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Gehlot says BJP snooping on its leaders as channels air footage of Hardik Patel in Guj hotel

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8 years ago

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Gehlot says BJP snooping on its leaders as channels air footage of Hardik Patel in Guj hotel

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Hotel where Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi and general secretary Ashok Gehlot stayed in Ahmedabad confirms it gave CCTV tapes to police

As video clips of Gujarat’s Patidar agitation leader Hardik Patel entering and exiting a hotel in Ahmedabad in which Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi stayed on Mondaywent viral on television channels, amid suggestions that the two had held a “secret meeting”, Congress general secretary Ashok Gehlot has alleged that the BJP was snooping at the leaders of his party.

Gehlot’s allegations have, in a sense, been confirmed by the management of the posh Hotel Ummed. The hotel’s officials have been quoted anonymously by various media organisations as saying that they were asked to hand over the CCTV footage of the hotel by the Gujarat police and did so.

The footage that was aired on several local channels in Gujarat almost simultaneously on Monday evening and later on national channels too shows Hardik Patel entering an elevator in the hotel around 11 pm on Sunday along with some of his supporters and exiting the next day around 4.15 pm. In one grab, he is seen inside a car, holding a handkerchief to cover his face.

Rahul Gandhi had arrived at the hotel at around 1 pm on Tuesday and left at 2.30 pm for a rally.

Media channels and the political grapevine have pointed at the footage as evidence of a “secret meeting” between Rahul and Hardik Patel though there is no confirmation yet on how the TV channels received the footage that the hotel had handed over to the Gujarat police.

The purported secret meeting between the Congress vice president and the face of Gujarat’s Patel Andolan – if it did really happen – assumes political significance since the Congress party has been desperately trying to convince Hardik to either contest the forthcoming Gujarat assembly polls as its candidate or at least endorse the party publicly and solicit votes for it, against the BJP[/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]Hardik has vehemently denied the reports of this secret meeting with Rahul but has conceded that he did hold talks with Gehlot and laid out demands of the Patidar/Patel community (reservations in government jobs in particular) before the Congress general secretary who is the party’s in-charge for Gujarat.

Gehlot has sought to turn the row over the purported meeting to the Congress’ advantage by alleging that the leaked video footage from the hotel shows that his party’s leaders were being spied on under orders of the state’s incumbent BJP government.[/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]“The hotel staff told me that (local) intelligence bureau and police people inquired who all came… to meet whom. Then they took away CCTV footage and gave it to the media… Whether someone met Rahul Gandhi or others, what happened… how is that any of their concern. Is anyone an absconder (sic),” Gehlot told media persons on Tuesday.

Gehlot added: “I am asking Prime Minister Narendra Modi who is behind all this… How did the footage come in the media… because the local IB or police, they will not do anything without a signal from the BJP government, its leaders, Chief Minister, Prime Minister or PMO… And why did they seek the footage? Are Alpesh, Hardik and Jignesh Mewani absconders (sic).”

While the Ummed Hotel’s chief security officer, Vikram Singh Shekhawat, claimed that no rooms in the hotel were searched by the police, he admitted that “there were many police and IB officials deployed in the hotel throughout the day due to VVIP visits. The police did ask for CCTV footage and, after consulting our top management, we provided it to them. This was all for security reasons.”

Denying Gehlot’s allegations, Gujarat’s deputy chief minister Nitin Patel said that there is a security protocol for a visitor like Rahul Gandhi, but the state or its police have no role in it. “VVIP security is responsibility of security agencies… to ensure sanitised venues, checking by security agencies is done. There is no role of state agencies (sic),” Patel told reporters in Gandhinagar.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

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Abhishek Banerjee presents alleged dead voters at poll rally, attacks EC over SIR

Abhishek Banerjee displayed 10 people allegedly marked as dead in Bengal’s draft electoral rolls, accusing the Election Commission and BJP of undermining voting rights through the SIR exercise.

Published

8 hours ago

on

January 14, 2026

By

Abhishek Banerjee

Trinamool Congress MP Abhishek Banerjee on Tuesday intensified his attack on the Election Commission and the BJP-led Centre, presenting 10 people at a public rally who were allegedly marked as dead in the draft electoral rolls during the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise in West Bengal.

Addressing the gathering in Cooch Behar, the Trinamool national general secretary called the individuals on stage and claimed they had been wrongly declared deceased despite being residents of the district since birth. He alleged that their names were struck off the electoral rolls during the SIR process.

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Allegations over voter list revision

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Earlier this month, Banerjee had presented three individuals at another rally in South 24 Parganas district, alleging that they too had been marked as dead voters in the draft rolls.

Attack on BJP over unfulfilled promises

Targeting the BJP-led Centre, Banerjee accused the ruling party of failing to fulfil electoral promises made to the people of Cooch Behar since 2014. He cited commitments related to the formation of the Narayani battalion, a training centre named after warrior Chilarai, international status for the Madan Mohan temple, and the upgradation of Cooch Behar airport.

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Assembly polls and political messaging

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Tej Pratap Yadav meets family, invites Lalu and Tejashwi for Dahi-Chura feast

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Published

8 hours ago

on

January 14, 2026

By

Tej Pratap Yadav

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Tej Pratap personally handed over the invitation letter to Tejashwi Yadav, the Leader of the Opposition in the Bihar Assembly, in a gesture widely interpreted as an attempt at reconciliation and reaffirmation of family unity.

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Rare public warmth between the brothers

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A deeply personal moment during the visit drew widespread attention when Tej Pratap lifted Tejashwi’s daughter, Katyayani, in his arms. The images of the interaction quickly circulated on social media, presenting a softer picture of family bonds beyond political equations.

Tej Pratap later described the moment as a memorable experience, reinforcing the impression that familial ties remain intact despite past differences.

Political and symbolic significance

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AI errors in voter list digitisation causing hardship during SIR, Mamata writes to EC chief

Mamata Banerjee has written to the chief election commissioner alleging that AI-driven digitisation errors in electoral rolls are causing hardship, harassment and distress to genuine voters during the SIR process in West Bengal.

Published

1 day ago

on

January 13, 2026

By

mamta banerjee

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has once again written to Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, alleging that errors arising from AI-driven digitisation of the 2002 electoral rolls are causing widespread hardship to genuine voters during the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise in the state.

In her fifth letter since the SIR process began, Banerjee claimed that the use of artificial intelligence tools to digitise older voter lists led to serious inaccuracies in electors’ personal details. According to her, these errors have resulted in large-scale data mismatches, with many genuine voters being wrongly flagged as having “logical discrepancies”.

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Raising concerns over the nature of hearings, Banerjee said the SIR process had become largely mechanical and overly dependent on technical data, lacking sensitivity, human judgment and compassion. She argued that such an approach undermines democratic values and the constitutional framework.

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Banerjee also criticised the treatment of several eminent citizens, alleging that they were subjected to harassment during the process. She further expressed concern over the handling of cases involving women voters, particularly those who had changed their surnames after marriage or shifted to their matrimonial homes.

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Urging immediate corrective steps, Banerjee called on the Election Commission to address the issues arising from the SIR exercise to end what she described as harassment and agony for both citizens and officials, and to safeguard democratic rights.

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