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Veteran Congress leader Santosh Mohan Dev passes away at 83

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Santosh Mohan Dev

He made immense contribution to build the party right from grassroots level in the Northeast

~By Sujit Bhar

Santosh Mohan Dev, a veteran Congress leader and a pillar of support for the party in Assam’s Silchar as well as in Tripura, died at a hospital on Wednesday (August 2). He was 83.

The former Union heavy industries and steel minister and seven-time MP from the area died in a local hospital. His daughter, Sushmita Dev, also an MP, tweeted: “Nothing could have prepared me for this moment. I lost him at 6.06 am today (Wednesday). Thank you, everyone, for your prayers, your love for him,” as per agency reports.

Apart from heavy industries and steel, he had also held the Minister of State (MoS) for Communications from 1986-1988 and MoS for Home between 1988and 1989. It was during the PV Narasimha Rao government in 1991 that he got independent charge of Steel.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said: “Saddened by the passing away of Santosh Mohan Dev. He was a veteran political leader who worked extensively for the welfare of people. My thoughts are with the family and supporters of Santosh Mohan Dev in this hour of grief.”

Congress President Sonia Gandhi said: “In a political career spanning five decades, Dev held numerous crucial political assignments in the Congress party and in the government, including that of a Union Cabinet Minister. His immense contribution to building the party in the Northeast, right from the grassroots level, would always be remembered.”

What Sonia was talking about was the other side of Dev that the Congress benefitted from. Dev had great knowledge of and influence on the intricate politics of the north eastern region, especially the tribal areas. Apart from his ministerial work, he also delved in issues such as the Bodo agitation that took shape at the time. With the usual Congress method of neglect growing in contentious areas, Dev was asked to step in and provide appeasement with money.

This correspondent had been around when hard cash was dumped on the movement and dissent soon dampened. Dev was instrumental in bringing civic relief, albeit through means that would not have any lasting effect. However, as long as Dev was active – in the latter stages of his life he somewhat withdrew from public life, leaving the political work mostly to his daughter – he wielded the great influence that his family had in the area in containing any form of dissent. Unfortunately, such methods of containment, over time, yielded to more dissent and ulterior motives of the Congress in keeping dissent alive in the area were alleged, though never proved.

Technically, Silchar remains an underdeveloped town, with little communication and sparse facilities for the public at large. This correspondent had been around in the town during Dev’s heydays, when the water supply of the town became so putrid and dangerous, this correspondent was tied to bed with blood dysentery. Doctors diagnosed the water supply of the town as the culprit. Diseases were rampant and the presence of an important Union minister in town was barely noticeable.

What Dev did excel in was in the inside working of the party, specific to his area, where he held sway on several counts. He managed intricate small fiefdoms of minor leaders with aplomb, but he was more adept at knitting into his design the presence of senior Congress leaders from New Delhi. Back home in Silchar, this was a large selling point for influence-garnering.

He hailed from a freedom fighter’s family. He was a third generation Congressman and his father Satindra Mohan Dev was a freedom fighter of repute and was close to Jawaharlal Nehru, being jailed more than once for his opposition to British rule, while his grandfather Kali Mohan Dev was also an active member of the Indian freedom struggle and a member of the first ever Silchar Municipal council in 1913. That had installed his family as virtually the first family of Silchar. His sphere of influence was so immense in that area that he became one of the rare cases where he was elected as MP from two different states – Assam and Tripura – and he did use his influence to stymie popular uprisings in the area with ease.

While tensions have remained in the area, the pipe-chewing, suave image of Dev will remain imprinted in the minds of many who have known him. He was the quintessential Congressman as history in India has recorded. They don’t make any like them anymore. Not in the Congress.

2024 Lok Sabha Elections

Arvind Kejriwal says BJP started Operation Jhaadu to crush AAP

The Delhi chief minister alleged BJP has started Operation Jhaadu so that they do not grow big and become a challenge to them

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Arvind Kejriwal says BJP started Operation Jhaadu to crush AAP

Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday alleged BJP has started Operation Jhaadu to crush the Aam Aadmi Party since its popularity among the people is rising too fast. Kejriwal was addressing Aam Aadmi Party workers at the party office in New Delhi where he claimed the AAP’s bank accounts would be frozen after elections and they will be brought on the roads and left without an office.

The Delhi chief minister alleged BJP has started Operation Jhaadu so that they do not grow big and become a challenge to them.  He further added that through Operation Jhaadu, AAP’s big leaders will be arrested; they are being arrested, and in the coming days, Aam Aadmi Party’s bank accounts will be frozen.

Kejriwal pointed out that ED’s lawyer has already given this statement in court that soon after the election, AAP’s bank accounts will be frozen. He said that if they freeze their accounts now, then AAP will get sympathy. As a result after the election, ED will freeze AAP’s bank accounts. He said AAP’s party office will be cleared out, and the party will be brought to the streets.  Kejriwal said these are the 3 plans made by the BJP.

The Delhi chief minister claimed that no gold or money has been recovered from him, and the BJP, by creating false cases has got AAP leaders arrested. Kejriwal recalled that since the time he came to power in 2015, many allegations had been against him by the BJP. He said after the liquor policy scam has happened people are asking them if the scam happened then where is the money. He pointed out that in other places, when raids happen, notes and gold are recovered, but here nothing was found. Kejriwal asked the people that where is all the money? He said BJP had made fake cases and arrested AAP leaders.

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2024 Lok Sabha Elections

PM Modi says Congress is the mother of corruption, party was involved in coal and 2G scams

PM Modi said, Congress and JMM know nothing about development and their only job is to speak lies, loudly, again and again, and everywhere, their only objective is to do an the X-ray of poor people’s wealth and steal it.

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PM Modi says Congress is the mother of corruption, party was involved in coal and 2G scams

Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed an election rally in Jharkhand’s Jamshedpur on Sunday (May 19) amid the ongoing Lok Sabha Elections 2024.  While addressing the election rally in Jamshedpur PM Modi said, people’s excitement told him what result will come on June 4 in Jamshedpur.

He recalled the time when he used to work as a BJP party worker for many years and used to ask people at that time they would come at 10 or 11 am to attend an election rally. But today he was witnessing a huge crowd here. The prime minister thanked all of them and said Lok Sabha election decides and strengthens the future of the country.

During a public rally in Jamshedpur, PM Modi said, Congress and JMM know nothing about development and their only job is to speak lies, loudly, again and again, and everywhere, their only objective is to do an the X-ray of poor people’s wealth and steal it. He further accused the Congress and JMM of snatching the reservation of SC and ST and the party leaders of the two parties are continuously abusing Modi every day. He asked if they are not able to think beyond this? He said the whole country has realised their truth.

PM Modi said, Congress and their ally parties, wherever they have governments, he challenged those chief ministers and this is not his political statement. The prime minister said Congress’s Shehzada keeps opposing business industries, businessmen and investments.

 PM Modi asked which businessman will go and invest in those states? What will happen to the youths of those states?  He said all investors who come to him and say that they would not go to these states because of their ideology against them. He said businessmen are verbally abused there and investors are forced to think that since Shehzada has this kind of thoughts, his ally parties would have the same thoughts as well. PM Modi added Congress is the mother of corruption and party was involved in coal and 2G scams as well

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2024 Lok Sabha Elections

Rahul Gandhi says Kejriwal will vote for Congress and he will vote for AAP

Gandhi said that if the prime minister comes in front of him, he would ask him questions about crony capitalism, unemployment, inflation, and farm issues.

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Rahul Gandhi says Kejriwal will vote for Congress, and he will vote for AAP

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was addressing an election rally on Saturday where he said that Arvind Kejriwal will vote for a Congress candidate and that he will vote for an AAP candidate in Delhi in the ongoing Lok Sabha elections as a mark of strong bond between the two allies.

He further added workers of Congress and of AAP to work together to ensure the victory of their alliance in all 7 Lok Sabha seats in the national capital. In his address, Gandhi also challenged Prime Minister Narendra Modi for a debate concerning the issues of India. The Congress leader said he is ready to debate with PM Modi whenever and wherever he wants, but he was confident that PM Modi would not come.

Notably, former Supreme Court judges Madan B Lokur and Ajit P Shah and senior journalist N Ram had written to Gandhi and PM Modi recently and invited them to a platform for a debate on the key Lok Sabha election issues. Gandhi said that if the prime minister comes in front of him, he would ask him questions about crony capitalism, unemployment, inflation, and farm issues.

The Wayanad MP said in his address that PM Modi has only worked for 22-25 people. He asked small businessmen from Chandni Chowk, what PM Modi had done for them? He said demonetization, GST, and other taxes had impacted small businessmen. He said billions of rupees of Adani and Ambani had been waived off. Gandhi said BJP is privatising railways and other PSUs as well.

The former Congress president questioned the prime minister about introducing the now-scrapped electoral bond scheme and further accused him of extorting money with the help of central agencies such as the Enforcement Directorate (ED). Gandhi reffered to Delhi as the Brotherhood Capital and said that if people work together with love, there is progress.

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