<p>BJP president Amit Shah has assured of victory in Gujarat Assembly elections. He said the BJP will win with a &quot;full majority in the state&quot;.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Shah was responding to a question asked by Sudhir Chaudhary, the Editor-in-Chief of Zee at the Zee Conclave &quot;Game of Gujarat&quot;.</p>

<p>Sudhir Chaudhary asked him if the target of 150 seats in Gujarat was a little ambitious, to this Shah said&nbsp;people laughed at him when he said the same in Manipur, Uttar Pradesh and Uttrakhand.</p>

<p>He said people use to tell him that no one ever secured more than 47 seats in Uttrakhand till date. His party, however, had achieved the target everywhere, he asserted. He said that there &quot;is a&nbsp;math behind the prediction.&quot;&nbsp;</p>

<p>He then talked about the huge mandate with which the BJP achieved&nbsp;in 2014. The BJP president said the party had fought the election under the leadership of Narendra Modi to whom people showered all their love and support as a result BJP won with an absolute&nbsp;majority.&nbsp;</p>

<p>He added that this happened three and a half years ago. The country has since then seen many elections but the share of their party had not dropped since then, saying the party had in fact &quot;maintained vote share in all the elections.&quot;&nbsp;</p>

<p>He said: &quot;If we continue to maintain this record in Gujarat, then the 59 per cent seat will get us&nbsp;165 seats, and the&nbsp;target is a little less than that.&quot;&nbsp;</p>

<p>He said he had full confidence in every election that was held in Gujarat since 1995.</p>

<p>&quot;The people of Gujarat have blessed the BJP, the people of Gujarat have given us victory.&quot;</p>

<p>Sudhir Chaudhary later questioned the BJP president about the release of LeT chief Hafiz Saeed from the house arrest in Pakistan. &nbsp;</p>

<p>Amit Shah said&nbsp;that for the first time since Independence, people were &quot;celebrating&quot;&nbsp;the release of Hafiz Saeed. He said the &quot;political discourse&quot;&nbsp;had dropped so low and that&nbsp;blame game is spoiling the image of India abroad.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Shah referring to Pakistan, said, &quot;under their rule, there was no arrest at all.&quot;</p>

<p>Shah added&nbsp;that the government had raised strong objections to his release and has now decided to take this to every international forum.</p>


Shah was responding to a question asked by Sudhir Chaudhary, the Editor-in-Chief of Zee in Zee Conclave 'Game of Gujarat'

BJP president Amit Shah has assured of victory in Gujarat Assembly elections. He said the BJP will win with a "full majority in the state". Shah was responding to a question asked by Sudhir Chaudhary, the Editor-in-Chief of Zee at the Zee Conclave "Game of Gujarat". Sudhir Chaudhary asked him if the target of 150 seats in Gujarat was a little ambitious, to this Shah said people laughed at him when he said the same in Manipur, Uttar Pradesh and Uttrakhand. He said people use to tell him that no one ever secured more than 47 seats in Uttrakhand till date. His party, however, had achieved the target everywhere, he asserted. He said that there "is a math behind the prediction." He then talked about the huge mandate with which the BJP achieved in 2014. The BJP president said the party had fought the election under the leadership of Narendra Modi to whom people showered all their love and support as a result BJP won with an absolute majority. He added that this happened three and a half years ago. The country has since then seen many elections but the share of their party had not dropped since then, saying the party had in fact "maintained vote share in all the elections." He said: "If we continue to maintain this record in Gujarat, then the 59 per cent seat will get us 165 seats, and the target is a little less than that." He said he had full confidence in every election that was held in Gujarat since 1995. "The people of Gujarat have blessed the BJP, the people of Gujarat have given us victory." Sudhir Chaudhary later questioned the BJP president about the release of LeT chief Hafiz Saeed from the house arrest in Pakistan. Amit Shah said that for the first time since Independence, people were "celebrating" the release of Hafiz Saeed. He said the "political discourse" had dropped so low and that blame game is spoiling the image of India abroad. Shah referring to Pakistan, said, "under their rule, there was no arrest at all." Shah added that the government had raised strong objections to his release and has now decided to take this to every international forum.

BJP will win with full majority in Gujarat: Amit Shah

<p>Taking a jibe with Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chief Amit Shah on Sunday said people from Amethi have been coming to Gujarat for jobs.</p>

<p>Rahul Gandhi represents Amethi in Lok Sabha and Amit Shah&#39;s remark comes in the wake of continued criticism of the &quot;Gujarat Model&quot; of development by the former at election rallies in the poll-bound state.</p>

<p>&quot;Rahul Gandhi asks for accountability. For last many decades, Gandhi scions have been representing Amethi, but even the foundation stone of collectorate office was laid by the BJP government. People from Amethi come to Gujarat for jobs,&quot; BJP&#39;s national president said while addressing a rally in Gujarat&#39;s Bharuch.</p>

<p>The BJP president recalled the 10 years of governance of Congress at the Centre to target Gandhi and claimed that his party did not work for the welfare of the people of Gujarat.</p>

<p>&quot;Rahul Gandhi asks where is &#39;<em>vikas</em>&#39; (development) in Gujarat? I want to ask him while you were in power for 10 years what you did for the people of Gujarat. People in Gujarat were not getting electricity while the Congress was in power. There were only caste-based politics in Gujarat,&quot; Shah said at the election rally.</p>

<p>&quot;We have given electricity, roads and water to the state,&quot; he added.</p>

<p>In the run-up to the upcoming Gujarat Assembly elections, Gandhi has continually cornered Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the ruling BJP government in the state over the development achieved in the last 15 years.</p>

<p>He has often reiterated his assertion that &quot;Vikas <em>pagal</em><em> ho </em><em>gaya</em>,&quot; wherein he likened the development of Gujarat to a person and said it has gone berserk.</p>

<p>Claiming the Congress&#39; offensive in Gujarat&#39;s election campaign to be lacking a firm ground, Shah said, &quot;What is the base for Congress&#39; fight in these polls? They say Congress would be promoting Rahul Gandhi to the top post of Congress and this we have been listening from 2010. They have been losing every election, so how they will promote him to the top post?&quot;</p>

<p>Rahul Gandhi is likely to succeed Sonia Gandhi as the president of the grand-old-party in the next election for Congress&#39; top post.</p>

<p>The polling for the two-phase elections in Gujarat will take place on 9 and 14 December and votes will be counted on 18 December</p>


Rahul Gandhi represents Amethi in Lok Sabha and Amit Shah's remark comes in the wake of continued criticism of 'Gujarat Model' of development by the former at election rallies in the poll-bound state

Taking a jibe with Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chief Amit Shah on Sunday said people from Amethi have been coming to Gujarat for jobs. Rahul Gandhi represents Amethi in Lok Sabha and Amit Shah's remark comes in the wake of continued criticism of the "Gujarat Model" of development by the former at election rallies in the poll-bound state. "Rahul Gandhi asks for accountability. For last many decades, Gandhi scions have been representing Amethi, but even the foundation stone of collectorate office was laid by the BJP government. People from Amethi come to Gujarat for jobs," BJP's national president said while addressing a rally in Gujarat's Bharuch. The BJP president recalled the 10 years of governance of Congress at the Centre to target Gandhi and claimed that his party did not work for the welfare of the people of Gujarat. "Rahul Gandhi asks where is 'vikas' (development) in Gujarat? I want to ask him while you were in power for 10 years what you did for the people of Gujarat. People in Gujarat were not getting electricity while the Congress was in power. There were only caste-based politics in Gujarat," Shah said at the election rally. "We have given electricity, roads and water to the state," he added. In the run-up to the upcoming Gujarat Assembly elections, Gandhi has continually cornered Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the ruling BJP government in the state over the development achieved in the last 15 years. He has often reiterated his assertion that "Vikas pagal ho gaya," wherein he likened the development of Gujarat to a person and said it has gone berserk. Claiming the Congress' offensive in Gujarat's election campaign to be lacking a firm ground, Shah said, "What is the base for Congress' fight in these polls? They say Congress would be promoting Rahul Gandhi to the top post of Congress and this we have been listening from 2010. They have been losing every election, so how they will promote him to the top post?" Rahul Gandhi is likely to succeed Sonia Gandhi as the president of the grand-old-party in the next election for Congress' top post. The polling for the two-phase elections in Gujarat will take place on 9 and 14 December and votes will be counted on 18 December

People from Amethi come to Gujarat for jobs: Amit Shah

<p>The Election Commission(EC) has put restrictions on the use of the term &quot;Pappu&quot; by BJP&#39;s electronic advertisement cell in Gujarat.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The ruling BJP has been barred from using the term &quot;Pappu&quot; in their electronic advertisement for the upcoming assembly elections in the state.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The term is often used to describe Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi.</p>

<p>Calling the term &quot;derogatory&quot;&nbsp;the Election Commission in Gujarat has asked to remove or replace it.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The media committee under the Gujarat Chief Electoral Officer(CEO) objected to the word &quot;pappu&quot; which was mentioned in the BJP&#39;s script of advertising, BJP sources cited. The script was submitted to the media committee for approval.</p>

<p>Clarifying itself, the BJP said the script of the advertisement did not &quot;link the word to any individual&quot;.&nbsp;</p>

<p>A BJP leader said that they asked the Election Commission to reconsider their decision as there was no direct reference to any person with the term. However, the request was rejected by the EC.</p>

<p>The leader later assured to replace the word and submit a new script to the Election Commission.&nbsp;<br />
<br />
All political parties need to submit their script related to the election advertisement to the EC. The parties can continue with the advertisement only after they get a certificate of approval from the commission.</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>


Calling the term "derogatory"?the Election Commission in Gujarat has asked to remove or replace it

The Election Commission(EC) has put restrictions on the use of the term "Pappu" by BJP's electronic advertisement cell in Gujarat. The ruling BJP has been barred from using the term "Pappu" in their electronic advertisement for the upcoming assembly elections in the state. The term is often used to describe Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi. Calling the term "derogatory" the Election Commission in Gujarat has asked to remove or replace it. The media committee under the Gujarat Chief Electoral Officer(CEO) objected to the word "pappu" which was mentioned in the BJP's script of advertising, BJP sources cited. The script was submitted to the media committee for approval. Clarifying itself, the BJP said the script of the advertisement did not "link the word to any individual". A BJP leader said that they asked the Election Commission to reconsider their decision as there was no direct reference to any person with the term. However, the request was rejected by the EC. The leader later assured to replace the word and submit a new script to the Election Commission. All political parties need to submit their script related to the election advertisement to the EC. The parties can continue with the advertisement only after they get a certificate of approval from the commission.

Election Commission bars BJP from using the term 'Pappu' in Gujarat elections

<p>With the Gujarat elections just around the corner, a &quot;sex CD&quot; has gone viral on social media.&nbsp;</p>

<p>News reports said the CD showed &quot;intimate moments&quot; between a man and a woman. &nbsp;</p>

<p>The allegation -- which has not been proved -- is that the man in the video is Hardik Patel, the leader of the Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti (PAAS).&nbsp;</p>

<p>Patel reacted to the allegation, tweeting:&nbsp;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="hi">?? ???? ??????? ?? ?????? ?? ?? ???????? ????? ?? ?? ??? ?????? ???? ??????,????? ?????? ?? ?????? ?? ????? ???? ?? ??? ????</p>
&mdash; Hardik Patel (@HardikPatel_) <a href="https://twitter.com/HardikPatel_/status/930005238991478784?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 13, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p>&quot;This is the beginning of dirty politics. Defame me, it will not make a difference,&quot; he said.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&quot;But the women of Gujarat are being insulted,&quot; he added.&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>A prophecy foretold</strong></p>

<p>The interesting thing is Hardik had foretold -- on November 10 -- the release of the sex CD.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Hardik had said then that the BJP would be responsible, and that they would do so for electoral gain.</p>

<p>&quot;The BJP has prepared a doctored sex CD to defame me and it will be released just before the election. What else can one expect from the BJP? So just wait, watch and enjoy,&quot; Hardik had said then.</p>

<p>When he was asked how he knew about the CD, Hardik had said, &quot;This is typical of the BJP.&quot;</p>

<p><strong>The Patidar </strong><strong>agit</strong><strong>ation</strong></p>

<p>Patel had led the massive Patidar agitation in the state in 2015.</p>

<p>The Patidars had been asking for reservations for the community in government jobs and educational institutions.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The Congress has since been courting Patel, who has said that he will work towards beating the BJP in the upcoming Gujarat elections.&nbsp;</p>

<p><a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/congress-invites-hardik-patel-to-contest-gujarat-elections-22699" target="_blank">Also read:&nbsp;Congress invites Hardik Patel to contest Gujarat elections</a></p>

<p><a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/gujarat-elections-cong-gives-3-quota-options-to-patidars-who-say-theyll-get-back-to-them-23775" target="_blank">Also read: Gujarat elections: Cong gives 3 quota options to Patidars who say they&#39;ll get back to them</a></p>

<p><strong>Not the first time</strong></p>

<p>This is not the first time an attempt has been made to defame Patel.</p>

<p>A sex CD was released in 2015 also, with exactly the same allegation -- that it was Hardik in the video.</p>


With the Gujarat elections just around the corner, a "sex CD" has gone viral on social media. News reports said the CD showed "intimate moments" between a man and a woman. The allegation -- which has not been proved -- is that the man in the video is Hardik Patel, the leader of the Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti (PAAS). Patel reacted to the allegation, tweeting: ?? ???? ??????? ?? ?????? ?? ?? ???????? ????? ?? ?? ??? ?????? ???? ??????,????? ?????? ?? ?????? ?? ????? ???? ?? ??? ???? — Hardik Patel (@HardikPatel_) November 13, 2017 × "This is the beginning of dirty politics. Defame me, it will not make a difference," he said. "But the women of Gujarat are being insulted," he added. A prophecy foretold The interesting thing is Hardik had foretold -- on November 10 -- the release of the sex CD. Hardik had said then that the BJP would be responsible, and that they would do so for electoral gain. "The BJP has prepared a doctored sex CD to defame me and it will be released just before the election. What else can one expect from the BJP? So just wait, watch and enjoy," Hardik had said then. When he was asked how he knew about the CD, Hardik had said, "This is typical of the BJP." The Patidar agitation Patel had led the massive Patidar agitation in the state in 2015. The Patidars had been asking for reservations for the community in government jobs and educational institutions. The Congress has since been courting Patel, who has said that he will work towards beating the BJP in the upcoming Gujarat elections. Also read: Congress invites Hardik Patel to contest Gujarat elections Also read: Gujarat elections: Cong gives 3 quota options to Patidars who say they'll get back to them Not the first time This is not the first time an attempt has been made to defame Patel. A sex CD was released in 2015 also, with exactly the same allegation -- that it was Hardik in the video.

Gujarat elections: Sex CD goes viral, allegation is it features Hardik Patel

<p>The Shiv Sena has launched another attack at ally Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP) by distributing to its members a booklet titled &quot;Ghotalebaaz Bhajap&quot; (Scamster BJP) that chronicles the scams involving BJP leaders.</p>

<p>The 56-page booklet was distributed during an organisational meeting at the Sena Bhavan on Wednesday.</p>

<p>The cover of the booklet features four BJP leaders, along with a mention of the scam alleged against them.</p>

<p>A picture of Eknath Kahdse features with the mention of the Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC) land scam, Education Minister Vinod Tawde is featured for the irregularities in supply of fire extinguishers to zilla parishad schools without inviting tenders, Food and Civil Supplies Minister of Maharashtra Girish Bapat is featured for his alleged involvement in the<em> tur dal </em>scam, and lastly, Dilip Gandhi for the loan waiver scam.</p>

<p>In addition, several senior BJP leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi and National President Amit Shah also get a mention in the booklet.</p>

<p>Since forming the government in Maharashtra, in alliance with the BJP, the Sena has been fairly vocal about its grievances with the party.</p>

<p>Through its mouthpiece, &#39;Saamna&#39;, the party has been continually castigating the Centre as well as the Devendra Fadnavis-led state government.&nbsp;</p>


Shiv Sena has launched another attack by calling BJP 'Ghotalebaaz'

The Shiv Sena has launched another attack at ally Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP) by distributing to its members a booklet titled "Ghotalebaaz Bhajap" (Scamster BJP) that chronicles the scams involving BJP leaders. The 56-page booklet was distributed during an organisational meeting at the Sena Bhavan on Wednesday. The cover of the booklet features four BJP leaders, along with a mention of the scam alleged against them. A picture of Eknath Kahdse features with the mention of the Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC) land scam, Education Minister Vinod Tawde is featured for the irregularities in supply of fire extinguishers to zilla parishad schools without inviting tenders, Food and Civil Supplies Minister of Maharashtra Girish Bapat is featured for his alleged involvement in the tur dal scam, and lastly, Dilip Gandhi for the loan waiver scam. In addition, several senior BJP leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi and National President Amit Shah also get a mention in the booklet. Since forming the government in Maharashtra, in alliance with the BJP, the Sena has been fairly vocal about its grievances with the party. Through its mouthpiece, 'Saamna', the party has been continually castigating the Centre as well as the Devendra Fadnavis-led state government.

Shiv Sena attacks BJP again, hands out 'Ghotalebaaz Bhajap' booklet to members

<p>Ahead of the upcoming assembly elections in Himachal Pradesh, BJP chief Amit Shah, who is on a five-day tour of the hill state, addressed a rally in Kangra district.</p>

<p>On Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel&#39;s 147th birth anniversary today, the BJP president said the freedom fighter should have been the first recipient of Bharat Ratna, the country&#39;s highest civilian award.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&quot;There was a question to give Bharat Ratna to Sardar Patel. I think that if there was anyone who should have been awarded Bharat Ratna first, it would be Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel,&quot; Amit Shah said.</p>

<p>(Also Read -&nbsp;<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/himachal-pradesh-polls-bjp-announces-prem-kumar-dhumal-as-partys-chief-ministerial-candidate-23225">Himachal Pradesh polls: BJP announces Prem Kumar Dhumal as party&#39;s chief ministerial candidate</a>)</p>

<p>The first recipients of the Bharat Ratna were politician C Rajagopalachari, former president S Radhakrishnan, and scientist CV Raman, who received the award in 1954.</p>

<p>Sardar Vallabhai Patel died in 1950 before the award was instituted. The Bharat Ratna was bestowed upon him posthumously in 1991.</p>

<p>The BJP President also highlighted the contribution made by Sardar Patel at the time of independence and said he &quot;unified all principalities and worked to make one united India.&quot;</p>

<p>&quot;After independence, Britishers wanted to divide the country in more than 300 principalities. We got independence, whole world believed; even people had questions what would happen to the country now. Will this country be divided? But Sardar with his patience unified all principalities and worked to make one united India. It is because of this, our country is developing today.&quot;</p>

<p>The birth anniversary of Sardar Patel is being celebrated across the country as &#39;Rashtriya Ekta Diwas&#39; (National Unity Day).</p>

<p>Amit Shah also criticised the Virbhadra Singh-led Himachal Pradesh government for the rape and murder of a teenage girl in Shimla&#39;s Kotkhai area in July.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&quot;I want to ask the chief minister who is responsible for what happened to the little girl in Shimla,&quot; Amit Shah said.</p>

<p>The Himachal Pradesh assembly elections will take place on November 9.</p>

<p>He also took potshots at Congress president Rahul Gandhi and said that while the Congress president asked prime minister Narendra Modi what he had done in three years, he wanted to ask Rahul Gandhi what he had done all these years.</p>

<p>&quot;Rahul baba asks Modi ji &#39;what have you done in three years&#39;. But I ask what have you done in so many years,&quot; the BJP President said.<br />
&nbsp;</p>


Amit Shah is on a five day tour of Himachal Pradesh

Ahead of the upcoming assembly elections in Himachal Pradesh, BJP chief Amit Shah, who is on a five-day tour of the hill state, addressed a rally in Kangra district. On Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel's 147th birth anniversary today, the BJP president said the freedom fighter should have been the first recipient of Bharat Ratna, the country's highest civilian award. "There was a question to give Bharat Ratna to Sardar Patel. I think that if there was anyone who should have been awarded Bharat Ratna first, it would be Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel," Amit Shah said. (Also Read - Himachal Pradesh polls: BJP announces Prem Kumar Dhumal as party's chief ministerial candidate) The first recipients of the Bharat Ratna were politician C Rajagopalachari, former president S Radhakrishnan, and scientist CV Raman, who received the award in 1954. Sardar Vallabhai Patel died in 1950 before the award was instituted. The Bharat Ratna was bestowed upon him posthumously in 1991. The BJP President also highlighted the contribution made by Sardar Patel at the time of independence and said he "unified all principalities and worked to make one united India." "After independence, Britishers wanted to divide the country in more than 300 principalities. We got independence, whole world believed; even people had questions what would happen to the country now. Will this country be divided? But Sardar with his patience unified all principalities and worked to make one united India. It is because of this, our country is developing today." The birth anniversary of Sardar Patel is being celebrated across the country as 'Rashtriya Ekta Diwas' (National Unity Day). Amit Shah also criticised the Virbhadra Singh-led Himachal Pradesh government for the rape and murder of a teenage girl in Shimla's Kotkhai area in July. "I want to ask the chief minister who is responsible for what happened to the little girl in Shimla," Amit Shah said. The Himachal Pradesh assembly elections will take place on November 9. He also took potshots at Congress president Rahul Gandhi and said that while the Congress president asked prime minister Narendra Modi what he had done in three years, he wanted to ask Rahul Gandhi what he had done all these years. "Rahul baba asks Modi ji 'what have you done in three years'. But I ask what have you done in so many years," the BJP President said.

Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel should have been first recipient of Bharat Ratna: Amit Shah at Himachal election rally

<p>BJP chief Amit Shah will join Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath in the election campaign to address his first public meeting in poll-bound Himachal Pradesh on Monday.</p>

<p>Shah will be in the state for two days. During his trip, the BJP president will address four rallies and hold a number of party meetings, including the state party&#39;s core group, a party leader said.</p>

<p>The party chief is expected to hold close to 15 rallies during the entire Himachal election campaign. Shah will address a public rally each at Banikhet and Chalwara on Monday,&nbsp;sources added.</p>

<p>On Sunday, Adityanath had said that&nbsp;Congress has turned the land of Gods into the land of crime, urging the people of Himachal Pradesh to vote for the BJP to end the mafia rule in the state.</p>

<p>Campaigning for BJP candidates at Arki and Haroli, he said only crime and corruption increased under the rule of Congress in Himachal Pradesh. &quot;The Congress has turned the &#39;dev bhoomi&#39; (land of Gods) into &#39;apraadh bhoomi&#39; (land of crime). It has sullied the name of the state, which is now known as forest and mining mafia, and illegal activities,&quot; he said.</p>

<p>The BJP is hopeful of getting a clear majority by defeating the incumbent Congress government in the North Indian state.</p>

<p>The elections for the 68-seat Himachal Pradesh Assembly will take place on&nbsp;November 9. The results will be declared on&nbsp;December 18.</p>


BJP national president Amit Shah will join Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath in the election campaign.

BJP chief Amit Shah will join Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath in the election campaign to address his first public meeting in poll-bound Himachal Pradesh on Monday. Shah will be in the state for two days. During his trip, the BJP president will address four rallies and hold a number of party meetings, including the state party's core group, a party leader said. The party chief is expected to hold close to 15 rallies during the entire Himachal election campaign. Shah will address a public rally each at Banikhet and Chalwara on Monday, sources added. On Sunday, Adityanath had said that Congress has turned the land of Gods into the land of crime, urging the people of Himachal Pradesh to vote for the BJP to end the mafia rule in the state. Campaigning for BJP candidates at Arki and Haroli, he said only crime and corruption increased under the rule of Congress in Himachal Pradesh. "The Congress has turned the 'dev bhoomi' (land of Gods) into 'apraadh bhoomi' (land of crime). It has sullied the name of the state, which is now known as forest and mining mafia, and illegal activities," he said. The BJP is hopeful of getting a clear majority by defeating the incumbent Congress government in the North Indian state. The elections for the 68-seat Himachal Pradesh Assembly will take place on November 9. The results will be declared on December 18.

Himachal polls: Amit Shah to join Yogi Adityanath in campaign against Congress

<p>Rahul Gandhi had on Monday at his rally in Gandhinagar, Gujarat dubbed the GST &quot;Gabbar Singh Tax&quot;.&nbsp;</p>

<p>On Tuesday he took his formulation to Twitter, and then added some.&nbsp;</p>

<p>He first wrote Congress GST = Good and Simple Tax.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Then, Modiji GST = Gabbar Singh Tax.&nbsp;</p>

<p>And then added his coup de grace: Gabbar Singh Tax = Yeh Kamai Mujhe de de.&nbsp;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Congress GST= Genuine Simple Tax<br />
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Modi ji&#39;s GST= Gabbar Singh Tax =&#39;&#39;?? ???? ???? ?? ??&quot;</p>
&mdash; Office of RG (@OfficeOfRG) <a href="https://twitter.com/OfficeOfRG/status/922695603380879360?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 24, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p>The Twitterati quickly took up the cue:&nbsp;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">What&rsquo;s your full form of GST?</p>
&mdash; History of India (@RealHistoryPic) <a href="https://twitter.com/RealHistoryPic/status/922493120545284096?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 23, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p>And the answers poured in, including from former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah:&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Greatly Screwed-up Tax</p>
&mdash; Omar Abdullah (@OmarAbdullah) <a href="https://twitter.com/OmarAbdullah/status/922496966642167808?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 23, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p>And Shashi Tharoor:&nbsp;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">GST being translated increasingly as Gayi Sarkar Tumhari! great idea ruined by wretched implementation <a href="https://t.co/ExBhNY351T">pic.twitter.com/ExBhNY351T</a></p>
&mdash; Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) <a href="https://twitter.com/ShashiTharoor/status/922757994219167744?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 24, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p>&nbsp;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Go Sell Tea</p>
&mdash; Uday Menon (@Uday47) <a href="https://twitter.com/Uday47/status/922493941097709569?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 23, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p dir="ltr" lang="hi">Gayi Sarkar Tumhari</p>
&mdash; Rachit Seth (@rachitseth) <a href="https://twitter.com/rachitseth/status/922504102336008192?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 23, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p dir="ltr" lang="tl">Ghoom Saariduniya Tax</p>
&mdash; Razi (@raz0212) <a href="https://twitter.com/raz0212/status/922500425265401856?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 23, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p>GST and demonetisation are being blamed for the current state of the Indian economy.&nbsp;</p>

<p>And with Gujarat and Himachal going to the polls soon, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP have been trying to put some distance between them and the tax.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Modi has of late been saying GST was first the Congress&#39;s idea.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The Congress of course has been trying to do the opposite -- lay the blame squarely at the BJP&#39;s door.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>


After Rahul Gandhi posted his formulation on Twitter, the Twitterati quickly took his cue

Rahul Gandhi had on Monday at his rally in Gandhinagar, Gujarat dubbed the GST "Gabbar Singh Tax". On Tuesday he took his formulation to Twitter, and then added some. He first wrote Congress GST = Good and Simple Tax. Then, Modiji GST = Gabbar Singh Tax. And then added his coup de grace: Gabbar Singh Tax = Yeh Kamai Mujhe de de. Congress GST= Genuine Simple Tax Modi ji's GST= Gabbar Singh Tax =''?? ???? ???? ?? ??" — Office of RG (@OfficeOfRG) October 24, 2017 × The Twitterati quickly took up the cue: What’s your full form of GST? — History of India (@RealHistoryPic) October 23, 2017 × And the answers poured in, including from former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah: Greatly Screwed-up Tax — Omar Abdullah (@OmarAbdullah) October 23, 2017 × And Shashi Tharoor: GST being translated increasingly as Gayi Sarkar Tumhari! great idea ruined by wretched implementation pic.twitter.com/ExBhNY351T — Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) October 24, 2017 × Go Sell Tea — Uday Menon (@Uday47) October 23, 2017 × Gayi Sarkar Tumhari — Rachit Seth (@rachitseth) October 23, 2017 × Ghoom Saariduniya Tax — Razi (@raz0212) October 23, 2017 × GST and demonetisation are being blamed for the current state of the Indian economy. And with Gujarat and Himachal going to the polls soon, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP have been trying to put some distance between them and the tax. Modi has of late been saying GST was first the Congress's idea. The Congress of course has been trying to do the opposite -- lay the blame squarely at the BJP's door.

'Yeh kamai mujhe de de,' says Rahul after calling GST 'Gabbar Singh Tax'

<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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<h5>Congress has taken a big risk by churning out a campaign which will eventually end up pitting Rahul Gandhi against Narendra Modi.</h5>
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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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<h5>Amit Shah claimed that more than 84 BJP-RSS workers had been killed in Kannur alone since 2001 by Left-supported individuals and organisations.</h5>
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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>&nbsp;</p>

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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>&nbsp;</p>

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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>&nbsp;</p>

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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>&nbsp;</p>

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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

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