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If I was a job applicant, Jaitley wouldn’t have been finance minister: Yashwant Sinha

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8 years ago

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Arun jaitely and Yaswant Sinha

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]War of words between Sinha and finance minister Arun Jaitley intensifies, BJP margdarshak says those who haven’t seen face of Lok Sabha are attacking him

A day after Union finance minister Arun Jaitley countered his senior party colleague’s criticism of his handling of the Indian economy by terming the BJP ‘margdarshak mandal’ member a “job applicant at 80”, former finance minister Yashwant Sinha has hit back with equal gusto.

“He (Jaitley) has made this personal by calling me a ‘job applicant’. He delivered a well researched speech but overlooked (LK) Advani Ji’s advice to refrain from personal attacks. That’s okay though, I’m happy he made a personal attack,” Sinha said on Friday. “If I would have been a job applicant, then he would not have been (there),” Sinha added.

Sinha said Jaitley didn’t have a leg to stand on because he is merely “a political appointee” who has never had to nurture a constituency or work at the grassroots. The BJP warhorse, who had in an article for The Indian Express blamed the Union finance minister for making a “mess” of the Indian economy and said that he was “working overtime” to ensure that all Indians see poverty at close quarters, countered Jaitley’s ‘job aspirant at 80’ remark by saying: “I didn’t come to politics after retirement. I left my post in the IAS (Indian Administrative Service)… I could not be asking for a job at the age of 80 years.”

Countering Sinha’s charges against him and his claims of the Indian economy facing an imminent doom, Jaitley had on Thursday also sought to project his opponent’s term as finance minister in the Atal Bihar Vajpayee and Chandra Shekhar government as a failure. “I must confess that I do not have the luxury as yet of being a former finance minister. Nor do I have the luxury of being a former finance minister who has turned a columnist,” Jaitley had said, firing a salvo at both Sinha and Congress leader P Chidambaram, who had endorsed Sinha’s broadside against Jaitley.

Though Jaitley didn’t name Sinha or Chidambaram, he went on to take a satirical swipe at the duo, saying: “Being a former finance minister I can conveniently forget a policy paralysis (during UPA-II). I can conveniently forget the 15 per cent NPAs of 1998 and 2002 (during Sinha’s term as finance minister). I can conveniently forget the USD 4 billion reserve left in 1991 and I can switch over and change the narrative.”

On Friday, Sinha sought to fire a counter offensive, reminding Jaitley of his inability to win elections. Jaitley is known as much for being the BJP’s poll strategist as he is for his either staying away from active electoral politics – or losing the only election he has contested (from Amritsar during the 2014 Lok Sabha polls) despite a massive wave in favour of his party.

Sinha said: “After entering politics, I selected my constituency soon. It did not take me 25 years to select a Lok Sabha constituency. Those who have not seen the face of the Lok Sabha are questioning and attacking me.”

Sinha also hit out at Jaitley for not acting against black money hoarders whose names India had got under various bilateral efforts. “Three years ago HSBC Bank shared the names of over 700 people (holding black money abroad) with India. How many of them have been arrested? Has action been taken against them? Due to Panama Papers the Pakistan Prime Minister has had to resign. But why no action is being taken here,” Sinha said.

The government had also fielded Union minister of state for civil aviation Jayant Sinha to counter his father, Yashwant Sinha’s charges. Jayant had written an opinion piece countering claims of a slowdown of the Indian economy and though he didn’t expressly name his father in the article, it was evident that the counter-charges were meant to puncture Yashwant Sinha’s charges. It was largely speculated in the political grapevine that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government had deliberately forced Jayant (though he denied the rumours a day later) to counter his father’s article. Yashwant Sinha had termed Jayant’s article a “cheap political trick” by the government while Chidambaram had called the piece a “PIB handout”.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

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BJP releases first list of 47 candidates for Kerala assembly polls

The BJP has released its first list of 47 candidates for the Kerala Assembly elections scheduled for April 9, including three former Union ministers.

Published

13 hours ago

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March 16, 2026

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BJP releases list of candidates

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Monday released its first list of 47 candidates for the upcoming Kerala Assembly elections scheduled for April 9.

Voting will take place for all 140 seats in the state assembly, with counting of votes scheduled for May 4. A party or coalition needs at least 70 seats to secure a majority in the House.

Among the candidates announced in the first list are three former Union ministers — Rajeev Chandrasekhar, V. Muraleedharan and George Kurian.

Key candidates announced

Kerala BJP chief and former Union minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar has been fielded from the Nemom assembly constituency. In the 2024 Lok Sabha election, Chandrasekhar lost the Thiruvananthapuram seat to three-time MP Shashi Tharoor, but he led in the Nemom assembly segment during that contest. The party believes this performance strengthens its prospects in the constituency.

Nemom has held political significance for the BJP since 2016, when senior leader O. Rajagopal won the seat and became the party’s first-ever MLA in the 140-member Kerala Legislative Assembly. The victory marked the BJP’s initial breakthrough in the state assembly.

However, the seat returned to the Left camp in the 2021 Assembly election when V. Sivankutty defeated BJP leader Kummanam Rajasekharan.

Former Union minister V. Muraleedharan will contest from the Kazhakoottam constituency, while George Kurian has been nominated from Kanjirappally.

Other candidates in the list

According to the list released by the party, several other candidates have also been announced for key constituencies. P. C. George will contest from Poonjar, R. Sreelekha from Vattiyoorkavu and Padmaja Venugopal from Thrissur.

The BJP has also nominated Sobha Surendran from Palakkad, Navya Haridas from Kozhikode North and Kavitha K. S. from Sulthanbathery, a reserved constituency.

Raji Prasad will contest from the Kunnathur seat reserved for Scheduled Castes, while R. Rashmi has been fielded from Kottarakkara.

Political backdrop in Kerala

Kerala’s electoral politics has traditionally alternated between the Left Democratic Front (LDF) and the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF). However, the BJP has been attempting to expand its presence in the state.

The alternating trend was interrupted in the 2021 Assembly election when the electorate returned the Pinarayi Vijayan-led government to power for a second consecutive term.

The BJP believes recent electoral performances and local body successes have strengthened its position as it prepares to contest the upcoming assembly polls.

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Fire in ICU at SCB medical college hospital in Cuttack kills 10 patients

Ten patients died after a fire broke out in the trauma ICU at SCB medical college hospital in Cuttack early Monday morning. Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi announced compensation and ordered a judicial probe.

Published

22 hours ago

on

March 16, 2026

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A major fire at the trauma care intensive care unit (ICU) of SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack, Odisha, early Monday morning left ten patients dead and several hospital staff members injured.

According to officials, the fire broke out between 2:30 am and 3:00 am in the trauma ICU where critically ill patients were undergoing treatment. Emergency teams rushed to the scene soon after the incident, and multiple fire engines were deployed to control the blaze and assist in rescue operations.

Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi said hospital staff were injured while evacuating patients from the affected ward during the emergency.

Patients shifted as rescue operations continued

Following the fire, 23 patients were moved to other departments and wards within the hospital to ensure their safety and continued medical care.

Speaking to reporters, the Chief Minister said seven critically ill patients died while being shifted to other ICUs and wards, while three more succumbed later.

“A total of 23 patients have been shifted to other departments. Seven serious patients died while shifting to other ICUs and wards, while another three patients died later. I have directed the concerned officers for proper treatment of the injured patients,” Majhi said.

Chief minister visits hospital, announces compensation

Soon after the incident, Majhi visited the hospital along with Odisha Health Minister Mukesh Mahaling to review the situation. They also met patients who were undergoing treatment at the facility.

The Chief Minister announced financial assistance of ₹25 lakh for the families of each deceased patient.

He also ordered a judicial probe into the incident to determine the cause of the fire and examine safety measures at the hospital.

Authorities continue to monitor the condition of injured staff members and patients who were shifted from the ICU.

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Arvind Kejriwal moves Supreme Court against Delhi High Court order in excise policy case

Arvind Kejriwal has approached the Supreme Court challenging a Delhi High Court order related to proceedings in the excise policy case and alleging violation of his fundamental rights.

Published

23 hours ago

on

March 16, 2026

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Arvind Kejriwal

Aam Aadmi Party chief and former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has approached the Supreme Court of India challenging certain proceedings in the Delhi excise policy case and alleging a violation of his fundamental rights.

In a petition filed under Article 32 of the Constitution, Kejriwal has questioned a decision of the Delhi High Court that put a freeze on remarks related to the investigation conducted by the Central Bureau of Investigation.

The petition also challenges an order of the High Court Chief Justice rejecting Kejriwal’s request to transfer the case to another bench.

Plea seeks change of bench

Earlier, on March 11, Kejriwal and several others submitted a representation to Delhi High Court Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya seeking reassignment of the case to what they described as an “impartial” judge.

In the representation, Kejriwal stated that he had a “grave, bona fide and reasonable apprehension” that the matter may not receive an impartial hearing before the current bench.

However, the Chief Justice declined the request and said the petition had been assigned as per the existing roster.

According to the communication sent by the High Court’s Registrar General on March 13 to eight individuals including Kejriwal, the Chief Justice noted that any decision on recusal must be taken by the judge hearing the matter and that there was no reason to transfer the petition administratively.

Order on trial court proceedings also challenged

Kejriwal has also challenged a March 9 order passed by Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma of the Delhi High Court.

In that order, Justice Sharma had stayed a trial court direction that called for an investigation into a CBI officer who handled the excise policy case. The High Court had also asked the trial court to defer proceedings connected to the anti-money laundering aspect of the case.

Justice Sharma had further rejected certain observations made by the trial court while discharging Kejriwal and 22 others, stating that some of those remarks were erroneous.

Hearing expected on CBI plea

Meanwhile, Justice Sharma is scheduled to hear a petition filed by the CBI challenging the discharge of Kejriwal, former Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia and others in the excise policy case.

The matter remains under judicial consideration as the legal challenge now moves to the Supreme Court.

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