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BJP’s junior allies in Uttar Pradesh ask it to behave itself

Published

8 years ago

January 8, 2019

BJP’s junior allies in Uttar Pradesh ask it to behave itself

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]If it is a sign of things to come, BJP’s stock seems to be going down – at least among its allies, if not among the voters.

After its troubles with allies in Bihar and Maharashtra, now it is the BJP’s junior allies in Uttar Pradesh expressing their unhappiness and threatening to ditch the alliance if the party does not give them due consideration.

Soon after the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) walked out of the BJP alliance in Assam, the Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party (SBSP) and Apna Dal (Sonelal) threatened to part ways if the BJP did not change its attitude to smaller parties in the alliance in Uttar Pradesh, said a report in The Indian Express (IE).

Backward Classes Welfare minister and SBSP chief Om Prakash Rajbhar gave the BJP a 100-day ultimatum to fulfil his demands of implementing reservation within the 27 per cent OBC quota.

Apna Dal (S) coordinator and Union Minister Anupriya Patel said that her party may take “any decision” if the state BJP leadership continued to ignore her party workers.

“Every time there is an election, the BJP gets votes with help from allies. Later, they refuse to take the allies along. The Apna Dal has come to know this now but I know it for last 21 months. Be it the Shiv Sena, Upendra Kushwaha or Ram Vilas Paswan, none of them are in an understanding with the BJP at present,” Rajbhar told The Indian Express on the sidelines of a monthly party meet in Lucknow.

“If the BJP wants to take us along in the polls we are ready, otherwise we are going to contest all 80 Lok Sabha seats on our own. If the BJP implements quota within the 27 per cent reservation then only we are with them,” he said.

He threatened to part ways with the BJP if they did not meet his demands within 100 days. “If they do not implement our quota demand, I will part ways with the BJP. The committee (Social Justice Committee) report is already with the Chief Minister and he should implement that,” he said.

Recently, a four-member social justice committee has reportedly recommended that 79 OBC communities should be subdivided into three categories. As per the recommendation, the categories should be Backward Class, Most Backward Class and Extremely Backward Class with respectively seven per cent, 11 per cent and nine per cent reservation.

Taking a dig at UP Chief Minister Yogi Adiytanath, Rajbhar said, “There was a time when we had an understanding but it cannot continue anymore. You be angry or happy, we now have our separate ways,” he said.

“Yogi has only to save cows and I have to give education to the poor. We are different,” was his terse remark.

Earlier, speaking at the inauguration of her party office at 1-A Mall Avenue, Anupriya Patel said her party did not have complaints with the central BJP leadership but rather with the party unit in UP.

Anupriya Patel alleged that the Yogi-led BJP government in the state wants backwards to fight among themselves in the name of reservation.

Denying the recommendations of the Social Justice Committee report, Patel alleged that the state government is not getting Census done on the basis of caste. She also demanded that the distribution of quota within the 27 per cent OBC quota should be on the basis of the population of every community.

“The UP government is not ready for caste-based Census and thus wants backward to fight among themselves. We also demand that reservation should also be considered in contractual jobs as well. Even backwards should be posted at Tehsil and Police Stations in a respectable proportion,” she added.

“We are not going to compromise with the honour of our workers. Our party has always fulfilled the coalition dharma and we will keep doing so. We raise the demands of our workers at every forum but our workers were ignored. Now, we had to come to the media,” she said.

Apna Dal (S) president Ashish Patel suggested that instead of worrying about the Opposition alliance, the state BJP leadership should think about their own allies.

Ashish Patel said, “Small parties and allies are being ignored in the BJP government. Their demands are not being met. The upcoming 2019 Lok Sabha Elections can go anyway if the allies are not given due respect and importance. The BJP should not force anyone to become a ‘Vibheeshan’, especially at a time when SP-BSP alliance can pose a grave threat to the BJP in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.”

Earlier, the Apna Dal (S) had announced last month that its president Ashish Patel and Anupriya will not participate in any events led by the Yogi Adityanath government in Uttar Pradesh till their issues with the BJP are resolved.

Ashish Patel, while addressing a press conference in Mirzapur, had said: “The BJP should learn from the losses in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh assembly elections. The SP-BSP alliance is a challenge for the NDA, whose allies in UP are upset. The leadership at the Centre must do something, or else the NDA would suffer in UP.” He also said that smaller parties were feeling ‘ignored’ by the BJP.

However, the BJP had dismissed reports of rift and termed it a “minor misunderstanding”. BJP leader and Union minister Ashwini Kumar Choubey had said there was no anger or ill will, adding there may have been some misunderstanding whose solution will be arrived at.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

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Yogi Adityanath takes a dig at Akhilesh Yadav over Ram Temple visit plan

Yogi Adityanath’s remarks came after the Samajwadi Party announced that Akhilesh Yadav would visit the Ram Temple in Ayodhya on December 12.

Published

6 hours ago

November 7, 2026

APNLive Desk

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Saturday took an apparent swipe at Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav over his planned visit to the Ram Temple in Ayodhya, saying those who had fired on Ram devotees should first apologise to them and to the saints.

Yogi made the remarks while addressing the 10th edition of Deepotsav in Ayodhya. He did not name Akhilesh Yadav directly.

Yogi’s remarks come after Akhilesh’s Ayodhya visit plan

The chief minister’s comments came after the Samajwadi Party announced that Akhilesh Yadav would visit the Ram Temple in Ayodhya on December 12. It would be his first visit to the temple since its inauguration, according to the report.

Yogi said those who had earlier neglected and insulted Ayodhya, opened fire on Ram devotees and subjected saints to lathicharge should come to the city only after seeking forgiveness.

“Let them apologise to the devotees of Lord Ram; let them apologise to the saints,” Yogi said, adding that they should repent for their past actions.

Reference to 1990 firing on kar sevaks

Yogi’s remarks referred to the 1990 police firing on kar sevaks during the Ram Janmabhoomi movement. At the time, the Uttar Pradesh government was headed by Mulayam Singh Yadav, Akhilesh Yadav’s father.

The chief minister said those who had once “bloodied” Ayodhya were now remembering the city. He also criticised political leaders over their conduct at religious gatherings, referring to the decorum of a katha.

Akhilesh has not yet visited the Ram Temple

Akhilesh Yadav has visited Ayodhya earlier but has not so far visited the Ram Temple. The SP leader was in the city on October 8 to attend a Bhagwat Katha organised by party leader Pawan Pandey.

According to the report, Akhilesh and his wife, Mainpuri MP Dimple Yadav, are scheduled to offer prayers at the Ram Temple and Hanumangarhi on December 12.

The planned visit comes amid political activity in Ayodhya ahead of the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections due by February 2027.

Yogi highlights Ayodhya’s transformation

During his Deepotsav address, Yogi also spoke about the changes in Ayodhya and described the city’s transformation as an ideological victory.

He said those who had previously neglected Ayodhya were now witnessing its development. He also said Lord Ram represented India’s national consciousness, culture, values and self-respect.

The chief minister further recalled the Ram Janmabhoomi movement and said Ayodhya had regained the glory for which kar sevaks and saints had struggled.

India News

Himanta Sarma to approach court over threat to gherao home in Zubeen case

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said his government would approach the Supreme Court and Gauhati High Court over a threat to gherao his residence if two prime accused in the Zubeen Garg death case are granted bail.

Published

8 hours ago

November 7, 2026

APNLive Desk

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Friday said the state government would bring before the Supreme Court and Gauhati High Court a threat by a group to gherao his residence in connection with the Zubeen Garg death case.

Speaking to reporters, Sarma described the threat as a serious matter, saying it posed a danger to his family and could amount to a direct attempt to murder.

The development comes ahead of the Supreme Court hearing on November 30 of the bail petitions filed by Shyamkanu Mahanta and Siddhartha Sharma, the two prime accused in the case.

Why Himanta Sarma plans to approach the courts

Sarma said he had instructed the state government’s legal department to bring the matter to the notice of both the Supreme Court and Gauhati High Court.

The Chief Minister objected to the group threatening to target his residence rather than holding a protest near the Chief Minister’s Office.

He said those questioning the judicial process should approach the Supreme Court or the high court instead of targeting him. Sarma also maintained that the courts should be allowed to carry out their work.

According to him, attempts to question the judicial process in this manner could obstruct the path of justice.

What the group said about the bail pleas

The Zubeen Garg Nyay Samiti, led by Raijor Dal MLA Akhil Gogoi, had announced on Thursday that it would gherao the Chief Minister’s residence under certain circumstances.

The group said it would carry out the protest if Shyamkanu Mahanta and Siddhartha Sharma were granted bail or if the Assam government failed to mount an effective legal opposition to their bail pleas.

The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear the bail petitions of the two accused on November 30.

Bail granted to two accused in the case

The Gauhati High Court granted bail to singer Amritprava Mahanta, an accused in the Zubeen Garg death case, on October 9. She was granted bail against a bond of Rs 50,000 and two sureties of the same amount.

The high court has also granted bail to Sandipan Garg in the case.

Referring to the bail order concerning Amritprava Mahanta, Sarma said it mentioned that 160 witnesses had not named her during the court hearing, despite having done so during the investigation conducted by the Special Investigation Team (SIT).

Responding to questions over the development, Sarma said the witnesses should be questioned about the discrepancy rather than him.

What happened to Zubeen Garg?

Singer Zubeen Garg died in Singapore on September 19 last year while swimming in the sea.

Police in Singapore had said that no foul play was involved in his death. Garg had travelled to Singapore to attend the fourth edition of the North East India Festival (NEIF).

India News

Rahul Gandhi targets Modi government over alleged ‘petrol chori’

Rahul Gandhi has accused the Modi government of ‘petrol chori’, citing Karnataka government tests that allegedly found excess ethanol in several petrol samples.

Published

10 hours ago

November 7, 2026

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Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has stepped up his criticism of the Centre over the E20 petrol issue, alleging that consumers could be paying for petrol while receiving fuel containing more ethanol than the prescribed 20 per cent level.

In a post on X on Saturday, Mr Gandhi referred to the issue as “petrol chori” and cited test results from petrol samples collected by the Karnataka government.

He said the government maintains that petrol contains 20 per cent ethanol, but alleged that testing of samples from seven Karnataka districts showed higher levels in several cases.

Rahul Gandhi cites Karnataka petrol test results

According to the figures cited by Mr Gandhi, 11 of 14 samples tested contained more than 20 per cent ethanol. He highlighted results of 31.2 per cent for an IOCL sample and 30.5 per cent for an HPCL sample.

He also named IOCL, HPCL, BPCL, Nayara and Shell while alleging that samples from both government-owned and private companies exceeded the 20 per cent level. These are allegations based on the tests cited by Gandhi and the Karnataka government, rather than an independently established finding covering all petrol sold by these companies.

The samples were reportedly collected from areas including Bengaluru, Kolar, Chikkaballapura, Bengaluru Rural, Ramanagara, Mangaluru and Tumakuru and tested at the Shriram Research Institute in Bengaluru.

What Rahul Gandhi said about ‘petrol chori’

Mr Gandhi used the phrase “E20 turned into 420” in his post, linking the reference to Section 420 of the erstwhile Indian Penal Code, which dealt with cheating.

He questioned the Centre over the actual ethanol content of petrol and asked when action would be taken against companies that, according to the allegations, supplied fuel containing more than 20 per cent ethanol.

He also argued that excessive ethanol blending could affect vehicle performance, including mileage and maintenance costs, and questioned why fuel stations do not disclose the actual ethanol content of the petrol being sold.

Oil companies dispute Karnataka findings

The three state-run oil marketing companies — Indian Oil Corporation, Bharat Petroleum Corporation and Hindustan Petroleum Corporation — have disputed the Karnataka government’s findings.

The companies said the reported results were not supported by testing carried out according to the prescribed statutory and technical procedures. They maintained that E20 petrol supplied through their retail networks conforms to the Bureau of Indian Standards’ IS 17021 specifications, which prescribe an ethanol range of 19-21 per cent.

The companies have also questioned aspects of the sampling and testing process and sought access to the relevant samples and documentation for independent testing.

Rahul Gandhi reiterates debate challenge

Mr Gandhi also reiterated his challenge to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for an open debate, saying the ethanol-blending issue could be included along with the other issues he has been raising.

His latest remarks come amid a political exchange over the Karnataka government’s allegations concerning ethanol levels in petrol and the oil companies’ rejection of those findings.