles -- and not Italian ones -- then he will see development in Gujarat. He also added that if Rahul dreams of Gujarat, then he should visit Porbandar -- and not Italy. Agar Rahul ko Gujarat ke sapne aate hain toh unko pura karne ke liye Italy nahi, Porbandar aana padega: Amit Shah in Porbandar pic.twitter.com/5IY1gKPBGP — ANI (@ANI) October 2, 2017 × Agar Rahul ko Gujarat ke sapne aate hain toh unko pura karne ke liye Italy nahi, Porbandar aana padega: Amit Shah in Porbandar pic.twitter.com/5IY1gKPBGP — ANI (@ANI) October 2, 2017 × Rahul's mother and Congress President Sonia Gandhi was born Italian; she is now an Indian citizen. Rahul was recently in Gujarat, which is soon going to the polls this year. Also read: Gujarat government on remote control: Rahul Gandhi Shah was speaking in Porbandar, Gujarat. Shah had on Sunday flagged off the Gujarat Gaurav Yatra -- to highlight development in the state under two decades of BJP rule -- from Karamsad, which is where Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel is from.

Rahul should wear Gujarati specs, then he will see development: Amit Shah

<p>A number of political bigwigs gathered in Delhi today for the Dussehra celebrations.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Prime Minister Narendra Modi was there, as were President Ram Nath Kovind, and vice president Venkaiah Naidu -- and there was John Abraham.&nbsp;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">BJP President Amit Shah &amp; actor John Abraham take part in <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Dussehra?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Dussehra</a> celebrations at Delhi&#39;s Luv Kush Ramlila. <a href="https://t.co/KXSKgeTflS">pic.twitter.com/KXSKgeTflS</a></p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/914113247720042496?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 30, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p>Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was there too. He and Modi spoke with each other.&nbsp;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Delhi: PM Narendra Modi arrives at Red Fort Ground for <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Vijayadashami?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Vijayadashami</a> celebrations, interacts with former PM Manmohan Singh. <a href="https://t.co/QAsgRbjHS8">pic.twitter.com/QAsgRbjHS8</a></p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/914099666546917376?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 30, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p>As was Rahul Gandhi.&nbsp;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="da">Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi at <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Dussehra?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Dussehra</a> celebrations in Delhi <a href="https://t.co/m1dws7NWp2">pic.twitter.com/m1dws7NWp2</a></p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/914115684803649536?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 30, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p>Modi and Kovind addressed the crowd assembled at the Red Fort ground.&nbsp;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="hi">Aise utsav se sirf manoranjan nahi koi maksad banna chahiye, kuch kar guzarne ka sankalp banna chahiye: PM Modi <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Vijayadashami?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Vijayadashami</a> <a href="https://t.co/lYcQPY035J">pic.twitter.com/lYcQPY035J</a></p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/914108198482612224?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 30, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p dir="ltr" lang="hi">Prabhu Ram ke jeevan aadarsh aaj puri manavta ke liye atyadhik prasangik hain: President Kovind <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Vijayadashami?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Vijayadashami</a> <a href="https://t.co/JCQLtbTb7z">pic.twitter.com/JCQLtbTb7z</a></p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/914109263148081152?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 30, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Effigies of Ravan, Kumbhakarn and Meghnad burnt at Delhi&#39;s Red Fort Ground in the presence of President Kovind and PM Modi <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Dussehra?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Dussehra</a> <a href="https://t.co/7oj1ZFRM9D">pic.twitter.com/7oj1ZFRM9D</a></p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/914111196269240320?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 30, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p>While John Abraham was seen sitting beside&nbsp;Amit Shah at Ramlila Maidan.&nbsp;</p>


Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was there too. He and Modi spoke with each other

A number of political bigwigs gathered in Delhi today for the Dussehra celebrations. Prime Minister Narendra Modi was there, as were President Ram Nath Kovind, and vice president Venkaiah Naidu -- and there was John Abraham. BJP President Amit Shah & actor John Abraham take part in #Dussehra celebrations at Delhi's Luv Kush Ramlila. pic.twitter.com/KXSKgeTflS — ANI (@ANI) September 30, 2017 × Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was there too. He and Modi spoke with each other. Delhi: PM Narendra Modi arrives at Red Fort Ground for #Vijayadashami celebrations, interacts with former PM Manmohan Singh. pic.twitter.com/QAsgRbjHS8 — ANI (@ANI) September 30, 2017 × As was Rahul Gandhi. Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi at #Dussehra celebrations in Delhi pic.twitter.com/m1dws7NWp2 — ANI (@ANI) September 30, 2017 × Modi and Kovind addressed the crowd assembled at the Red Fort ground. Aise utsav se sirf manoranjan nahi koi maksad banna chahiye, kuch kar guzarne ka sankalp banna chahiye: PM Modi #Vijayadashami pic.twitter.com/lYcQPY035J — ANI (@ANI) September 30, 2017 × Prabhu Ram ke jeevan aadarsh aaj puri manavta ke liye atyadhik prasangik hain: President Kovind #Vijayadashami pic.twitter.com/JCQLtbTb7z — ANI (@ANI) September 30, 2017 × Effigies of Ravan, Kumbhakarn and Meghnad burnt at Delhi's Red Fort Ground in the presence of President Kovind and PM Modi #Dussehra pic.twitter.com/7oj1ZFRM9D — ANI (@ANI) September 30, 2017 × While John Abraham was seen sitting beside Amit Shah at Ramlila Maidan.

At Delhi Dussehra celebrations: PM Modi, Amit Shah, and John Abraham

<p lang="EN-US">The Indian Prime Minister&#39;s Office (PMO) reportedly intervened in the Banaras Hindu University (BHU) protest that set the campus on edge since the police baton-charged women students complaining against a molestation case.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>

<p lang="EN-US">The BHU chief proctor&#39;s decision to&nbsp;resign&nbsp;came shortly after PM&nbsp;Narendra Modi&#39;s office called higher education&nbsp;secretary&nbsp;KK Sharma to discuss the matter&nbsp;on Tuesday, Hindustan Times reported.&nbsp;</p>

<p lang="EN-US">Both PM Modi and BJP chief Amit Shah spoke to Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi&nbsp;Adityanath&nbsp;to about the unrest on the 100-year-old university. The human resource&nbsp;development ministry was also instructed to look into the&nbsp;students&#39;&nbsp;complaints and take immediate steps to address them and to build confidence.&nbsp;</p>

<p lang="EN-US">The chief proctor of the Banaras Hindu University, ON Singh,&nbsp;resigned last night (Tuesday) taking moral responsibility for the protests.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>

<p lang="EN-US">The district administration has declared holidays till&nbsp;October 2&nbsp;in all colleges and universities in the district after the spread of violence. The BHU had earlier announced that the holidays would start from&nbsp;September 28.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>

<p lang="EN-US">The molestation case at Banaras Hindu University came to light when women scholars blocked the entrance of the university campus from where Modi&#39;s convoy was expected to pass&nbsp;on Friday.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>

<p lang="EN-US"><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&amp;q=http://www.wionews.com/india-news/watch-girl-protesting-at-bhu-shaves-her-head-for-safety-20537&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1506620801347000&amp;usg=AFQjCNH2LHYckmEZ_aQd7vchhxeaH5BHvA" href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/watch-girl-protesting-at-bhu-shaves-her-head-for-safety-20537" rel="noreferrer" target="_blank">Also Watch: Banaras Hindu University girl shaves head in protest</a>&nbsp;</p>

<p lang="EN-US">Tensions escalated after&nbsp;<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&amp;q=http://www.wionews.com/india-news/bhu-clashes-yogi-adityanath-orders-probe-police-deployed-at-campus-20566&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1506620801347000&amp;usg=AFQjCNEjoY_PoXD5tUXvq7QhVzS8rgDq8A" href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/bhu-clashes-yogi-adityanath-orders-probe-police-deployed-at-campus-20566" rel="noreferrer" target="_blank">policemen late-night&nbsp;on Saturday&nbsp;baton-charged students at the women&#39;s hostel&nbsp;</a>and&nbsp;also&nbsp;allegedly entered the premises to drag some students out. The women students were&nbsp;trying to&nbsp;speak to the&nbsp;vice-chancellor regarding the molestation incidents on the campus.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>

<p lang="EN-US">A number of students, including women and two journalists, were injured in the baton&nbsp;charge, the varsity sources said.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>

<p lang="EN-US">Nearly 1,500 police personnel were deployed to maintain law and order in the campus after the violence created unrest among the students.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>


Both Indian PM Modi and BJP chief Amit Shah spoke to UM chief minister Yogi Yodityanath about the situation on campus

The Indian Prime Minister's Office (PMO) reportedly intervened in the Banaras Hindu University (BHU) protest that set the campus on edge since the police baton-charged women students complaining against a molestation case. The BHU chief proctor's decision to resign came shortly after PM Narendra Modi's office called higher education secretary KK Sharma to discuss the matter on Tuesday, Hindustan Times reported. Both PM Modi and BJP chief Amit Shah spoke to Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath to about the unrest on the 100-year-old university. The human resource development ministry was also instructed to look into the students' complaints and take immediate steps to address them and to build confidence. The chief proctor of the Banaras Hindu University, ON Singh, resigned last night (Tuesday) taking moral responsibility for the protests. The district administration has declared holidays till October 2 in all colleges and universities in the district after the spread of violence. The BHU had earlier announced that the holidays would start from September 28. The molestation case at Banaras Hindu University came to light when women scholars blocked the entrance of the university campus from where Modi's convoy was expected to pass on Friday. Also Watch: Banaras Hindu University girl shaves head in protest Tensions escalated after policemen late-night on Saturday baton-charged students at the women's hostel and also allegedly entered the premises to drag some students out. The women students were trying to speak to the vice-chancellor regarding the molestation incidents on the campus. A number of students, including women and two journalists, were injured in the baton charge, the varsity sources said. Nearly 1,500 police personnel were deployed to maintain law and order in the campus after the violence created unrest among the students.

Banaras Hindu University unrest: PMO intervenes, wants students' problems redressed

<p>In his inaugural address to the BJP Executive Meeting, &nbsp;BJP President Amit Shah slammed Congress president Rahul Gandhi over his remarks on dynastic politics.&nbsp;</p>

<p>He said that the BJP believes in the politics of performance while Congress follows &quot;politics of appeasement and dynasty&quot;.</p>

<p>During a speech at the University of California at Berkeley Rahul Gandhi defended dynastic politics. He said &ldquo;Dynastic politics is a problem in all political parties. Akhilesh Yadav, Stalin and even actor Abhishek Bachchan are dynasts... So don&rsquo;t go just after me.&rdquo;&nbsp;</p>

<p>Citing the examples of the current president, vice president and prime minister, the BJP chief said that they have reached to their position due of their work.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Amit Shah also&nbsp;claimed that the economy is flourishing well under the present government than compared to how it was under the UPA government. He presented figures to substantiate his claims.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The party president also appreciated the government&#39;s response to the handling of Naxalism and terrorism. He said&nbsp;more terrorists were killed during the last three years than any other spell of three years.&nbsp;</p>

<p>He attacked the TMC government in West Bengal and the Left in Kerala for the&nbsp;alleged political violence on BJP workers.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The&nbsp;event was followed by Union Minister Piyush Goyal&#39;s address in which he said his party was relentlessly working&nbsp;in the interest of the people.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Referring to the latest verbal attacks by Congress Vice-president Rahul Gandhi, Goyal said that Gandhi has been undermining the country for which he has received a befitting reply from the Amit Shah.&nbsp;He said he was confident that BJP will register a &quot;historic win&quot;&nbsp;in the upcoming Gujarat polls.&nbsp;</p>

<p>He added that the party leader Amit Shah will hold a <em>padyatra</em>&nbsp;(journey by road) &nbsp;in Kerala from October 3-17, to connect with the people.</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en"><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Visuals?src=hash">#Visuals</a> from BJP National Executive Meet in Delhi <a href="https://t.co/slrL5L15gZ">pic.twitter.com/slrL5L15gZ</a></p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/912182725737455616">September 25, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">The Govt is relentlessly working in the interests of the poor: Union Minister Piyush Goyal during BJP National Executive meet <a href="https://t.co/x4xENKwQIx">pic.twitter.com/x4xENKwQIx</a></p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/912207510890672128">September 25, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Amit Shah ji said that from October 3-17 BJP workers will do a &#39;padyatra&#39; in Kerala and connect with the people: Piyush Goyal</p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/912207725957832704">September 25, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Rahul Gandhi ji has been undermining India these days, Amit Shah ji gave a befitting reply with facts: Piyush Goyal on BJP Natl Exec meet <a href="https://t.co/VEuFUtNKLh">pic.twitter.com/VEuFUtNKLh</a></p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/912208440197496833">September 25, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p dir="ltr" lang="hi">Amit Shah ji ne kaha vanshvaad Congress ki sanskriti hai: Piyush Goyal</p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/912209871734312960">September 25, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">BJP will register a historic win in upcoming Gujarat polls: Union Minister Piyush Goyal <a href="https://t.co/uW6GdfLoPL">pic.twitter.com/uW6GdfLoPL</a></p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/912213671798960128">September 25, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p><br />
The two-day BJP National Executive meet in New Delhi, which will conclude&nbsp;today after PM Modi&#39;s address, is being attended by an estimated 2000 party leaders including&nbsp;1400 Members of Legislative Assembly, 337 Members of Parliament, and all Members of Legislative Council.</p>

<p>The meet will trace the political and economic development of the&nbsp;government.&nbsp;</p>

<p>It&nbsp;coincides with the 100th birth centenary of independence leader Deen Dayal Upadhyaya.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>


Amit Shah said the BJP believes in the politics of performance while Congress follows 'politics of appeasement and dynasty'

In his inaugural address to the BJP Executive Meeting, BJP President Amit Shah slammed Congress president Rahul Gandhi over his remarks on dynastic politics. He said that the BJP believes in the politics of performance while Congress follows "politics of appeasement and dynasty". During a speech at the University of California at Berkeley Rahul Gandhi defended dynastic politics. He said “Dynastic politics is a problem in all political parties. Akhilesh Yadav, Stalin and even actor Abhishek Bachchan are dynasts... So don’t go just after me.” Citing the examples of the current president, vice president and prime minister, the BJP chief said that they have reached to their position due of their work. Amit Shah also claimed that the economy is flourishing well under the present government than compared to how it was under the UPA government. He presented figures to substantiate his claims. The party president also appreciated the government's response to the handling of Naxalism and terrorism. He said more terrorists were killed during the last three years than any other spell of three years. He attacked the TMC government in West Bengal and the Left in Kerala for the alleged political violence on BJP workers. The event was followed by Union Minister Piyush Goyal's address in which he said his party was relentlessly working in the interest of the people. Referring to the latest verbal attacks by Congress Vice-president Rahul Gandhi, Goyal said that Gandhi has been undermining the country for which he has received a befitting reply from the Amit Shah. He said he was confident that BJP will register a "historic win" in the upcoming Gujarat polls. He added that the party leader Amit Shah will hold a padyatra (journey by road) in Kerala from October 3-17, to connect with the people. #Visuals from BJP National Executive Meet in Delhi pic.twitter.com/slrL5L15gZ — ANI (@ANI) September 25, 2017 × The Govt is relentlessly working in the interests of the poor: Union Minister Piyush Goyal during BJP National Executive meet pic.twitter.com/x4xENKwQIx — ANI (@ANI) September 25, 2017 × Amit Shah ji said that from October 3-17 BJP workers will do a 'padyatra' in Kerala and connect with the people: Piyush Goyal — ANI (@ANI) September 25, 2017 × Rahul Gandhi ji has been undermining India these days, Amit Shah ji gave a befitting reply with facts: Piyush Goyal on BJP Natl Exec meet pic.twitter.com/VEuFUtNKLh — ANI (@ANI) September 25, 2017 × Amit Shah ji ne kaha vanshvaad Congress ki sanskriti hai: Piyush Goyal — ANI (@ANI) September 25, 2017 × BJP will register a historic win in upcoming Gujarat polls: Union Minister Piyush Goyal pic.twitter.com/uW6GdfLoPL — ANI (@ANI) September 25, 2017 × The two-day BJP National Executive meet in New Delhi, which will conclude today after PM Modi's address, is being attended by an estimated 2000 party leaders including 1400 Members of Legislative Assembly, 337 Members of Parliament, and all Members of Legislative Council. The meet will trace the political and economic development of the government. It coincides with the 100th birth centenary of independence leader Deen Dayal Upadhyaya.

At BJP's executive meet, Amit Shah takes potshots at Rahul Gandhi for defending dynasty politics

<p>Prime Minister Narendra turned 67 today (September 17) and the chief of his Bharatiya Janata Party Amit Shah said &quot;sewa&quot; or &quot;service&quot; was the best way to celebrate the birthday of &quot;pradhan (head) sewak&quot;.&nbsp;</p>

<p>PM Modi inaugurated the Sardar Sarovar project at Kevadia in Gujarat.</p>

<p>BJP leaders and ministers participated in cleanliness and other campaigns across Delhi.</p>

<p>The BJP president recalled his decades-long association with the prime minister, and said Narendra Modi had never celebrated his birthday.&nbsp;</p>

<p>He said that he first met Modi as a young BJP worker and neither of them was drawn to power as the saffron party then was far from the force it later became. What mattered, he said, was that they devoted every moment of their time for India&#39;s welfare.</p>

<p>&quot;We will continue to serve the nation and support him (Modi) as he takes India to new heights of success and glory,&quot; Shah said citing the Mudra scheme, Jan Dhan accounts, surgical strikes and demonetisation to underline Modi&#39;s resolve and commitment to the country&#39;s welfare.&nbsp;</p>

<p>In a blog, Amit Shah heaped praise on the Indian PM and said he had achieved the economic integration of India -- through initiatives like demonetisation, the rollout of the Goods and Services Tax and the Jan Dhan Yojana -- after Sardar Vallabhai Patel and BR Ambedkar achieved the country&#39;s territorial and social unification.</p>

<p>&quot;India remembers Sardar Patel for the territorial integration of our nation and we recall the role of Babasaheb Ambedkar in our social integration. Through initiatives starting from the Jan Dhan Yojana to the GST, Narendra Bhai has set the ball rolling for the economic integration of India,&quot; Shah said in a blog.</p>

<p>Amit Shah said, honest taxpayers, a majority of whom belonged to the middle class, felt valued following crackdowns against black money and corruption through various measures, including demonetisation and the benami law.</p>

<p>The BJP chief also said PM Modi&#39;s life was a &quot;personification of the spirit of India&quot; in many ways and claimed his sensitivity towards the aspirations of the poor had led to &quot;historic poverty alleviation initiatives taking shape at a scale unheard of in the history&quot; of India.</p>

<p>Modi&#39;s heart, he said, &quot;beats for the poor, downtrodden, marginalised and the farmers of India&quot;, adding that the PM&#39;s deep concern for their welfare had motivated him to immerse himself in nation building from a very young age.</p>

<p>Targeting the prime minister&#39;s critics, he said Modi had ruffled several feathers by his actions against the corrupt and status quo -- &quot;after all, years of the privilege of a select few are now over and the poor are now getting their due&quot;.</p>

<p>&quot;India First is a belief that Narendra Bhai has lived at every point of his life,&quot; Amit Shah wrote.</p>

<p>People saw Modi as a compassionate leader, he said.</p>

<p>&quot;They see him as their own, a person working round the clock for their and the nation&#39;s welfare, without any self-interest. His popularity has transcended all boundaries,&quot; the BJP chief said.</p>

<p><br />
&nbsp;</p>


BJP president Amit Shah recalled his decades-long association with the prime minister, and said Narendra Modi had never celebrated his birthday

Prime Minister Narendra turned 67 today (September 17) and the chief of his Bharatiya Janata Party Amit Shah said "sewa" or "service" was the best way to celebrate the birthday of "pradhan (head) sewak". PM Modi inaugurated the Sardar Sarovar project at Kevadia in Gujarat. BJP leaders and ministers participated in cleanliness and other campaigns across Delhi. The BJP president recalled his decades-long association with the prime minister, and said Narendra Modi had never celebrated his birthday. He said that he first met Modi as a young BJP worker and neither of them was drawn to power as the saffron party then was far from the force it later became. What mattered, he said, was that they devoted every moment of their time for India's welfare. "We will continue to serve the nation and support him (Modi) as he takes India to new heights of success and glory," Shah said citing the Mudra scheme, Jan Dhan accounts, surgical strikes and demonetisation to underline Modi's resolve and commitment to the country's welfare. In a blog, Amit Shah heaped praise on the Indian PM and said he had achieved the economic integration of India -- through initiatives like demonetisation, the rollout of the Goods and Services Tax and the Jan Dhan Yojana -- after Sardar Vallabhai Patel and BR Ambedkar achieved the country's territorial and social unification. "India remembers Sardar Patel for the territorial integration of our nation and we recall the role of Babasaheb Ambedkar in our social integration. Through initiatives starting from the Jan Dhan Yojana to the GST, Narendra Bhai has set the ball rolling for the economic integration of India," Shah said in a blog. Amit Shah said, honest taxpayers, a majority of whom belonged to the middle class, felt valued following crackdowns against black money and corruption through various measures, including demonetisation and the benami law. The BJP chief also said PM Modi's life was a "personification of the spirit of India" in many ways and claimed his sensitivity towards the aspirations of the poor had led to "historic poverty alleviation initiatives taking shape at a scale unheard of in the history" of India. Modi's heart, he said, "beats for the poor, downtrodden, marginalised and the farmers of India", adding that the PM's deep concern for their welfare had motivated him to immerse himself in nation building from a very young age. Targeting the prime minister's critics, he said Modi had ruffled several feathers by his actions against the corrupt and status quo -- "after all, years of the privilege of a select few are now over and the poor are now getting their due". "India First is a belief that Narendra Bhai has lived at every point of his life," Amit Shah wrote. People saw Modi as a compassionate leader, he said. "They see him as their own, a person working round the clock for their and the nation's welfare, without any self-interest. His popularity has transcended all boundaries," the BJP chief said.

What PM Modi's oldest associate said on his 67th birthday

<p>BJP chief Amit Shah today said demonetisation has led to expansion of formal economy and brought black money into the government&#39;s treasury which is being used for people&#39;s benefit.</p>

<p>With demonetisation inviting fresh criticism from opposition parties after RBI figures disclosed that over 99 per cent of banned notes were deposited with banks, Shah told a FICCI meeting that the note ban was an example of the hard decisions the government had taken to boost the economy.</p>

<p>&quot;I definitely believe that the formal economy has increased due to demonetisation. Money lying at various places is now part of the economy,&quot; he said, adding that this government does not link policy decisions with vote bank.</p>

<p>The BJP chief said the number of total direct tax payers had doubled in the last three years from 3.7 crore to 6.4 crore and opening of 30 crore new bank accounts expanded the formal economy and linked every body with it.</p>

<p>He also asked the business community to &quot;encash&quot; the &quot;Brand India&quot; built by the government globally and claimed that the NDA dispensation&#39;s most significant contribution was that it had transformed the &quot;scale of thinking&quot;.</p>

<p>The Industrial sector should use this opportunity to expand globally, he said, mentioning African countries as having immense investment potential.</p>

<p>The Modi government was focusing on long-term goals rather than short-term gains, he said, adding that direct benefit transfers now reach 36 crore people from 8.5 crore in 2014 and saved over Rs 59,000 crore in subsidies. Earlier, this money would have disappeared due to corruption, he said.</p>

<p>He also played down the dip in the GDP growth rate to 5.7 per cent in the last quarter, saying it was due to some &quot;technical reasons&quot; and added it had gone up to 7.1 per cent after falling to 4.7 per cent in 13-14 when the UPA was in power.</p>

<p>Shah also touched upon the issue of banks&#39; non-performing assets, seen as a drag on the economy, saying the Modi government had inherited these bad loans and none of them happened during its tenure.</p>

<p>It was a very &quot;courageous move&quot; of the Modi dispensation to ask banks to bring NPAs to their books, Shah said.</p>

<p>&quot;The issue is looked politically. But I want to make it very clear that none of these loans which turned NPAs were offered during our government. Opposition targets us saying so many accounts have turned into NPAs. But not a single account is from our time. We have inherited it,&quot; he said, adding that hiding a disease does not treat it.</p>

<p>The Union government along with states had taken over 7,000 decisions to increase the ease of doing business, he said.</p>

<p>&quot;Some critics of our government claim that development has stalled but I would like to tell them not to look at statistics but travel around to find development,&quot; Shah said.</p>

<p>Against the daily construction of 69 km of rural roads earlier, the figure is now 133 km and while rail tracks are being laid at the rate of 7.9 km against the earlier 4.3 km, he said.</p>

<p>The rail sector had attracted twice the investment in the last two years compared to five preceding years.</p>

<p>Over 2 lakh km of optical fibre had been laid under this government while the figure was only 358 km earlier, he said.</p>

<p>While it used to take 600 days for new projects to get environment and forest clearance, now it takes only 100 days and the period would be reduced further, he said.</p>

<p>Under the UPA, the GDP was 4.7 per cent, the current account deficit rose to 5 per cent and there was double-digit inflation while the government in its 10-year rule was riddled with scams and hit by policy paralysis, Shah said.</p>

<p>&quot;In the last three years, there has been decisive and focused approach to policy making,&quot; he said.</p>

<p>As many as seven crore people have benefited from the MUDRA scheme, turning from job seekers to job creators, he said.</p>

<p>The Modi government has changed the way GDP is looked at as it is not only limited to production, services and infrastructure but also includes improving overall quality of life and social capital.</p>

<p>Giving poor LPG connections, bringing electricity to every household, linking everybody with bank accounts and building new toilets also help the GDP grow, he said.</p>

<p>&quot;I can say with full confidence that the Indian economy&#39;s future is very beautiful and nobody can stop India from becoming the fastest growing economy,&quot; he said.</p>

<p>The GST would lead to equitable development among states, he said, adding that it was lopsided earlier with western states progressing while the eastern region lagged behind, Shah said.</p>

<p>He told the business community that under previous tax structure, there were 17 different taxes, but now under the GST, there is &#39;one country, one tax&#39; and they can avail full input tax credit.</p>

<p>The country has become surplus in coal production and power supply, he said, citing e-auction of mines as a government&#39;s success.</p>

<p>All the decisions taken by the government are part of a well-thought out strategy to give the country a stable policy for next 30 years and it was taking gradual steps towards that goal, he said.</p>

<p>&quot;None of the policy decisions should be evaluated in isolation but should be seen as an integrated long term scheme of things,&quot; he said.</p>

<p>Shah said that the historic Land Boundary Agreement with Bangladesh has opened up the entire eastern belt for trade and business which will boost growth in the Northeast region that has been neglected for the last 70 years.</p>

<p>The BJP president also advised FICCI and similar business bodies to invest in research and development and create their own intellectual property rights so that the &quot;wealth created remains within the country&quot;. He specifically made reference to the pharma industry.<br />
&nbsp;<br />
&quot;FICCI must rethink the role it has played since Independence and play active part in promoting sectors where India is currently dependent on significant imports resulting into depletion of precious foreign exchange,&quot; he said.&nbsp;</p>


The BJP chief said the number of total direct tax payers had doubled in the last three years from 3.7 crore to 6.4 crore and opening of 30 crore new bank accounts expanded the formal economy and linked every body with it

BJP chief Amit Shah today said demonetisation has led to expansion of formal economy and brought black money into the government's treasury which is being used for people's benefit. With demonetisation inviting fresh criticism from opposition parties after RBI figures disclosed that over 99 per cent of banned notes were deposited with banks, Shah told a FICCI meeting that the note ban was an example of the hard decisions the government had taken to boost the economy. "I definitely believe that the formal economy has increased due to demonetisation. Money lying at various places is now part of the economy," he said, adding that this government does not link policy decisions with vote bank. The BJP chief said the number of total direct tax payers had doubled in the last three years from 3.7 crore to 6.4 crore and opening of 30 crore new bank accounts expanded the formal economy and linked every body with it. He also asked the business community to "encash" the "Brand India" built by the government globally and claimed that the NDA dispensation's most significant contribution was that it had transformed the "scale of thinking". The Industrial sector should use this opportunity to expand globally, he said, mentioning African countries as having immense investment potential. The Modi government was focusing on long-term goals rather than short-term gains, he said, adding that direct benefit transfers now reach 36 crore people from 8.5 crore in 2014 and saved over Rs 59,000 crore in subsidies. Earlier, this money would have disappeared due to corruption, he said. He also played down the dip in the GDP growth rate to 5.7 per cent in the last quarter, saying it was due to some "technical reasons" and added it had gone up to 7.1 per cent after falling to 4.7 per cent in 13-14 when the UPA was in power. Shah also touched upon the issue of banks' non-performing assets, seen as a drag on the economy, saying the Modi government had inherited these bad loans and none of them happened during its tenure. It was a very "courageous move" of the Modi dispensation to ask banks to bring NPAs to their books, Shah said. "The issue is looked politically. But I want to make it very clear that none of these loans which turned NPAs were offered during our government. Opposition targets us saying so many accounts have turned into NPAs. But not a single account is from our time. We have inherited it," he said, adding that hiding a disease does not treat it. The Union government along with states had taken over 7,000 decisions to increase the ease of doing business, he said. "Some critics of our government claim that development has stalled but I would like to tell them not to look at statistics but travel around to find development," Shah said. Against the daily construction of 69 km of rural roads earlier, the figure is now 133 km and while rail tracks are being laid at the rate of 7.9 km against the earlier 4.3 km, he said. The rail sector had attracted twice the investment in the last two years compared to five preceding years. Over 2 lakh km of optical fibre had been laid under this government while the figure was only 358 km earlier, he said. While it used to take 600 days for new projects to get environment and forest clearance, now it takes only 100 days and the period would be reduced further, he said. Under the UPA, the GDP was 4.7 per cent, the current account deficit rose to 5 per cent and there was double-digit inflation while the government in its 10-year rule was riddled with scams and hit by policy paralysis, Shah said. "In the last three years, there has been decisive and focused approach to policy making," he said. As many as seven crore people have benefited from the MUDRA scheme, turning from job seekers to job creators, he said. The Modi government has changed the way GDP is looked at as it is not only limited to production, services and infrastructure but also includes improving overall quality of life and social capital. Giving poor LPG connections, bringing electricity to every household, linking everybody with bank accounts and building new toilets also help the GDP grow, he said. "I can say with full confidence that the Indian economy's future is very beautiful and nobody can stop India from becoming the fastest growing economy," he said. The GST would lead to equitable development among states, he said, adding that it was lopsided earlier with western states progressing while the eastern region lagged behind, Shah said. He told the business community that under previous tax structure, there were 17 different taxes, but now under the GST, there is 'one country, one tax' and they can avail full input tax credit. The country has become surplus in coal production and power supply, he said, citing e-auction of mines as a government's success. All the decisions taken by the government are part of a well-thought out strategy to give the country a stable policy for next 30 years and it was taking gradual steps towards that goal, he said. "None of the policy decisions should be evaluated in isolation but should be seen as an integrated long term scheme of things," he said. Shah said that the historic Land Boundary Agreement with Bangladesh has opened up the entire eastern belt for trade and business which will boost growth in the Northeast region that has been neglected for the last 70 years. The BJP president also advised FICCI and similar business bodies to invest in research and development and create their own intellectual property rights so that the "wealth created remains within the country". He specifically made reference to the pharma industry. "FICCI must rethink the role it has played since Independence and play active part in promoting sectors where India is currently dependent on significant imports resulting into depletion of precious foreign exchange," he said.

Formal economy has increased: Amit Shah defends demonetisation

<p>Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP party chief Amit Shah will take the final call on which minister will be a part of the reshuffled council of ministers and who will be moved out on the basis of an excel sheet which rates their performance.</p>

<p>A reshuffle&nbsp;is expected on Sunday morning before PM Modi leaves for the BRICS summit in China.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The performance sheet, created by a senior BJP leader, rates the performance of every minister who is currently a part of the government, top government sources told Zee Media.</p>

<p>The column marked &#39;P and N&#39; in the excel sheet - placed in front of every minister&#39;s name - will be the deciding factor. &nbsp;&quot;P&quot; stands for &quot;Positive&quot; and &quot;N&quot; for &quot;Negative&quot;.</p>

<p>The ground level performance of ministers will be given weightage. Social media has not been included in the parameters, the sources told Zee Media.</p>

<p>The excel sheet has already been presented to PM Modi and Amit Shah, who has held several high-level meetings over the past few weeks over it, the report added.</p>

<p>Transport minister Nitin Gadkari may take over the Defence portfolio from Arun Jaitley.</p>

<p>Human Resource Development minister Prakash Javadekar is also likely to get a bigger portfolio or additional charges.</p>

<p>Eight ministers have quit before the Cabinet reshuffle and were reportedly asked to resign by Amit Shah.</p>

<p>Four junior ministers - Rajiv Pratap Rudy, Sanjiv Kumar Balyan, Faggan Singh Kulaste and Mahendra Nath Pandey - have resigned ahead of the rejig.</p>

<p>Two Cabinet ministers, Uma Bharti and Kalraj Mishra, have also offered to resign,&nbsp;BJP sources told PTI.&nbsp;</p>


The performance sheet, created by a senior BJP leader, rates the performance of every minister who is currently part of the government, top government sources said

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP party chief Amit Shah will take the final call on which minister will be a part of the reshuffled council of ministers and who will be moved out on the basis of an excel sheet which rates their performance. A reshuffle is expected on Sunday morning before PM Modi leaves for the BRICS summit in China. The performance sheet, created by a senior BJP leader, rates the performance of every minister who is currently a part of the government, top government sources told Zee Media. The column marked 'P and N' in the excel sheet - placed in front of every minister's name - will be the deciding factor. "P" stands for "Positive" and "N" for "Negative". The ground level performance of ministers will be given weightage. Social media has not been included in the parameters, the sources told Zee Media. The excel sheet has already been presented to PM Modi and Amit Shah, who has held several high-level meetings over the past few weeks over it, the report added. Transport minister Nitin Gadkari may take over the Defence portfolio from Arun Jaitley. Human Resource Development minister Prakash Javadekar is also likely to get a bigger portfolio or additional charges. Eight ministers have quit before the Cabinet reshuffle and were reportedly asked to resign by Amit Shah. Four junior ministers - Rajiv Pratap Rudy, Sanjiv Kumar Balyan, Faggan Singh Kulaste and Mahendra Nath Pandey - have resigned ahead of the rejig. Two Cabinet ministers, Uma Bharti and Kalraj Mishra, have also offered to resign, BJP sources told PTI.

How will PM Modi choose new council of ministers? An excel sheet

<p>The chief minister of India&#39;s northern state Haryana, Manohalal Khattar, today ruled out&nbsp;his resignation saying he was satisfied with his government&#39;s handling of the Dera Sacha Sauda violence.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Khattar&#39;s statement comes after he met BJP chief Amit Shah today when he submitted a report on the violence that erupted&nbsp;after the conviction of Dera chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh.</p>

<p>He said that his government had acted with &quot;restraint&quot; adding that their first priority was to get the Dera chief to appear before the court in Panchkula, Haryana.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&quot;We acted with restraint. We achieved our aim,&quot; he said.</p>

<p>Khattar also said that there will not be any change in the party leadership.</p>

<p>&quot;Anybody can say anything... We are satisfied with our work. Whatever we did was right. There will be no change.&quot;</p>

<p>Khattar had been accused by the opposition of mishandling the Dera protest which claimed at least <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/special-cbi-court-convicts-gurmeet-ram-rahim-singh-in-rape-case-19498">38 lives in the violence that broke out after the Special CBI Court pronounced him guilty for the rapes of two </a><em><a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/special-cbi-court-convicts-gurmeet-ram-rahim-singh-in-rape-case-19498">sadhvis</a></em><a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/special-cbi-court-convicts-gurmeet-ram-rahim-singh-in-rape-case-19498"><em>&nbsp;</em>(spiritual practitioners)</a> from his Dera.</p>

<p>After the violence, it was speculated that Khattar might be replaced.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Khattar justified the government&#39;s actions by saying that if something had happened before August 25 when Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh appeared before the Special CBI Court, he would have used it as an &quot;excuse&quot; for not turning up in court.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The chief minister also rejected claims of providing exceptional treatment to the Dera head saying that he was <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/post-conviction-ram-rahim-was-kept-at-this-lavish-so-called-jail-19679">temporarily put up&nbsp;in a guest house</a> till arrangements were being made in the jail</p>

<p>Ram Rahim Singh has been sentenced to <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/dera-sacha-sauda-chief-sentenced-to-20-years-in-jail-for-rape-19583">20 years in jail in the two rape cases</a>. A case of murder is also pending against him in the same court for allegedly ordering the killing of Sirsa-based journalist Ram Chandra Chhatrapati in 2002 after his <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/he-exposed-dera-sacha-saudas-truth-in-2002-was-shot-down-anshul-slain-journalists-son-19602">newspaper &#39;Poora Sach&#39;</a> published an anonymous letter detailing the nefarious activities going on inside the Dera including the sexual abuse of female followers.&nbsp;</p>


Khattar's statement comes after he met BJP chief Amit Shah today. He submitted a report on the violence that erupted?after the conviction of Dera Sacha Sauda chief

The chief minister of India's northern state Haryana, Manohalal Khattar, today ruled out his resignation saying he was satisfied with his government's handling of the Dera Sacha Sauda violence. Khattar's statement comes after he met BJP chief Amit Shah today when he submitted a report on the violence that erupted after the conviction of Dera chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh. He said that his government had acted with "restraint" adding that their first priority was to get the Dera chief to appear before the court in Panchkula, Haryana. "We acted with restraint. We achieved our aim," he said. Khattar also said that there will not be any change in the party leadership. "Anybody can say anything... We are satisfied with our work. Whatever we did was right. There will be no change." Khattar had been accused by the opposition of mishandling the Dera protest which claimed at least 38 lives in the violence that broke out after the Special CBI Court pronounced him guilty for the rapes of two sadhvis (spiritual practitioners) from his Dera. After the violence, it was speculated that Khattar might be replaced. Khattar justified the government's actions by saying that if something had happened before August 25 when Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh appeared before the Special CBI Court, he would have used it as an "excuse" for not turning up in court. The chief minister also rejected claims of providing exceptional treatment to the Dera head saying that he was temporarily put up in a guest house till arrangements were being made in the jail Ram Rahim Singh has been sentenced to 20 years in jail in the two rape cases. A case of murder is also pending against him in the same court for allegedly ordering the killing of Sirsa-based journalist Ram Chandra Chhatrapati in 2002 after his newspaper 'Poora Sach' published an anonymous letter detailing the nefarious activities going on inside the Dera including the sexual abuse of female followers.

Haryana chief minister Khattar satisfied with handling of Dera Sacha Sauda protest, will not resign

<p>BJP president Amit Shah today took oath as the member of the Rajya Sabha, making his debut in Parliament.<br />
His party colleague, Union minister Smriti Iran, also took oath as the member of the Upper House.<br />
While Shah took his pledge in Hindi, Irani took hers in Sanskrit.<br />
Both the leaders, accompanied by their spouses, were administered the oath in Rajya Sabha Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu&#39;s chamber.<br />
The two leaders, who were elected to the Rajya Sabha from Gujarat earlier this month, were accompanied by Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ananth Kumar, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, Food Minister Ram Vilas Paswan and Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad among others.<br />
Shah sat for a few minutes with his party colleagues in the BJP office in Parliament.<br />
After the oath, he and his wife called on BJP veteran leader L K Advani at his residence to seek his blessings, party leaders said.</p>


Both the leaders, accompanied by their spouses, were administered the oath in Rajya Sabha Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu's chamber

BJP president Amit Shah today took oath as the member of the Rajya Sabha, making his debut in Parliament. His party colleague, Union minister Smriti Iran, also took oath as the member of the Upper House. While Shah took his pledge in Hindi, Irani took hers in Sanskrit. Both the leaders, accompanied by their spouses, were administered the oath in Rajya Sabha Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu's chamber. The two leaders, who were elected to the Rajya Sabha from Gujarat earlier this month, were accompanied by Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ananth Kumar, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, Food Minister Ram Vilas Paswan and Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad among others. Shah sat for a few minutes with his party colleagues in the BJP office in Parliament. After the oath, he and his wife called on BJP veteran leader L K Advani at his residence to seek his blessings, party leaders said.

Amit Shah and Smriti Irani took oath as the member of Rajya Sabha

<p>Prime Minister Narendra Modi today (August 10) praised BJP president Amit Shah for his &quot;successful&quot; three years at the helm of the party, during which he worked like a &quot;common worker&quot; to strengthen its base, sources in the party said.<br />
<br />
The prime minister&#39;s compliment for Shah came at a BJP parliamentary party meeting, in which he again made his displeasure known at members skipping parliamentary proceedings, at times despite a whip. Modi also noted that the members had been cautioned against it on many occasions.<br />
<br />
Referring to Shah&#39;s debut in the Rajya Sabha, Modi, in a lighter vein, said the BJP chief&#39;s presence in Parliament might ensure the attendance of the other members, the sources said.<br />
<br />
Those present at the meeting congratulated Shah for his election to the Upper House from Gujarat and on completing three years as the BJP chief, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ananth Kumar said.<br />
<br />
He added that the prime minister praised Shah&#39;s strategy and tireless efforts, &quot;like a common worker&quot;, to expand the footprints of the party in the country.<br />
<br />
Modi said it was difficult to run the affairs of a ruling party as the government often faced a lot of questions.<br />
<br />
Expanding the organisation in this backdrop was a challenge and Shah lived up to it &quot;very skillfully&quot;, the prime minister said.<br />
<br />
Shah referred to the recent victory of senior Congress leader Ahmed Patel, following a close contest for the third Rajya Sabha seat from Gujarat against the BJP nominee.<br />
<br />
He said the opposition party was in such a &quot;poor shape&quot; that it managed to win the seat by a margin of less than one vote due to desertion by its members.<br />
<br />
According to the sources, he also indicated that the outcome of the election might be challenged in court.<br />
<br />
The BJP has questioned the Election Commission&#39;s (EC) decision to annul two votes cast by rebel Congress members in favour of the saffron party&#39;s candidate.<br />
<br />
Modi also asked the lawmakers and BJP office-bearers to actively undertake the &quot;Sankalp se Siddhi&quot; (from pledge to execution) programme, which envisioned a &quot;new India&quot; by 2022, the 75th anniversary of the country&#39;s independence.<br />
<br />
He also told the MPs to ask the schools in their constituencies to conduct quiz contests in this regard.&nbsp;</p>


At a BJP Parliamentary meeting, PM Modi again made his displeasure known at members skipping parliamentary proceedings, at times despite a whip

Prime Minister Narendra Modi today (August 10) praised BJP president Amit Shah for his "successful" three years at the helm of the party, during which he worked like a "common worker" to strengthen its base, sources in the party said. The prime minister's compliment for Shah came at a BJP parliamentary party meeting, in which he again made his displeasure known at members skipping parliamentary proceedings, at times despite a whip. Modi also noted that the members had been cautioned against it on many occasions. Referring to Shah's debut in the Rajya Sabha, Modi, in a lighter vein, said the BJP chief's presence in Parliament might ensure the attendance of the other members, the sources said. Those present at the meeting congratulated Shah for his election to the Upper House from Gujarat and on completing three years as the BJP chief, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ananth Kumar said. He added that the prime minister praised Shah's strategy and tireless efforts, "like a common worker", to expand the footprints of the party in the country. Modi said it was difficult to run the affairs of a ruling party as the government often faced a lot of questions. Expanding the organisation in this backdrop was a challenge and Shah lived up to it "very skillfully", the prime minister said. Shah referred to the recent victory of senior Congress leader Ahmed Patel, following a close contest for the third Rajya Sabha seat from Gujarat against the BJP nominee. He said the opposition party was in such a "poor shape" that it managed to win the seat by a margin of less than one vote due to desertion by its members. According to the sources, he also indicated that the outcome of the election might be challenged in court. The BJP has questioned the Election Commission's (EC) decision to annul two votes cast by rebel Congress members in favour of the saffron party's candidate. Modi also asked the lawmakers and BJP office-bearers to actively undertake the "Sankalp se Siddhi" (from pledge to execution) programme, which envisioned a "new India" by 2022, the 75th anniversary of the country's independence. He also told the MPs to ask the schools in their constituencies to conduct quiz contests in this regard.

Amit Shah will ensure attendance in Parliament, PM Modi warns BJP MPs

<p>Four-term senior Congress legislator Ahmed Patel was&nbsp;re-elected to the Rajya Sabha for the fifth time after a fight to&nbsp;the finish that included the&nbsp;Election Commission nullifying&nbsp;two votes of Congress MLAs who were captured on camera showing their vote to a BJP poll agent.</p>

<p>BJP&nbsp;candidates, party president Amit Shah and Union minister Smriti Irani won the other two seats.</p>

<p>Ahmed Patel wrote on Twitter that his victory was a defeat of the &quot;most blatant use of money power, muscle power and abuse of state machinery&quot;. He was referring to the resignation of six Congress MLAs ahead of the election following a rebellion by key leader&nbsp;Shankersinh Vaghela.</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">This is not just my victory. It is a defeat of the most blatant use of money power,muscle power and abuse of state machinery</p>
&mdash; Ahmed Patel (@ahmedpatel) <a href="https://twitter.com/ahmedpatel/status/895017577797238784">August 8, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">I want to thank each &amp; every MLA who voted for me despite unprecedented intimidation &amp; pressure from BJP.They voted for an inclusive India</p>
&mdash; Ahmed Patel (@ahmedpatel) <a href="https://twitter.com/ahmedpatel/status/895018486556000256">August 8, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>Counting&nbsp;was delayed by hours after the Congress complained to the poll body demanding&nbsp;the two MLAs&#39; disqualification. The&nbsp;BJP leaders followed suit, countering the Congress claim. Counting, which resumed at midnight, was again stalled&nbsp;after the BJP raised its own objections.</p>

<p>Legislators to Parliament&#39;s Upper House are elected by&nbsp;preferential voting which involves ranking candidates in order of preference.</p>

<p>In the 182-member Assembly, 176 MLAs were eligible to vote after the resignation of six Congress MLAs.The Election Commission order reduced the strength to 174.</p>

<p>Each of the four candidates contesting the elections in Gujarat had&nbsp;to win 44&nbsp;first preference votes after the nullification of two votes by the Election Commission.</p>

<p>The Congress, which has&nbsp;51 MLAs, now needed&nbsp;the support of 44 legislators for Ahmed Patel to win as against 45 earlier. Atleast six legislators of the party - Vaghela loyalists - voted for the BJP, reports said.</p>

<p>Ahmed Patel was counting on the support of 43 of its own&nbsp;lawmakers and one each of the Janata Dal&nbsp;(United)&nbsp;and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP). The Congress says he received 44 votes.</p>

<p>Congress lawmaker Karamsinh Makwana reportedly did not show his ballot paper to the polling agent, fuelling speculation that he cross-voted.</p>

<p>The Congress had complained to the poll body that the two MLAs,&nbsp;Bhola Bhai Gohil and&nbsp;Raghav Bhai Patel, showed their votes to an agent of the BJP.The Election Commission, which had examined the video of the voting, said the elector was supposed to show his ballot paper only to the authorised representative of his party no one else.</p>

<p>The BJP has 122 seats including that of dissident Nalin Kotadiya.The chances for Ahmed Patel earlier seemed uncertain&nbsp;as it emerged that the lawmakers that the party was banking upon, had voted for the BJP.</p>

<p>Congress Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA) Arjun Modhwadia said earlier that 43 of the 44 legislators of his party had voted for Ahmed Patel, who is pitted against the BJP&#39;s Balwantsinh Rajput.</p>

<p><strong>NCP legislator goes against party advice, votes for BJP</strong></p>

<p>One of two MLAs of the NCP, who had been told by his party to vote for Mr Patel, said he would vote for the BJP candidate.</p>

<p><strong>Voted for Ahmed Patel, says JD(U)&#39;s lone MLA</strong></p>

<p>Chotubhai Vasava, the lone Janata Dal (United) legislator in the Gujarat assembly said earlier he voted for good friend Ahmed Patel.</p>

<p>A senior leader of the JD(U), KC Tyagi, claimed that Vasava had voted for the BJP on the directive of Bihar Chief minister and party chief Nitish Kumar.</p>

<p>Ambalal Jadhav, General Secretary, JD(U) in Gujarat, however, reaffirmed Vasava had voted for Ahmed Patel.</p>

<p>&quot;Who is KC Tyagi to say anything? Chotubhai has voted, he will tell. Our support is with Ahmed Patel,&quot; the JD(U) leader said earlier.</p>

<p>Former Congress leader Shankersinh Vaghela did not vote for Mr Patel. He said there was no point voting for the Congress since their chances of winning were bleak.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>


The Congress says 44 legislators voted for Ahmed Patel

Four-term senior Congress legislator Ahmed Patel was re-elected to the Rajya Sabha for the fifth time after a fight to the finish that included the Election Commission nullifying two votes of Congress MLAs who were captured on camera showing their vote to a BJP poll agent. BJP candidates, party president Amit Shah and Union minister Smriti Irani won the other two seats. Ahmed Patel wrote on Twitter that his victory was a defeat of the "most blatant use of money power, muscle power and abuse of state machinery". He was referring to the resignation of six Congress MLAs ahead of the election following a rebellion by key leader Shankersinh Vaghela. This is not just my victory. It is a defeat of the most blatant use of money power,muscle power and abuse of state machinery — Ahmed Patel (@ahmedpatel) August 8, 2017 × I want to thank each & every MLA who voted for me despite unprecedented intimidation & pressure from BJP.They voted for an inclusive India — Ahmed Patel (@ahmedpatel) August 8, 2017 × Counting was delayed by hours after the Congress complained to the poll body demanding the two MLAs' disqualification. The BJP leaders followed suit, countering the Congress claim. Counting, which resumed at midnight, was again stalled after the BJP raised its own objections. Legislators to Parliament's Upper House are elected by preferential voting which involves ranking candidates in order of preference. In the 182-member Assembly, 176 MLAs were eligible to vote after the resignation of six Congress MLAs.The Election Commission order reduced the strength to 174. Each of the four candidates contesting the elections in Gujarat had to win 44 first preference votes after the nullification of two votes by the Election Commission. The Congress, which has 51 MLAs, now needed the support of 44 legislators for Ahmed Patel to win as against 45 earlier. Atleast six legislators of the party - Vaghela loyalists - voted for the BJP, reports said. Ahmed Patel was counting on the support of 43 of its own lawmakers and one each of the Janata Dal (United) and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP). The Congress says he received 44 votes. Congress lawmaker Karamsinh Makwana reportedly did not show his ballot paper to the polling agent, fuelling speculation that he cross-voted. The Congress had complained to the poll body that the two MLAs, Bhola Bhai Gohil and Raghav Bhai Patel, showed their votes to an agent of the BJP.The Election Commission, which had examined the video of the voting, said the elector was supposed to show his ballot paper only to the authorised representative of his party no one else. The BJP has 122 seats including that of dissident Nalin Kotadiya.The chances for Ahmed Patel earlier seemed uncertain as it emerged that the lawmakers that the party was banking upon, had voted for the BJP. Congress Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA) Arjun Modhwadia said earlier that 43 of the 44 legislators of his party had voted for Ahmed Patel, who is pitted against the BJP's Balwantsinh Rajput. NCP legislator goes against party advice, votes for BJP One of two MLAs of the NCP, who had been told by his party to vote for Mr Patel, said he would vote for the BJP candidate. Voted for Ahmed Patel, says JD(U)'s lone MLA Chotubhai Vasava, the lone Janata Dal (United) legislator in the Gujarat assembly said earlier he voted for good friend Ahmed Patel. A senior leader of the JD(U), KC Tyagi, claimed that Vasava had voted for the BJP on the directive of Bihar Chief minister and party chief Nitish Kumar. Ambalal Jadhav, General Secretary, JD(U) in Gujarat, however, reaffirmed Vasava had voted for Ahmed Patel. "Who is KC Tyagi to say anything? Chotubhai has voted, he will tell. Our support is with Ahmed Patel," the JD(U) leader said earlier. Former Congress leader Shankersinh Vaghela did not vote for Mr Patel. He said there was no point voting for the Congress since their chances of winning were bleak.

Rajya Sabha elections: Ahmed Patel re-elected after close fight

<p>The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) on Monday announced it will support the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Rajya Sabha Polls in Gujarat.</p>

<p>This has come as a major blow to Congress, which had announced having support of the NCP.</p>

<p>NCP leader Kandhal Jadeja told ANI that his party has decided to support the saffron outfit.</p>

<p>&quot;Our party has asked us to support BJP in tomorrow`s RS elections,&quot; Jadeja said.&nbsp;</p>

<p>However Congress` candidate Ahmed Patel earlier in the day said that the NCP is extending its support to him.</p>

<p>&quot;The NCP has said that it will support Congress in the Rajya Sabha polls in Gujarat,&quot; Patel told ANI.</p>

<p>The Gujarat Rajya Sabha election is slated to be held tomorrow for three seats.</p>

<p>The BJP has fielded party president Amit Shah, Union Minister Smriti Irani and Balwantsinh Rajput.</p>

<p>The state has been witnessing political upheaval in the recent past.</p>

<p>The political temperature in state had risen when six Congress MLAs joined BJP.</p>

<p>The Congress accused BJP of horse-trading and sent its 44 MLAs from Gujarat to Bengaluru since on July 29 to prevent their possible poaching by the ruling BJP ahead of the Rajya Sabha elections.</p>

<p>The Income Tax department raided Bengaluru`s Eagleton Resort, which belonged to Karnataka`s Energy Minister DK Shivakumar. The Congress alleged resort was raided because its 44 MLAs were staying there.All the Gujarat Congress MLAs returned back to the state earlier in the day. &nbsp;</p>


That will further dent the Congress's Ahmed Patel's chances

The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) on Monday announced it will support the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Rajya Sabha Polls in Gujarat. This has come as a major blow to Congress, which had announced having support of the NCP. NCP leader Kandhal Jadeja told ANI that his party has decided to support the saffron outfit. "Our party has asked us to support BJP in tomorrow`s RS elections," Jadeja said. However Congress` candidate Ahmed Patel earlier in the day said that the NCP is extending its support to him. "The NCP has said that it will support Congress in the Rajya Sabha polls in Gujarat," Patel told ANI. The Gujarat Rajya Sabha election is slated to be held tomorrow for three seats. The BJP has fielded party president Amit Shah, Union Minister Smriti Irani and Balwantsinh Rajput. The state has been witnessing political upheaval in the recent past. The political temperature in state had risen when six Congress MLAs joined BJP. The Congress accused BJP of horse-trading and sent its 44 MLAs from Gujarat to Bengaluru since on July 29 to prevent their possible poaching by the ruling BJP ahead of the Rajya Sabha elections. The Income Tax department raided Bengaluru`s Eagleton Resort, which belonged to Karnataka`s Energy Minister DK Shivakumar. The Congress alleged resort was raided because its 44 MLAs were staying there.All the Gujarat Congress MLAs returned back to the state earlier in the day.

Gujarat Rajya Sabha polls: In blow to Congress, NCP to back BJP

<p>Congress President Sonia Gandhi&rsquo;s political secretary Ahmed Patel, in an exclusive conversation with WION, said that BJP is using money power and central investigative agencies to win one Rajya Sabha election.</p>

<p>&ldquo;It is arrogance of power. BJP cannot digest power and for this reason, it is using everything under the sun to defeat me,&rdquo; he said.</p>

<p>He also said that his election should not be linked to Sonia Gandhi as he is not contesting the elections as Sonia Gandhi&rsquo;s secretary but as a Congress candidate.</p>

<p>Ahmed Patel told WION that his election has been made a matter of prestige but will only end up boosting the morale of the Congress.</p>

<p>&ldquo;BJP thinks that by creating pressure like this they will win Gujarat. Instead of demoralizing us, it has united the leaders in the state,&rdquo; said Ahmed Patel.</p>

<p>When WION asked that the current political instability could have been avoided by ensuring that Shanker Sinh Vaghela didn&rsquo;t leave the Party, he said, &rdquo;We offered him everything except PCC seat. In fact, a day before filing the nomination, I offered him my seat. He even declined that.&rdquo;</p>

<p>When WION asked why has your election become a matter of honour for the BJP top brass, he said that this can only be answered by BJP president Amit Shah but said that he will not allow BJP to demoralize Congress before the assembly elections.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Both Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh are slated for polls in December of 2017. Congress is in power in Himachal Pradesh but Gujarat which once looked ripe for taking by the Congress has completely been overturned by the aggression BJP has shown during Rajya Sabha polls.&nbsp;</p>

<p>From past 2 years, Hardik Patel has emerged as a new actor in the state because of Patidar agitation and mishandling of it led to removal of then chief minister Anandiben Patel.</p>

<p>Congress has cried foul after Income Tax department conducted raids on the premises of the Congress Karnataka minister Shivkumar on whose property Gujarat MLAs have been staying after they were rushed out of the home state fearing they might get poached.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Ahmed Patel is a four&nbsp;time Rajya Sabha member from Gujarat and he was nominated record 5th time to contest the elections by Congress which generally doesn&rsquo;t give more than 4 terms of Rajya Sabha to any member.<br />
&nbsp;</p>


He also said that his election should not be linked to Sonia Gandhi as he is not contesting the elections as Sonia Gandhi?s secretary but as a Congress candidate

Congress President Sonia Gandhi’s political secretary Ahmed Patel, in an exclusive conversation with WION, said that BJP is using money power and central investigative agencies to win one Rajya Sabha election. “It is arrogance of power. BJP cannot digest power and for this reason, it is using everything under the sun to defeat me,” he said. He also said that his election should not be linked to Sonia Gandhi as he is not contesting the elections as Sonia Gandhi’s secretary but as a Congress candidate. Ahmed Patel told WION that his election has been made a matter of prestige but will only end up boosting the morale of the Congress. “BJP thinks that by creating pressure like this they will win Gujarat. Instead of demoralizing us, it has united the leaders in the state,” said Ahmed Patel. When WION asked that the current political instability could have been avoided by ensuring that Shanker Sinh Vaghela didn’t leave the Party, he said, ”We offered him everything except PCC seat. In fact, a day before filing the nomination, I offered him my seat. He even declined that.” When WION asked why has your election become a matter of honour for the BJP top brass, he said that this can only be answered by BJP president Amit Shah but said that he will not allow BJP to demoralize Congress before the assembly elections. Both Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh are slated for polls in December of 2017. Congress is in power in Himachal Pradesh but Gujarat which once looked ripe for taking by the Congress has completely been overturned by the aggression BJP has shown during Rajya Sabha polls. From past 2 years, Hardik Patel has emerged as a new actor in the state because of Patidar agitation and mishandling of it led to removal of then chief minister Anandiben Patel. Congress has cried foul after Income Tax department conducted raids on the premises of the Congress Karnataka minister Shivkumar on whose property Gujarat MLAs have been staying after they were rushed out of the home state fearing they might get poached. Ahmed Patel is a four time Rajya Sabha member from Gujarat and he was nominated record 5th time to contest the elections by Congress which generally doesn’t give more than 4 terms of Rajya Sabha to any member.

BJP using central agencies to win one Rajya Sabha seat: Ahmed Patel to WION

<p>Taking a jibe at Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) President Amit Shah on Tuesday stated that the former is responsible for beginning the process of dissolving the Congress Party and dynasty politics.</p>

<p>Addressing a gathering in Rohtak, Shah said, &quot;Gandhi<em> </em><em>ji</em><em> </em><em>ne</em><em> </em><em>kaha</em><em> </em><em>tha</em><em> </em><em>azadi</em><em> </em><em>ke</em><em> </em><em>turant</em><em> </em><em>baad</em><em> </em>Congress <em>ko</em><em> </em><em>bikhar</em><em> </em><em>jana</em><em> </em><em>dena</em><em> </em><em>chahiye</em>...<em> </em><em>khair</em><em> </em><em>wo</em> Gandhi <em>ne</em><em> </em><em>nhi</em><em> </em><em>kiya</em><em> ab koi</em> Gandhi<em> </em><em>kar</em><em> </em><em>rha</em><em> hai</em>&quot;. (Mahatma Gandhi had said that Congress should be disbanded after Independence. While that Gandhi couldn&#39;t do it, some other Gandhi is doing it now.)</p>

<p>Hailing the saffron party and their development all over the country, Amit Shah stated that after BJP coming to power the country has moved towards development.</p>

<p>&quot;Wherever the BJP Government has come to power, there has been development in that area. When the Congress Government once ruled, the country&#39;s growth rate drastically fell, only after BJP coming to power the growth rate has gone up. The Bharatiya Janata Party has done the task of liberating the country from the politics of dynasty and appeasement. Also a political party which is based on principles can develop the country,&quot; Amit Shah added.</p>

<p>On July 30, Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani had said that Congress Party president Sonia Gandhi was sinking the party because of the affection she has towards her son, Rahul Gandhi.</p>

<p>&quot;Sonia Gandhi is immersed in the affection towards her son, which has drowned the Congress party in the entire country,&quot; Vijay Rupani told ANI.</p>

<p>&nbsp;&quot;Today the condition of their party is getting worse as&nbsp;no one wants to accept their rule.&quot;</p>

<p>The Gujarat chief minister also accused the Congress of being insensitive and irresponsible by sending 40 MLAs to stay in a five-star hotel in Bengaluru at a time when Gujarat is facing floods.</p>

<p>Last week, the Congress accused the BJP of horse-trading in Gujarat and using &quot;money, muscle and state power&quot; to engineer defections, after six of its legislators resigned from the party to join the BJP.</p>

<p>The party on July 28 flew 44 of its MLAs to Bengaluru to stop more of them from switching over to the BJP.</p>

<p>The three Congress MLAs, Tejashreeben Patel, Balwantsinh Rajput and Prahlad Patel had resigned and joined the BJP.</p>

<p>Following this, three more MLAs, Thasra MLA Ramsinh Parmar, Balasinor MLA Mansinh Chauhan and Vansda MLA Chhana Chaudhary resigned on July 29.</p>

<p>(ANI)</p>


The BJP president also said that development was taking place only in the areas where the BJP was in power

Taking a jibe at Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) President Amit Shah on Tuesday stated that the former is responsible for beginning the process of dissolving the Congress Party and dynasty politics. Addressing a gathering in Rohtak, Shah said, "Gandhi ji ne kaha tha azadi ke turant baad Congress ko bikhar jana dena chahiye... khair wo Gandhi ne nhi kiya ab koi Gandhi kar rha hai". (Mahatma Gandhi had said that Congress should be disbanded after Independence. While that Gandhi couldn't do it, some other Gandhi is doing it now.) Hailing the saffron party and their development all over the country, Amit Shah stated that after BJP coming to power the country has moved towards development. "Wherever the BJP Government has come to power, there has been development in that area. When the Congress Government once ruled, the country's growth rate drastically fell, only after BJP coming to power the growth rate has gone up. The Bharatiya Janata Party has done the task of liberating the country from the politics of dynasty and appeasement. Also a political party which is based on principles can develop the country," Amit Shah added. On July 30, Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani had said that Congress Party president Sonia Gandhi was sinking the party because of the affection she has towards her son, Rahul Gandhi. "Sonia Gandhi is immersed in the affection towards her son, which has drowned the Congress party in the entire country," Vijay Rupani told ANI. "Today the condition of their party is getting worse as no one wants to accept their rule." The Gujarat chief minister also accused the Congress of being insensitive and irresponsible by sending 40 MLAs to stay in a five-star hotel in Bengaluru at a time when Gujarat is facing floods. Last week, the Congress accused the BJP of horse-trading in Gujarat and using "money, muscle and state power" to engineer defections, after six of its legislators resigned from the party to join the BJP. The party on July 28 flew 44 of its MLAs to Bengaluru to stop more of them from switching over to the BJP. The three Congress MLAs, Tejashreeben Patel, Balwantsinh Rajput and Prahlad Patel had resigned and joined the BJP. Following this, three more MLAs, Thasra MLA Ramsinh Parmar, Balasinor MLA Mansinh Chauhan and Vansda MLA Chhana Chaudhary resigned on July 29. (ANI)

Amit Shah claims Rahul Gandhi 'dissolving' Congress

<p>The BJP parliamentary board today decided to allow BJP president Amit Shah and textiles &amp; information and broadcasting(I&amp;B) minister Smriti Irani to contest the Rajya Sabha elections from Gujarat.</p>

<p>Amit Shah, former MLA from Gujarat led Prime Minister Modi&#39;s 2014 election campaign and was the mastermind behind BJP&#39;s sweep in the state elections recently in Uttar Pradesh. He was also the chief strategist of the party during the &nbsp;Maharashtra, Haryana, Jammu &amp; Kashmir, Jharkhand and Assam assembly elections last year which was won by the BJP.</p>

<p>BJP minister Smriti Irani has been a long time fire fighter for the party. <a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/smriti-irani-back-with-a-bang-and-a-tweet-18179">Irani a key member </a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/smriti-irani-back-with-a-bang-and-a-tweet-18179">in</a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/smriti-irani-back-with-a-bang-and-a-tweet-18179"> PM Modi&#39;s cabinet </a>shot to fame after the BJP pitched her against Rahul Gandhi&nbsp;in Amethi during the 2014 general elections which she lost narrowly.</p>

<p>Smriti Irani&#39;s&nbsp;firebrand politics&nbsp;did not go unnoticed as Modi appointed her as the HRD minister in 2014 but moved her to textile ministry later after she got embroiled in controversies in her ministry. She was given additional charge of <a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/smriti-irani-takes-additional-charge-of-ib-ministry-after-venkaiah-naidus-resignation-18035">information and broadcasting ministry after&nbsp;Venkaiah Naidu</a> quit the ministry to fight the vice-presidential elections due in August.</p>


The BJP parliamentary board has decided to allow BJP president Amit Shah and Textiles & I&B minister Smriti Irani to contest the Rajya Sabha polls

The BJP parliamentary board today decided to allow BJP president Amit Shah and textiles & information and broadcasting(I&B) minister Smriti Irani to contest the Rajya Sabha elections from Gujarat. Amit Shah, former MLA from Gujarat led Prime Minister Modi's 2014 election campaign and was the mastermind behind BJP's sweep in the state elections recently in Uttar Pradesh. He was also the chief strategist of the party during the Maharashtra, Haryana, Jammu & Kashmir, Jharkhand and Assam assembly elections last year which was won by the BJP. BJP minister Smriti Irani has been a long time fire fighter for the party. Irani a key member in PM Modi's cabinet shot to fame after the BJP pitched her against Rahul Gandhi in Amethi during the 2014 general elections which she lost narrowly. Smriti Irani's firebrand politics did not go unnoticed as Modi appointed her as the HRD minister in 2014 but moved her to textile ministry later after she got embroiled in controversies in her ministry. She was given additional charge of information and broadcasting ministry after Venkaiah Naidu quit the ministry to fight the vice-presidential elections due in August.

Smriti Irani, Amit Shah to contest Rajya Sabha elections from Gujarat

<p>Ahmedabad has been declared by UNESCO as a world heritage city.</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Just inscribed as <a href="https://twitter.com/UNESCO">@UNESCO</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WorldHeritage?src=hash">#WorldHeritage</a> Site: Historic City of Ahmadabad <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/India?src=hash">#India</a> <a href="https://t.co/ztbb8RIMiZ">https://t.co/ztbb8RIMiZ</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/41whc?src=hash">#41whc</a> <a href="https://t.co/iRIMoQfAtK">pic.twitter.com/iRIMoQfAtK</a></p>
&mdash; UNESCO (@UNESCO) <a href="https://twitter.com/UNESCO/status/883718798464995328">July 8, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p>It will be India&#39;s first world heritage city. Gujarat chief minister Vijay Rupani and BJP President Amit Shah hailed the move.</p>

<p>&quot;Thrilled to learn that Ahmedabad has been recognised as UNESCO World heritage city, first of its kind in India,&quot; Rupani tweeted.</p>

<p>Ahmedabad was in race along with Delhi and Mumbai.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The city had featured in UNESCO&#39;s tentative list of world heritage cities on March 31, 2011.</p>


Ahmedabad is India's first city to feature in the list of world heritage cities

Ahmedabad has been declared by UNESCO as a world heritage city. Just inscribed as @UNESCO #WorldHeritage Site: Historic City of Ahmadabad #India https://t.co/ztbb8RIMiZ #41whc pic.twitter.com/iRIMoQfAtK — UNESCO (@UNESCO) July 8, 2017 × It will be India's first world heritage city. Gujarat chief minister Vijay Rupani and BJP President Amit Shah hailed the move. "Thrilled to learn that Ahmedabad has been recognised as UNESCO World heritage city, first of its kind in India," Rupani tweeted. Ahmedabad was in race along with Delhi and Mumbai. The city had featured in UNESCO's tentative list of world heritage cities on March 31, 2011.

Ahmedabad declared world heritage city by UNESCO

<p>Ram Nath Kovind has filed his nomination papers for the Presidential polls.&nbsp;</p>

<p>He did so in the presence of Prime Minister Modi, BJP president Amit Shah, and a phalanx of other leaders.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&quot;I am thankful to all those who have supported me, will try to maintain the dignity of the post,&quot; Kovind said after filing his nomination papers.</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="et"><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WATCH?src=hash">#WATCH</a>:Visuals of NDA&#39;s presidential candidate Ram Nath Kovind, PM Modi,Venkaiah Naidu,LK Advani,Amit Shah,Murli Manohar Joshi at Parliament <a href="https://t.co/W7gMuNnTq3">pic.twitter.com/W7gMuNnTq3</a></p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI_news) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI_news/status/878144034304163840">June 23, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p>&nbsp;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en"><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/PresidentialPoll?src=hash">#PresidentialPoll</a> polls: NDA&#39;s presidential candidate Ram Nath Kovind files his nomination papers in presence of PM Modi <a href="https://t.co/GdVigAEHdk">pic.twitter.com/GdVigAEHdk</a></p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI_news) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI_news/status/878143128099725312">June 23, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p>Media reports said the prime minister was first proposer on Mr Kovind&#39;s nomination and union&nbsp;home minister Rajnath Singh second. &nbsp;</p>

<p>Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar has broken ranks with the Opposition, pledging support to Mr Kovind.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The picking of Mr Kovind as NDA candidate had stunned the Opposition, with a number of them saying it would be difficult to oppose a Dali. &nbsp;</p>

<p>The Congress and Opposition have picked former Lok Sabha speaker Meira Kumar, who is also a Dalit, to contest against Mr Kovind.&nbsp;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">I am happy that I was unanimously selected as Opposition&#39;s Presidential nominee by 17 political parties: Meira Kumar <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/PresidentialPolls?src=hash">#PresidentialPolls</a> <a href="https://t.co/euOjuXENuG">pic.twitter.com/euOjuXENuG</a></p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI_news) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI_news/status/878147414787358720">June 23, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p>This then becomes a Dalit vs Dalit battle.&nbsp;</p>

<p>But the National Democratic Alliance now has over 60 per cent of the vote and Mr Kovind is expected to sail through.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Ms Kumar is expected to file her nomination papers in a few days.&nbsp;</p>


Reports said the prime minister was first proposer on Mr Kovind's nomination and home minister Rajnath Singh second

Ram Nath Kovind has filed his nomination papers for the Presidential polls. He did so in the presence of Prime Minister Modi, BJP president Amit Shah, and a phalanx of other leaders. "I am thankful to all those who have supported me, will try to maintain the dignity of the post," Kovind said after filing his nomination papers. #WATCH:Visuals of NDA's presidential candidate Ram Nath Kovind, PM Modi,Venkaiah Naidu,LK Advani,Amit Shah,Murli Manohar Joshi at Parliament pic.twitter.com/W7gMuNnTq3 — ANI (@ANI_news) June 23, 2017 × #PresidentialPoll polls: NDA's presidential candidate Ram Nath Kovind files his nomination papers in presence of PM Modi pic.twitter.com/GdVigAEHdk — ANI (@ANI_news) June 23, 2017 × Media reports said the prime minister was first proposer on Mr Kovind's nomination and union home minister Rajnath Singh second. Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar has broken ranks with the Opposition, pledging support to Mr Kovind. The picking of Mr Kovind as NDA candidate had stunned the Opposition, with a number of them saying it would be difficult to oppose a Dali. The Congress and Opposition have picked former Lok Sabha speaker Meira Kumar, who is also a Dalit, to contest against Mr Kovind. I am happy that I was unanimously selected as Opposition's Presidential nominee by 17 political parties: Meira Kumar #PresidentialPolls pic.twitter.com/euOjuXENuG — ANI (@ANI_news) June 23, 2017 × This then becomes a Dalit vs Dalit battle. But the National Democratic Alliance now has over 60 per cent of the vote and Mr Kovind is expected to sail through. Ms Kumar is expected to file her nomination papers in a few days.

Presidential polls: Ram Nath Kovind files nomination papers, in presence of PM

<p>The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Sunday backed party president Amit Shah&#39;s statement opposing India&#39;s participation in any bilateral cricket series with Pakistan, while saying the decision came in view of the active support by Islamabad in terror activity.</p>

<p>&quot;This has been the consistent policy after the Pathankot attack on army base. This has been reiterated by Amit Shah. Unless peace is restored and Pakistan stop middling in the internal affairs of India and playing with the internal security by instigating the terrorist and allowing cross border terrorism India should refrain from playing with Pakistan any game,&quot; BJP leader S. Prakash told ANI.</p>

<p>Echoing similar views, BJP leader Rahul Sinha said no matches should be played between India and Pakistan unless Pakistan stops encouraging the terrorists.</p>

<p>&quot;Unless the situation becomes normal and Pakistan stops encouraging the terrorists, no matches should be played between both the countries. I support Amit Shah&#39;s statement,&quot; Sinha told ANI.</p>

<p>Ahead of the much-anticipated face-off between India and Pakistan in the finals of the ICC Champions Trophy 2017, the BJP chief categorically stated that India and Pakistan will not feature in any bilateral cricket series but would continue to participate in international tournaments.</p>

<p>&quot;India, Pakistan will continue to play at international tournaments but neither India will play in Pakistan nor Pakistan will play in India,&quot; said Shah.</p>

<p>The comment from the BJP president came days after Union Sports Minister Vijay Goel had said cricket series between the two countries was not feasible until cross-border terrorism stops.</p>

<p>&quot;BCCI should come out with a proposal on Pakistan only after consultations with the government. I have already made it clear that any bilateral series with Pakistan is almost impossible because there cannot be sports relations between the two countries until there is terrorism from the Pakistani side,&quot; Goel has said last month in the national capital.</p>

<p>&quot;Sports and terrorism cannot go hand in hand,&quot; he added.</p>

<p>Goel, however, added that there was no control of the government on multilateral games.</p>

<p>The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) had earlier last month sent a legal notice to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) for failing to honour the MoU signed between the two cricket boards in 2014.</p>

<p>The PCB had also demanded compensation close to USD 60 million from the BCCI for not honouring the MoU signed when N. Srinivasan was at the helm of affairs in the Indian board.</p>

<p>According to the 2014 agreement, India were scheduled to play six series against Pakistan, four of them were going to be Pakistan&#39;s home series, subject to clearance from the Government of India.</p>

<p>The two Asian neighbours have not played a full bilateral series after the Mumbai terror attacks in November 2008.</p>

<p>(ANI)</p>


BJP leader Rahul Sinha said no matches should be played between the two nations unless Pakistan stops encouraging the terrorists

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Sunday backed party president Amit Shah's statement opposing India's participation in any bilateral cricket series with Pakistan, while saying the decision came in view of the active support by Islamabad in terror activity. "This has been the consistent policy after the Pathankot attack on army base. This has been reiterated by Amit Shah. Unless peace is restored and Pakistan stop middling in the internal affairs of India and playing with the internal security by instigating the terrorist and allowing cross border terrorism India should refrain from playing with Pakistan any game," BJP leader S. Prakash told ANI. Echoing similar views, BJP leader Rahul Sinha said no matches should be played between India and Pakistan unless Pakistan stops encouraging the terrorists. "Unless the situation becomes normal and Pakistan stops encouraging the terrorists, no matches should be played between both the countries. I support Amit Shah's statement," Sinha told ANI. Ahead of the much-anticipated face-off between India and Pakistan in the finals of the ICC Champions Trophy 2017, the BJP chief categorically stated that India and Pakistan will not feature in any bilateral cricket series but would continue to participate in international tournaments. "India, Pakistan will continue to play at international tournaments but neither India will play in Pakistan nor Pakistan will play in India," said Shah. The comment from the BJP president came days after Union Sports Minister Vijay Goel had said cricket series between the two countries was not feasible until cross-border terrorism stops. "BCCI should come out with a proposal on Pakistan only after consultations with the government. I have already made it clear that any bilateral series with Pakistan is almost impossible because there cannot be sports relations between the two countries until there is terrorism from the Pakistani side," Goel has said last month in the national capital. "Sports and terrorism cannot go hand in hand," he added. Goel, however, added that there was no control of the government on multilateral games. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) had earlier last month sent a legal notice to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) for failing to honour the MoU signed between the two cricket boards in 2014. The PCB had also demanded compensation close to USD 60 million from the BCCI for not honouring the MoU signed when N. Srinivasan was at the helm of affairs in the Indian board. According to the 2014 agreement, India were scheduled to play six series against Pakistan, four of them were going to be Pakistan's home series, subject to clearance from the Government of India. The two Asian neighbours have not played a full bilateral series after the Mumbai terror attacks in November 2008. (ANI)

BJP backs Amit Shah's statement ruling out Indo-Pak 'bilateral' cricket

<p>Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Amit Shah on Monday formed a three-member committee for consultations with the opposition over candidates for next month&#39;s presidential elections.</p>

<p>The committee comprises of federal ministers Rajnath Singh, M Venkaiah Naidu and Arun Jaitley.</p>

<p>President Pranab Mukherjee&#39;s term comes to an end on July 24. The presidential elections will be held on July 17.</p>

<p>On Sunday, the party postponed its national executive meet which was to take place on July 15-16 at Visakhapatnam in view of the elections.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The last date of nomination is June 28 while the counting of votes will take place on July 20, the election commission said.</p>

<p>The President is elected through an Electoral College which is formed by legislators from the Parliament and state assemblies.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Currently, there are 13 vacancies in the Electoral College.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Twenty one AAP MLAs are also eligible to vote.&nbsp;</p>

<p>(WION)<br />
&nbsp;</p>


The committee comprises of federal ministers Rajnath Singh, M Venkaiah Naidu and Arun Jaitley

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Amit Shah on Monday formed a three-member committee for consultations with the opposition over candidates for next month's presidential elections. The committee comprises of federal ministers Rajnath Singh, M Venkaiah Naidu and Arun Jaitley. President Pranab Mukherjee's term comes to an end on July 24. The presidential elections will be held on July 17. On Sunday, the party postponed its national executive meet which was to take place on July 15-16 at Visakhapatnam in view of the elections. The last date of nomination is June 28 while the counting of votes will take place on July 20, the election commission said. The President is elected through an Electoral College which is formed by legislators from the Parliament and state assemblies. Currently, there are 13 vacancies in the Electoral College. Twenty one AAP MLAs are also eligible to vote. (WION)

Presidential elections: Amit Shah forms committee for talks with Opposition

<p>Condemning Amit Shah for dubbing Mahatma Gandhi a &#39;chatur baniya&#39;, the Maharashtra unit Congress president Ashok Chavan today equated the BJP chief to the Pakistani leaders who used to criticise the Father of Nation.</p>

<p>Demanding an unconditional apology from Shah, Chavan said he has insulted all freedom fighters who have sacrificed themselves for the cause of the country.</p>

<p>Addressing a gathering in Raipur yesterday, Shah said Gandhi was a &quot;chatur baniya&quot;, a reference to his mercantile caste, who had rightly advised dissolution of the Congress after Independence. He had also termed the Congress a sort of &quot;special purpose vehicle&quot; to secure freedom and as the party lacking any ideology or principles.</p>

<p>&quot;Amit Shah has spoken the language of Pakistani leaders who used to constantly criticise Mahatma Gandhi. By using such language for the Mahatma, he has insulted all freedom fighters who have given their lives for the cause of freedom,&quot; Chavan told reporters here.</p>

<p>Seeking an unconditional apology, the Congress leader said Shah has insulted entire country by his remarks.</p>

<p>&quot;Pakistani leaders used to criticise Mahatma Gandhi the way Shah has done. Today, the BJP is speaking Pakistan&#39;s language. By speaking about the caste of Mahatma, the BJP has laid bare its true face of caste politics,&quot; he said.</p>

<p>Accusing the BJP of spreading hatred among people, the former chief minister said the BJP has failed to understand the idea of vibrant India.&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>Mamata slams Shah</strong></p>

<p>West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee also condemned Shah for making the disparaging remark, saying:&nbsp;&quot;He should withdraw his comment and apologise for it. It is a deliberate act. It is unfortunate, uncalled for and unethical,&quot; she told reporters here.</p>

<p>&quot;Gandhiji is the father of the nation and he is an icon of the world. No one should think that he can say anything only because he is in power,&quot; she said.</p>

<p>Mahatma&#39;s grandson Gopalkrishna Gandhi said he would&nbsp;have chuckled at the &quot;chatur baniya&quot; description also, but for its &quot;utter tastelessness&quot; and the hidden mischief in it.</p>

<p>Historian Ramachandra Guha said the remark made by Amit Shah was &quot;crude&quot; and &quot;unworthy&quot; of the president of BJP, the country&#39;s ruling party.<br />
<br />
When contacted, Guha, the author of &#39;India After Gandhi&#39;, strongly reacted to the comment made by Shah at an event in Raipur yesterday.</p>

<p>&quot;The comment was crude and ill-informed, unworthy of the president of India&#39;s ruling party,&quot; Guha said.</p>

<p>(PTI)</p>


Congress leader Ashok Chavan said Shah's comment reminded him of Pakistani leaders who used to criticise the Father of Nation

Condemning Amit Shah for dubbing Mahatma Gandhi a 'chatur baniya', the Maharashtra unit Congress president Ashok Chavan today equated the BJP chief to the Pakistani leaders who used to criticise the Father of Nation. Demanding an unconditional apology from Shah, Chavan said he has insulted all freedom fighters who have sacrificed themselves for the cause of the country. Addressing a gathering in Raipur yesterday, Shah said Gandhi was a "chatur baniya", a reference to his mercantile caste, who had rightly advised dissolution of the Congress after Independence. He had also termed the Congress a sort of "special purpose vehicle" to secure freedom and as the party lacking any ideology or principles. "Amit Shah has spoken the language of Pakistani leaders who used to constantly criticise Mahatma Gandhi. By using such language for the Mahatma, he has insulted all freedom fighters who have given their lives for the cause of freedom," Chavan told reporters here. Seeking an unconditional apology, the Congress leader said Shah has insulted entire country by his remarks. "Pakistani leaders used to criticise Mahatma Gandhi the way Shah has done. Today, the BJP is speaking Pakistan's language. By speaking about the caste of Mahatma, the BJP has laid bare its true face of caste politics," he said. Accusing the BJP of spreading hatred among people, the former chief minister said the BJP has failed to understand the idea of vibrant India. Mamata slams Shah West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee also condemned Shah for making the disparaging remark, saying: "He should withdraw his comment and apologise for it. It is a deliberate act. It is unfortunate, uncalled for and unethical," she told reporters here. "Gandhiji is the father of the nation and he is an icon of the world. No one should think that he can say anything only because he is in power," she said. Mahatma's grandson Gopalkrishna Gandhi said he would have chuckled at the "chatur baniya" description also, but for its "utter tastelessness" and the hidden mischief in it. Historian Ramachandra Guha said the remark made by Amit Shah was "crude" and "unworthy" of the president of BJP, the country's ruling party. When contacted, Guha, the author of 'India After Gandhi', strongly reacted to the comment made by Shah at an event in Raipur yesterday. "The comment was crude and ill-informed, unworthy of the president of India's ruling party," Guha said. (PTI)

Uproar after BJP chief Amit Shah calls Mahatma Gandhi 'chatur baniya'

<p>First, consider the numbers. Between 2003 and 2009, the high growth years of the economy, when GDP grew by 8 per cent per year on average, the number of good jobs, that is, jobs in the formal sector of the economy, grew at not even one-tenth that number. Look at it another way. Every year millions of new aspirants enter the job market to compete for a few hundred thousand new jobs.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>Now let us descend to the ground. We witness enormous agitations for reservations in government jobs rising from traditionally dominant castes, such as Jats, Patels, and Marathas. Even the lowest paid government jobs regularly attract such large numbers of extremely over-qualified applicants that violence ensues in the wake of examinations. Around two weeks ago, in West Bengal, 2.5 million young men and women appeared for an exam for 6000 Group-D positions in the state government. Graduates and post-graduates had applied for these positions which require an elementary school certificate and pay Rs. 16,200 per month.&nbsp;</p>

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<h5>What is the economy for, anyway? It is always a good question to ask whenever we risk getting lost in GDP numbers, policy reforms, and stock market movements</h5>
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<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>One increasingly popular term captures all this: &ldquo;jobless growth.&rdquo; While this phenomenon has been known at least since the mid-1990s, and is observed across the world, it is becoming a hot political issue. And not a day too soon.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>What is the economy for, anyway? It is always a good question to ask whenever we risk getting lost in GDP numbers, policy reforms, and stock market movements. These are all means to an end, viz. enabling all of us to enjoy fulfilling, creative, happy lives. In a market economy, adequate regular money income is a precondition for such a life. Yet our economy continues to deny this precondition to the vast majority of its workers. So, while GDP grows at some of the fastest rates seen across the world, the number of people who are able to enjoy a good life increase at a much much slower rate. And even this increase is very uneven across regions, occupations, castes, genders, and religions with some, like displaced farmers and artisans seeing declines in their living standards.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>Riding a wave of resentment against the previous regime, the Prime Minister himself made jobs a central issue during his campaign. But three years later, not much has changed and the BJP government is being seen as a failure on the job creation front. After several weeks of bad press on this issue, a few days ago, BJP President Amit Shah issued a statement that it was not possible to provide formal sector jobs to everyone in a country of 125&nbsp; crore people. This is a telling as well as an astonishing statement. Telling because it admits to a truth that few would admit to. That under the present set of policies (whether BJP or UPA) universal employment is impossible. Astonishing because for decades the transition to a completely formal economy has been the very definition of development. That we, and many other countries, have failed at acheiving this is surely an indictment of our policies. But are we then giving up on development? Or are we redefining it? And if so how? There is no answer.</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

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<h5>Regular salaried workers account for only 20 per cent of all workers in India</h5>
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<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>The intense hunger for even the lowest paid government jobs comes as no surprise once we take a look at the Ministry of Labour numbers on earnings in the Indian labour market. According to the most recent Employment-Unemployment Survey of the Labour Bureau (2014-2015), regular salaried workers account for only 20 per cent of all workers in India. Earnings from either self-employment or casual wage work (both of which together account for the remaining 80 per cent of the workforce) fall far short of a secure, decent, livelihood.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>Nationally, 67 per cent of households reports monthly earnings of Rs. 10,000 or less. 98 per cent are under Rs. 50,000 per month. Earning over Rs 1 lakh per month puts a household in the top 0.2 per cent of income earners in the country.&nbsp; More than half of the regular wage/salaried workers i.e. 57 per cent have monthly average earnings of up to Rs 10,000, well under the government minimum salary under the 7th pay commission. 59 per cent of the casual workers has monthly earnings of up to Rs 5000.</p>

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<h5>Successive governments at the Centre and in the states have embraced liberalisation and privatisation policies that have failed to generate jobs</h5>
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<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>Of course, the current government in Delhi must take its share of the blame for the jobs crisis. But there is plenty of blame to go around. Successive governments at the Centre and in the states have embraced liberalisation and privatisation policies that have failed to generate jobs.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>But the problem goes beyond India too. In the 1950s-80s, in Japan, Korea and the other &ldquo;East Asian Miracle countries&rdquo;, rapid GDP growth generated a vast number of jobs. This shifted a predominantly agricultural workforce to manufacturing and services. Not only that, jobs were created in the formal sector.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>In contrast, in India and China, particularly since the 1990s, despite high levels of growth, formal employment generation has been slow. This is a general phenomenon across Asia. Manufacturing, in particular, is a big concern. In the 2005-2011 period, according to National Sample Survey data, manufacturing employment in India increased by 6 million while that in construction increased by 25 million. Construction accounted for half of all new non-agricultural jobs added in this period. The &ldquo;Make in India&rdquo; campaign aims to generate 100 million jobs by 2022 in the manufacturing sector. While the goal is laudable, given trends reported above, this seems unlikely to materialise. And Amit Shah&rsquo;s statement, referred to earlier, seems to indicate that backpedaling on this issue has started already.</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>


While GDP grows at some of the fastest rates seen across the world, the number of people who are able to enjoy a good life increase at a much much slower rate.

First, consider the numbers. Between 2003 and 2009, the high growth years of the economy, when GDP grew by 8 per cent per year on average, the number of good jobs, that is, jobs in the formal sector of the economy, grew at not even one-tenth that number. Look at it another way. Every year millions of new aspirants enter the job market to compete for a few hundred thousand new jobs. Now let us descend to the ground. We witness enormous agitations for reservations in government jobs rising from traditionally dominant castes, such as Jats, Patels, and Marathas. Even the lowest paid government jobs regularly attract such large numbers of extremely over-qualified applicants that violence ensues in the wake of examinations. Around two weeks ago, in West Bengal, 2.5 million young men and women appeared for an exam for 6000 Group-D positions in the state government. Graduates and post-graduates had applied for these positions which require an elementary school certificate and pay Rs. 16,200 per month. What is the economy for, anyway? It is always a good question to ask whenever we risk getting lost in GDP numbers, policy reforms, and stock market movements × One increasingly popular term captures all this: “jobless growth.” While this phenomenon has been known at least since the mid-1990s, and is observed across the world, it is becoming a hot political issue. And not a day too soon. What is the economy for, anyway? It is always a good question to ask whenever we risk getting lost in GDP numbers, policy reforms, and stock market movements. These are all means to an end, viz. enabling all of us to enjoy fulfilling, creative, happy lives. In a market economy, adequate regular money income is a precondition for such a life. Yet our economy continues to deny this precondition to the vast majority of its workers. So, while GDP grows at some of the fastest rates seen across the world, the number of people who are able to enjoy a good life increase at a much much slower rate. And even this increase is very uneven across regions, occupations, castes, genders, and religions with some, like displaced farmers and artisans seeing declines in their living standards. Riding a wave of resentment against the previous regime, the Prime Minister himself made jobs a central issue during his campaign. But three years later, not much has changed and the BJP government is being seen as a failure on the job creation front. After several weeks of bad press on this issue, a few days ago, BJP President Amit Shah issued a statement that it was not possible to provide formal sector jobs to everyone in a country of 125 crore people. This is a telling as well as an astonishing statement. Telling because it admits to a truth that few would admit to. That under the present set of policies (whether BJP or UPA) universal employment is impossible. Astonishing because for decades the transition to a completely formal economy has been the very definition of development. That we, and many other countries, have failed at acheiving this is surely an indictment of our policies. But are we then giving up on development? Or are we redefining it? And if so how? There is no answer. Regular salaried workers account for only 20 per cent of all workers in India × The intense hunger for even the lowest paid government jobs comes as no surprise once we take a look at the Ministry of Labour numbers on earnings in the Indian labour market. According to the most recent Employment-Unemployment Survey of the Labour Bureau (2014-2015), regular salaried workers account for only 20 per cent of all workers in India. Earnings from either self-employment or casual wage work (both of which together account for the remaining 80 per cent of the workforce) fall far short of a secure, decent, livelihood. Nationally, 67 per cent of households reports monthly earnings of Rs. 10,000 or less. 98 per cent are under Rs. 50,000 per month. Earning over Rs 1 lakh per month puts a household in the top 0.2 per cent of income earners in the country. More than half of the regular wage/salaried workers i.e. 57 per cent have monthly average earnings of up to Rs 10,000, well under the government minimum salary under the 7th pay commission. 59 per cent of the casual workers has monthly earnings of up to Rs 5000. Successive governments at the Centre and in the states have embraced liberalisation and privatisation policies that have failed to generate jobs × Of course, the current government in Delhi must take its share of the blame for the jobs crisis. But there is plenty of blame to go around. Successive governments at the Centre and in the states have embraced liberalisation and privatisation policies that have failed to generate jobs. But the problem goes beyond India too. In the 1950s-80s, in Japan, Korea and the other “East Asian Miracle countries”, rapid GDP growth generated a vast number of jobs. This shifted a predominantly agricultural workforce to manufacturing and services. Not only that, jobs were created in the formal sector. In contrast, in India and China, particularly since the 1990s, despite high levels of growth, formal employment generation has been slow. This is a general phenomenon across Asia. Manufacturing, in particular, is a big concern. In the 2005-2011 period, according to National Sample Survey data, manufacturing employment in India increased by 6 million while that in construction increased by 25 million. Construction accounted for half of all new non-agricultural jobs added in this period. The “Make in India” campaign aims to generate 100 million jobs by 2022 in the manufacturing sector. While the goal is laudable, given trends reported above, this seems unlikely to materialise. And Amit Shah’s statement, referred to earlier, seems to indicate that backpedaling on this issue has started already.

Jobless growth plagues India

<p>Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chief Amit Shah was accorded a grand welcome in Jammu and Kashmir today, where he landed on a two-day visit as part of his national &#39;Vistaar Yatra&#39;.</p>

<p>The streets were thronged with BJP supporters and party flags were waved as Shah&#39;s convoy passed through the streets after he landed at the airport today.</p>

<p>Shah is on a 95-day all-India tour from today during which he will strategise on ways to win the 2019 Lok Sabha election, with focus on clinching 120 seats where the party had lost in 2014.</p>

<p>Shah will spend one to three days in each states. The tour will focus on taking stock of the party&#39;s organisational strength and further expansion of electoral appeal across the country.</p>

<p>Shah is particularly focusing on states like West Bengal, Odisha, Telangana and Kerala.</p>

<p>The BJP had managed to win just 4 Lok Sabha seats out of the 102 in these states in the 2014 election.</p>

<p>The BJP chief&#39;s voyage will end by 25th September, the 101th birth anniversary of Jana Sangh ideologue Deen Dayal Upadhyay.</p>

<p>Apart from his 95-day tour, Shah has also chosen five states where he will spend three days each. His recent visit to West Bengal was part of the programme.</p>

<p>Besides West Bengal, he will visit Odisha, Telangana, Lakshadweep and the poll-bound Gujarat.</p>

<p>Shah has also hinted at a reshuffle in the organisation as several office-bearers are now serving as ministers in the Uttar Pradesh government.</p>

<p>(ANI)</p>


The streets were thronged with BJP supporters and party flags were waved as Shah's convoy passed through the streets

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chief Amit Shah was accorded a grand welcome in Jammu and Kashmir today, where he landed on a two-day visit as part of his national 'Vistaar Yatra'. The streets were thronged with BJP supporters and party flags were waved as Shah's convoy passed through the streets after he landed at the airport today. Shah is on a 95-day all-India tour from today during which he will strategise on ways to win the 2019 Lok Sabha election, with focus on clinching 120 seats where the party had lost in 2014. Shah will spend one to three days in each states. The tour will focus on taking stock of the party's organisational strength and further expansion of electoral appeal across the country. Shah is particularly focusing on states like West Bengal, Odisha, Telangana and Kerala. The BJP had managed to win just 4 Lok Sabha seats out of the 102 in these states in the 2014 election. The BJP chief's voyage will end by 25th September, the 101th birth anniversary of Jana Sangh ideologue Deen Dayal Upadhyay. Apart from his 95-day tour, Shah has also chosen five states where he will spend three days each. His recent visit to West Bengal was part of the programme. Besides West Bengal, he will visit Odisha, Telangana, Lakshadweep and the poll-bound Gujarat. Shah has also hinted at a reshuffle in the organisation as several office-bearers are now serving as ministers in the Uttar Pradesh government. (ANI)

BJP chief Amit Shah reaches Jammu as part of  'Vistaar Yatra'

<p>BJP president Amit Shah Saturday&nbsp;cautioned party leaders against complacency, saying it is yet to reach the peak as he rolled out plans for its expansion in states where it has been traditionally weak.</p>

<p>In his inaugural address at the BJP&#39;s two-day national executive here, he also asserted that the party&#39;s &quot;golden era&quot; would arrive when it rules across the country, from panchayats to Parliament.<br />
<br />
Top party leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, were in attendance as he asked the organisation to resolve for victory in the next round of assembly elections due in Himachal Pradesh, Gujarat and Karnataka, noting that a similar resolve was made last year during the national executive meeting in Allahabad for five state elections, including in Uttar Pradesh.</p>

<p>Laying down his ambitious growth plan for the party in south and eastern India, the BJP president rejected the contention that the saffron surge had reached its peak with its domination of central and western India and maiden wins in states like Assam and Manipur.</p>

<p>13 chief ministers of the party, the most BJP has ever had, were also in the audience.</p>

<p>Amit Shah said he will spend 95 days touring the country to meet party leaders and workers and asked senior leaders and union ministers to give 15 days to strengthen the organisation while speaking about its growth prospects in states like Kerala, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal and Odisha.</p>

<p>&quot;The BJP is yet to reach its peak. Its golden era will arrive when it rules from panchayat to assemblies across the country and Parliament,&quot; he said.</p>

<p>Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad briefed reporters on his speech in a closed-door meeting of the party leaders.</p>

<p>He, however, steered clear of recent controversial issues like killing of a man in BJP-ruled Rajasthan by cow vigilantes and deepening impasse in Kashmir, where his party is in power in partnership with PDP.</p>

<p>Ravi Shankar Prasad suggested that a reference to Kashmir may be made during the national executive.</p>

<p>The party&#39;s gold era, he said, will coincide with India&#39;s golden era and it will emerge as a great nation in the world.</p>

<p>The BJP&#39;s massive wins in Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand have changed the experts&#39; definition of big victories, usually<br />
associated with two-thirds majority, as it won more than 75 per cent of seats as people have embraced &quot;our politics of<br />
performance&quot; and rejected opposition parties&#39; politics of brazen appeasement, rank family promotion and casteism, Amit Shah said.</p>

<p>The BJP has also disproved the claims that it can defeat the Congress but not strong regional parties by routing the Samajwadi Party and the Bahujan Samajwadi Party in UT, he said.</p>

<p>Amit Shah said when the BJP won 71 out of 80 Lok Sabha seats in UP in 2014, it was said that it was a &quot;sudden&quot; development but by sweeping the state in the assembly polls the party has proved that people have embraced it &quot;decisively and whole- heartedly&quot;.</p>

<p>Its win in the state polls was due to the Modi government&#39;s pro-poor and welfare policies, Shah said, reaffirming that the prime minister was the most popular leader since Independence.</p>

<p>Hitting out at the Left government in Kerala over the killing of the BJP and RSS workers allegedly by communist cadres, he said his party will continue to oppose it peacefully and ensure that the &quot;lotus blooms&quot;&nbsp;there as well as Tripura, another Left-ruled state.<br />
<br />
The BJP national president said he would spend three days in Kerala as part of the organisational expansion drive. The Modi government, he said, has done more work in three years than other governments had done in two-three terms as he hailed its policies.&nbsp;<br />
<br />
(PTI)<br />
&nbsp;</p>


Top BJP leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi and 13 chief ministers of the party, were also in attendance

BJP president Amit Shah Saturday cautioned party leaders against complacency, saying it is yet to reach the peak as he rolled out plans for its expansion in states where it has been traditionally weak. In his inaugural address at the BJP's two-day national executive here, he also asserted that the party's "golden era" would arrive when it rules across the country, from panchayats to Parliament. Top party leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, were in attendance as he asked the organisation to resolve for victory in the next round of assembly elections due in Himachal Pradesh, Gujarat and Karnataka, noting that a similar resolve was made last year during the national executive meeting in Allahabad for five state elections, including in Uttar Pradesh. Laying down his ambitious growth plan for the party in south and eastern India, the BJP president rejected the contention that the saffron surge had reached its peak with its domination of central and western India and maiden wins in states like Assam and Manipur. 13 chief ministers of the party, the most BJP has ever had, were also in the audience. Amit Shah said he will spend 95 days touring the country to meet party leaders and workers and asked senior leaders and union ministers to give 15 days to strengthen the organisation while speaking about its growth prospects in states like Kerala, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal and Odisha. "The BJP is yet to reach its peak. Its golden era will arrive when it rules from panchayat to assemblies across the country and Parliament," he said. Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad briefed reporters on his speech in a closed-door meeting of the party leaders. He, however, steered clear of recent controversial issues like killing of a man in BJP-ruled Rajasthan by cow vigilantes and deepening impasse in Kashmir, where his party is in power in partnership with PDP. Ravi Shankar Prasad suggested that a reference to Kashmir may be made during the national executive. The party's gold era, he said, will coincide with India's golden era and it will emerge as a great nation in the world. The BJP's massive wins in Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand have changed the experts' definition of big victories, usually associated with two-thirds majority, as it won more than 75 per cent of seats as people have embraced "our politics of performance" and rejected opposition parties' politics of brazen appeasement, rank family promotion and casteism, Amit Shah said. The BJP has also disproved the claims that it can defeat the Congress but not strong regional parties by routing the Samajwadi Party and the Bahujan Samajwadi Party in UT, he said. Amit Shah said when the BJP won 71 out of 80 Lok Sabha seats in UP in 2014, it was said that it was a "sudden" development but by sweeping the state in the assembly polls the party has proved that people have embraced it "decisively and whole- heartedly". Its win in the state polls was due to the Modi government's pro-poor and welfare policies, Shah said, reaffirming that the prime minister was the most popular leader since Independence. Hitting out at the Left government in Kerala over the killing of the BJP and RSS workers allegedly by communist cadres, he said his party will continue to oppose it peacefully and ensure that the "lotus blooms" there as well as Tripura, another Left-ruled state. The BJP national president said he would spend three days in Kerala as part of the organisational expansion drive. The Modi government, he said, has done more work in three years than other governments had done in two-three terms as he hailed its policies. (PTI)

BJP will rule from panchayats to Parliament: Party president Amit Shah outlines election roadmap at Odisha meet

<p>Opposition parties blaming electronic voting machines (EVMs)&nbsp;for their poll loss underlines their desperation and lack of issues against the BJP, its national president Amit Shah said Saturday,&nbsp;noting that EVMs were never questioned when they won.</p>

<p>Questioning the integrity of electronic voting machines (EVMs) amounted to openly disrespecting the Election Commission, he said in his inaugural address at the two-day national executive meet of the BJP here.</p>

<p>&quot;Opposition parties are in desperation following our win. They have no issue against us. They are not admitting their defeat and instead blaming EVMs,&quot; he said.</p>

<p>Shah wondered if the UPA had not won in 2004 and 2009 Lok Sabha polls when EVMs were used or if the Arvind Kejriwal-led AAP had swept the Delhi assembly polls in 2015 due to use of ballot papers.</p>

<p>The BJP chief also referred to the Congress&#39;s victory in the Punjab assembly polls to make his point.</p>

<p>Briefing reporters on Shah&#39;s speech, Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said the Election Commission has already come out with an open hacking challenge and let people know if Delhi Chief Minister Kejriwal, who has alleged EVM tempering, was a &quot;hacking expert&quot;.</p>

<p>He said all elections since 1998 were held with the use of EVMs.</p>

<p>Asked about a book written by BJP spokesperson G V L Narasimha Rao who had questioned the reliability of EVMs, Prasad said his book is not the official view of his party and it was written long back when the UPA was in power.</p>

<p>Asked about BSP chief Mayawati&#39;s assertion that she would join hands with other parties to take on the BJP, Prasad said the country&#39;s politics has changed and even if all parties came together they would not be able to defeat the saffron party.</p>

<p>&quot;If you analyse the UP election, the BJP would have even if other parties were together,&quot; Prasad said.</p>

<p>Shah in his address also referred to the Shunglu Committee report, which has indicted the Kejriwal government on alleged corruption charges, and said there cannot be a bigger example of lack of probity.</p>

<p>He exhorted party leaders to work to realise the Modi government&#39;s dream of a &#39;New India&#39;.</p>

<p>The central government has also given Padma awards for the first time to many little-known people doing good work in different field and made selection process transparent, he said, while also lauding it for the passage of the GST bills.</p>

<p>The chief ministers of Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Manipur Yogi Adityanath, Trivendra Singh Rawat and Biren Singh, respectively attended their first national executive since assuming their new roles.</p>

<p>They were congratulated by party leaders and workers for their new assignment, especially, Adityanatha, the fiery Hindutva mascot, for taking charge of the politically crucial and country&#39;s most populous state.<br />
<br />
(PTI)<br />
&nbsp;</p>


Questioning the integrity of EVMs amounted to openly disrespecting the Election Commission, Amit Shah said at the national executive meet

Opposition parties blaming electronic voting machines (EVMs) for their poll loss underlines their desperation and lack of issues against the BJP, its national president Amit Shah said Saturday, noting that EVMs were never questioned when they won. Questioning the integrity of electronic voting machines (EVMs) amounted to openly disrespecting the Election Commission, he said in his inaugural address at the two-day national executive meet of the BJP here. "Opposition parties are in desperation following our win. They have no issue against us. They are not admitting their defeat and instead blaming EVMs," he said. Shah wondered if the UPA had not won in 2004 and 2009 Lok Sabha polls when EVMs were used or if the Arvind Kejriwal-led AAP had swept the Delhi assembly polls in 2015 due to use of ballot papers. The BJP chief also referred to the Congress's victory in the Punjab assembly polls to make his point. Briefing reporters on Shah's speech, Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said the Election Commission has already come out with an open hacking challenge and let people know if Delhi Chief Minister Kejriwal, who has alleged EVM tempering, was a "hacking expert". He said all elections since 1998 were held with the use of EVMs. Asked about a book written by BJP spokesperson G V L Narasimha Rao who had questioned the reliability of EVMs, Prasad said his book is not the official view of his party and it was written long back when the UPA was in power. Asked about BSP chief Mayawati's assertion that she would join hands with other parties to take on the BJP, Prasad said the country's politics has changed and even if all parties came together they would not be able to defeat the saffron party. "If you analyse the UP election, the BJP would have even if other parties were together," Prasad said. Shah in his address also referred to the Shunglu Committee report, which has indicted the Kejriwal government on alleged corruption charges, and said there cannot be a bigger example of lack of probity. He exhorted party leaders to work to realise the Modi government's dream of a 'New India'. The central government has also given Padma awards for the first time to many little-known people doing good work in different field and made selection process transparent, he said, while also lauding it for the passage of the GST bills. The chief ministers of Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Manipur Yogi Adityanath, Trivendra Singh Rawat and Biren Singh, respectively attended their first national executive since assuming their new roles. They were congratulated by party leaders and workers for their new assignment, especially, Adityanatha, the fiery Hindutva mascot, for taking charge of the politically crucial and country's most populous state. (PTI)

Parties blaming EVMs for poll loss shows their desperation, says BJP president Amit Shah

<p>Eyeing a hat-trick in Delhi civic polls, BJP chief Amit Shah Saturday launched a blistering attack on the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) alleging that corruption has flourished under the Kejriwal government and people must teach it a lesson.</p>

<p>Addressing BJP workers ahead of the MCD elections, Amit Shah referred to party&#39;s victories in the recent assembly polls and said a win in the civic elections will help catapult the party to power in the national capital.</p>

<p>He was addressing a convention of booth in-charges at the Indian capital&#39;s Ramlila Ground where around 60,000 workers had gathered.</p>

<p>Pointing to an India map near the dais, Shah said while the country is being painted in &quot;saffron&quot;, Delhi continues to remain a &quot;white spot&quot; and asked the party workers to ensure BJP&#39;s victory in the civic polls.</p>

<p>&quot;After 2014, BJP has won nearly everywhere, except Delhi and Bihar. Today BJP workers will go back with a resolve to plug the gaps so that the BJP&#39;s victory flag is unfurled in the national capital,&quot; he said.</p>

<p>Targeting the Delhi government, Shah accused Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal of getting into fights with the Centre for political reasons.</p>

<p>&quot;The AAP has indulged in corruption like no other party has in such a short time. His (Kejriwal) principal secretary was arrested by CBI. There was graft in procuring onions, in appointments in DCW, in procuring water tankers, street lights.</p>

<p>&quot;A minister is involved in hawala. There was a&nbsp;scam in the waqf board. And most importantly, AAP used the Delhi exchequer&#39;s money in Gujarat, Kolkata and other states for putting out advertisements,&quot; the BJP president said.</p>

<p>The BJP President contrasted his party&#39;s &quot;clean record&quot; in governance with the AAP&#39;s &quot;tainted&quot; tenure, saying many of its legislators and ministers were arrested over charges of corruption and &quot;rape&quot;.</p>

<p>He also dared Kejriwal to take action against the legislators and ministers facing various allegations and order a judicial probe into the charges.</p>

<p>&quot;This is not just an MCD election, but it is an opportunity to uproot the AAP government in the next polls,&quot; Amit Shah said&nbsp;and appealed to party activists to work hard for the elections as it was Delhi where the then Jana Sangh, BJP&#39;s predecessor, came to power first.</p>

<p>Union Ministers Venkaiah Naidu, Nirmala Sitharaman, Jitendra Singh, Harsh Vardhan and Vijay Goel <span style="display: none;">&nbsp;</span><span style="display: none;">&nbsp;</span>were present at the event. As was Delhi BJP chief Manoj Tiwari</p>

<p>Shah also invoked the anti-terror surgical strikes&nbsp;undertaken last year, saying the armed forces &quot;barged&quot; into Pakistan to avenge the killing of soldiers in Uri last year.<br />
<br />
Amit Shah hailed the contribution of booth-level workers in the BJP&#39;s spate of electoral success across the country.</p>

<p>The BJP has dubbed the group of five booth in-charges as &quot;Panch Parmeshwar&quot;&nbsp;(five judges) saying these &quot;workers will work like &quot;panchs&quot; (judges) towards getting administrative justice for people&quot;.<br />
<br />
Shah said AAP had promised improved law and order in the city but &quot;Kejriwal would do a big favour by reining in his MLAs&quot;.<br />
<br />
&quot;I would urge him to keep his MLAs in control. That will be a big favour for the people of Delhi. Criminal allegations have cropped up against 13 MLAs of the<br />
party that spoke of bringing change in politics,&quot; he said.<br />
<br />
He advised Kejriwal &quot;not to worry&quot; about the BJP&#39;s poll promises in Uttar Pradesh and instead focus on bringing in the reforms in the areas of education<br />
and health.<br />
<br />
&quot;We will fulfil all our promises in Uttar Pradesh. You don&#39;t have to worry. Kejriwal makes a slew of promises ahead of polls but after the elections he is<br />
found in Punjab, Goa, Gujarat.<br />
<br />
&quot;If you (Kejriwal) have the slightest shame left then he should remember that he is answerable to the people of Delhi on these tainted MLAs. He should do so before canvassing for votes ahead for the municipal polls,&quot; Shah said.<br />
<br />
(PTI)</p>


BJP chief Amit Shah Saturday launched a blistering attack on the Aam Aadmi Party ahead of next month's elections

Eyeing a hat-trick in Delhi civic polls, BJP chief Amit Shah Saturday launched a blistering attack on the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) alleging that corruption has flourished under the Kejriwal government and people must teach it a lesson. Addressing BJP workers ahead of the MCD elections, Amit Shah referred to party's victories in the recent assembly polls and said a win in the civic elections will help catapult the party to power in the national capital. He was addressing a convention of booth in-charges at the Indian capital's Ramlila Ground where around 60,000 workers had gathered. Pointing to an India map near the dais, Shah said while the country is being painted in "saffron", Delhi continues to remain a "white spot" and asked the party workers to ensure BJP's victory in the civic polls. "After 2014, BJP has won nearly everywhere, except Delhi and Bihar. Today BJP workers will go back with a resolve to plug the gaps so that the BJP's victory flag is unfurled in the national capital," he said. Targeting the Delhi government, Shah accused Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal of getting into fights with the Centre for political reasons. "The AAP has indulged in corruption like no other party has in such a short time. His (Kejriwal) principal secretary was arrested by CBI. There was graft in procuring onions, in appointments in DCW, in procuring water tankers, street lights. "A minister is involved in hawala. There was a scam in the waqf board. And most importantly, AAP used the Delhi exchequer's money in Gujarat, Kolkata and other states for putting out advertisements," the BJP president said. The BJP President contrasted his party's "clean record" in governance with the AAP's "tainted" tenure, saying many of its legislators and ministers were arrested over charges of corruption and "rape". He also dared Kejriwal to take action against the legislators and ministers facing various allegations and order a judicial probe into the charges. "This is not just an MCD election, but it is an opportunity to uproot the AAP government in the next polls," Amit Shah said and appealed to party activists to work hard for the elections as it was Delhi where the then Jana Sangh, BJP's predecessor, came to power first. Union Ministers Venkaiah Naidu, Nirmala Sitharaman, Jitendra Singh, Harsh Vardhan and Vijay Goel were present at the event. As was Delhi BJP chief Manoj Tiwari Shah also invoked the anti-terror surgical strikes undertaken last year, saying the armed forces "barged" into Pakistan to avenge the killing of soldiers in Uri last year. Amit Shah hailed the contribution of booth-level workers in the BJP's spate of electoral success across the country. The BJP has dubbed the group of five booth in-charges as "Panch Parmeshwar" (five judges) saying these "workers will work like "panchs" (judges) towards getting administrative justice for people". Shah said AAP had promised improved law and order in the city but "Kejriwal would do a big favour by reining in his MLAs". "I would urge him to keep his MLAs in control. That will be a big favour for the people of Delhi. Criminal allegations have cropped up against 13 MLAs of the party that spoke of bringing change in politics," he said. He advised Kejriwal "not to worry" about the BJP's poll promises in Uttar Pradesh and instead focus on bringing in the reforms in the areas of education and health. "We will fulfil all our promises in Uttar Pradesh. You don't have to worry. Kejriwal makes a slew of promises ahead of polls but after the elections he is found in Punjab, Goa, Gujarat. "If you (Kejriwal) have the slightest shame left then he should remember that he is answerable to the people of Delhi on these tainted MLAs. He should do so before canvassing for votes ahead for the municipal polls," Shah said. (PTI)

Uttar Pradesh done, BJP shifts focus to Delhi civic polls

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