India News

Congress’s poll ticket offer to fiery Gujarat trio gets mixed response

Published

9 years ago

October 22, 2017

Congress's poll ticket offer to fiery Gujarat trio gets mixed response

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Patidar leader Hardik Patel rejects the offer, OBC leader Thakor joins Congress while Dalit activist Jignesh Mevani remained non committal

In a bid to lay its caste matrix right in the poll bound Gujarat, the state Congress president Bharatsing Solanki on Saturday invited the three “fiery and charismatic” young leaders, Patidar leader Hardik Patel, OBC leader Alpesh Thakor and Dalit activist Jignesh Mevani, to contest the Assembly polls on Congress symbol.

However, the offer received a mixed response with Patidar leader Hardik Patel rejecting it, while OBC leader Thakor announced his decision to join the congress and Dalit activist Jignesh Mevani remained non committal.

Hardik Patel had responded to Congress’ offer on his twitter saying that he had no ambition to contest the elections. “All we want is our rights and justice,” he tweeted within minutes of the ticket offer by Bharatsinh Solanki, the Gujarat unit chief of the Congress.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_raw_html]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[/vc_raw_html][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Alpesh Thakur, who met Rahul on Saturday, after being offered the ticket, announced that he would join the congress on October 23.

“Day after tomorrow, October 23, Rahul Gandhi will attend our rally in Ahmedabad, and on the 23rd I will join the Congress. And in Gujarat, a government of the poor, backward and unemployed will be formed,” Thakor said.

Meanwhile, BJP also attempted to set its caste equation in order with two Patidar leaders, Varun Patel and Reshma Patel joining the party after meeting party chief Amit Shah. The two leaders were part of Hardik Patel-led Patidar quota agitation and remained critical of the ruling BJP during the stir.

After joining the BJP, Patidar leaders told reporters that Hardik had become a “Congress agent” and was trying to use the agitation to overthrow the present state government. “Our agitation was about getting reservation under the OBC quota, not about uprooting the BJP and bringing the Congress to power. While the BJP always supported the community and accepted a majority of our demands, Congress is only trying to use Patels as a vote bank. We do not want to be part of such malicious conspiracy,” Reshma Patel said.

“This agitation was not of Hardik Patel‘s alone. He is now acting like a Congress agent. Varun and I are of the opinion that the BJP would definitely fulfill our demands,” she said

Meanwhile Jignesh Mevani, convener of the Rashtriya Dalit Adhikar Manch has not yet revealed to which party he would join. He said he would take decision only after meeting representatives of other Dalit welfare organisations. “Yes, I did hear about the offer. We will sit with members of Dalit organisations over the next few days and take a call. However, I am certain about one thing — the current Gujarat government ought to be removed from power.”

For the past couple of years the three leaders from Patidar, OBC and Dalit communities have influenced the state politics, drawing huge crowds. OBCs vote account for about 51 percent of the Gujarat population and are likely to impact as many as 110 seats out of the 182 in the state Assembly.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

Related Topics:Gujarat Election Narendra Modi Rahul Gandhi

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Gandhi Parivar vs Sangh Parivar, Revanth Reddy’s remark sparks BJP attack

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APNLive Desk

Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy’s remarks comparing the Gandhi Parivar and Sangh Parivar have triggered a political exchange, with the BJP hitting back at the Congress leader.

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Mr Reddy also appealed to people to stand with the Gandhi Parivar and oppose the Sangh Parivar. He described the latter as a threat to India’s democracy.

BJP hits back

The BJP responded to Mr Reddy’s remarks on Saturday.

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India News

India hits back at Shehbaz Sharif at UN, says terror will have consequences

India hit back at Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s UN speech, with New Delhi warning that terrorism will have consequences.

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APNLive Desk

India has responded to Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s remarks at the United Nations, delivering a strong message on terrorism and warning that such actions will have consequences.

The response came after Mr Sharif addressed the UN and raised issues concerning India and Pakistan. New Delhi rejected the narrative presented by the Pakistani prime minister and highlighted the issue of terrorism.

India’s message was delivered by Petal Gehlot, who represented New Delhi in the response to Pakistan.

India warns Pakistan over terrorism

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The exchange comes amid continuing tensions between India and Pakistan, with terrorism remaining a major point of disagreement between the two countries.

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Veeramani POCSO case: Vijay questions Stalin over earlier probe

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Vijay has questioned MK Stalin over the handling of the Veeramani POCSO case, while Stalin has rejected allegations that the previous DMK government protected anyone.

Published

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Vijay’s remarks came as the ruling TVK stepped up its questions about how the case was handled during the previous DMK government. The party’s IT wing has alleged that the earlier investigation was weakened and questioned why a final report was filed.

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Vijay questioned Stalin over the handling of the case and demanded an explanation from the former chief minister.

The TVK has specifically questioned why action was not taken against Veeramani during the previous administration and why the earlier investigation resulted in a closure report.

The party has also raised questions about the role of officials involved in the earlier investigation. These are political allegations made by the TVK and have not been established as facts.

What is the Veeramani POCSO case?

The case concerns allegations of sexual abuse of minors involving R Veeramani, the founder of Gem Granites.

The case came under renewed scrutiny after a special POCSO court rejected an earlier closure report and ordered further investigation. The expanded probe has subsequently identified additional alleged survivors who were minors at the time of the alleged offences, according to current reporting.

The investigation is also examining the circumstances surrounding the earlier probe and whether there were any lapses in how the case was handled.

What has MK Stalin said?

Stalin has rejected allegations that the previous DMK government protected Veeramani.

He has said that no order was issued by the DMK government to shield anyone in the case. Stalin has also said that everyone responsible for the alleged offences, including anyone who aided or attempted to protect the accused, should face the law.

The DMK president has further said that the focus should remain on securing justice for the affected girls rather than making political allegations.

Why has the case become a political issue?

The Veeramani case has become the subject of a political dispute between the ruling TVK and the DMK over the handling of the earlier investigation.

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At this stage, claims about political interference or deliberate weakening of the earlier investigation should be treated as allegations unless established by the ongoing investigation or judicial proceedings.