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Shot in the arm for Congress in Gujarat as Hardik Patel declares support
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Declaration of support from the Patel Anamat Andolan Samiti chief comes on a day when Congress was on the back-foot for its controversial meme against PM Modi
On a day when the Congress party had been forced to go on the back-foot against the BJP following a controversial meme put out by Youth Congress volunteers on Twitter mocking Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Grand Old Party got a shot in the arm in its Gujarat poll campaign as it secured the support of Patidar leader Hardik Patel for its electoral pitch.[/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 Patel, the popular leader of the Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti (PAAS) who had kept the Congress guessing for weeks over whether he would formally endorse the party’s electoral bid in the state or not, declared on Wednesday that he had “accepted the formula given by the Congress” on providing reservations for Patidar community in government jobs in Gujarat if it is voted to power.
Reservation for the politically influential Patidar community, which comprises around 15 per cent of the Gujarat electorate and holds the key for electoral victory in at least 60 of the state’s 182 assembly constituencies, was a key demand of the PAAS leaders. Hardik Patel, who has had several rounds of discussions – directly and through his representatives – with the Congress leadership in the past few weeks, had demanded that the Congress offer a formula for carving out the quota without disturbing the existing 49 per cent reservation already promised to Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward Classes in the state.
On Wednesday, Hardik Patel said: “The Congress has accepted our demand for reservations with a formula that provides for benefits equivalent to OBCs constitutionally, without disturbing the present 49 per cent quota for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and OBCs…We are accepting the formula given to us by the Congress party.”
Hardik’s announcement, seen as his clear endorsement of the Congress in the poll-bound state where the party has been out of power for the past 22 years was immediately welcomed by senior Congress leader Kapil Sibal, who had led his party’s discussions with the PAAS leader on the legal aspects of the quota-assurance.
Asserting that a “united fight” by the Congress and PAAS leaders would dethrone the BJP in Gujarat, Sibal told reporters: “We are very happy that a ‘sanjha morcha’ (united front) will now fight against the BJP… We thank him (Hardik) that they (PAAS) have joined us with an ideology to contest the election by coming together… Our target is to win the election and fulfill promises made to the people.”.
The Congress leader, however, refused to divulge details of the ‘formula’ that his party had offered to the Patidar leader on carving out a quota for the community, even as the BJP leadership continued to claim that “any formulation over Patidar reservation offered by the Congress would be legally and constitutionally untenable”.[/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]On his part, Hardik claimed that he along with his PAAS colleagues will have the reservation formula scrutinized by senior lawyers and constitutional experts to confirm its tenability, though he expressed confidence on the probability of the formulation offered by the Congress being legally valid.
Hardik brushed aside allegations by the ruling BJP of him being a “Congress agent” and said: “The Congress has accepted our demands though it is in Opposition and has promised to even include it in its manifesto. In this situation, when the BJP tortured our youth and slapped false cases, including those of sedition, there is nothing wrong in supporting the Congress.”
The PAAS chief added: “Let the BJP call me a Congress agent. I am nobody’s agent, except of the people… The Congress has promised that a survey would be carried out within Patel or any other forward community as per provisions of the OBC Commission and on this basis parameters of economic, social, educational or employment would be used to extend reservation benefits to Patels and other communities that currently do not benefit from the quota system.”
Hardik declared that the Congress had said that if it won the Gujarat polls – due in two phases scheduled for December 9 and 14 with results to be decalred on December 18 – it would pass a proposal for reservations for Patidars under Articles 31-C and 46 of the Constitution.
With many political observers and the BJP leadership claiming that any reservation beyond the existing 49 per cent granted to SC, ST and OBC communities would be a violation of the Supreme Court-mandated cap on quotas, Hardik claimed this argument was not correct and that “there is nothing in the constitution that prohibits quota beyond 49 per cent.”
Hardik said that since 1994, many states, including Gujarat, had given quotas beyond 50 per cent and in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka such reservation had been in existence for the past 15 to 17 years.
With youth leaders like Hardik, Alpesh Thakore and Jignesh Mevani – politically influential faces of Patidar, OBC Thakore and Dalit communities respectively – directly or tacitly supporting the Congress’ bid for power in poll-bound Gujarat, the Grand Old Party can finally hope to make some incremental electoral gains in the home state of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP national president Amit Shah.
However, whether the declaration of support from these leaders will actually lead a conversation of actual votes of people from their communities in favour of the Congress is something that will be known only on December 18 when the Election Commission declares results for the high-stakes Assembly polls.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]
2024 Lok Sabha Elections
Mamata Banerjee accuses BJP of plotting riots on Ram Navami
The Bengal chief minister added at an election rally that the BJP will win the election by vote looting and rioting.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday alleged that there are plans being hatched to incite riots in West Bengal on the occasion of Ram Navami. Last year’s celebrations were marred by violence in the state, which lead to a massive confrontation between the Trinamool Congress and BJP.
She said the BJP will engage in rioting today. There is a prospect and possibility of rioting. The Bengal chief minister added at an election rally that the BJP will win the election by vote looting and rioting. Earlier Banerjee greeted the people of West Bengal and appealed to maintain peace during the celebrations. The BJP, however, condemned it and said that the West Bengal CM is humiliating the Indian and Sanatani culture.
BJP Rajya Sabha MP and spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi said West Bengal Chief Minister, Mamata Banerjee has made a post on social media appealing to maintain peace, this is demeaning the festival of Ramnavami as on the other religious occasions she has given the message of peace, but here she is asking to maintain peace instead of giving the message of peace and prosperity. He added by doing this she is trying to humiliate the Indian and Sanatani culture.
Both the BJP and Trinamool Congress held Ram Navami processions across West Bengal. Leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari attended one such Ram Navami procession in the New Town area of the city, while Trinamool Congress minister Arup Roy and TMC’s Howrah Lok Sabha constituency candidate Prasun Banerjee walked with Ram Navami processions in Howrah town.
Many similar processions, small and big, with youths chanting Jai Shri Ram and holding saffron flags and replicas of swords amid frenzied beating of drums, took place across West Bengal. Police and security forces are staying vigilant and the situation has remained peaceful so far.
2024 Lok Sabha Elections
MK Stalin says if Prime Minister Narendra Modi comes to power again, the country would go back by 200 years
MK Stalin said if PM Modi comes to power again, the country will be pushed back by 200 years and history will be rewritten.
Tamil Nadu CM and DMK leader MK Stalin said on Tuesday that if Prime Minister Narendra Modi comes to power again, India would be pushed back by 200 years. Stalin was addressing a rally in Sriperumbudur in the state in support of DMK candidate TR Baalu, he said, if PM Modi comes to power again, the country will be pushed back by 200 years and history will be rewritten. He asserted that science will be pushed back, and superstitious stories will be given prominence. He added that Dr BR Ambedkar’s constitution will be replaced by the rules of the RSS.
The Tamil Nadu chief minister said a vote for the BJP is a vote for the enemy of state, a vote for the AIADMK is a vote for the betrayers of the state. Stalin hit out at the AIADMK and said that voting for the AIADMK was equivalent to voting for the BJP.
He added the AIADMK and the BJP were called natural allies, but they are now acting as if they are separated. The Tamil Nadu CM pointed out that when he was asked if the AIADMK would support the BJP in case they need majority, Edappadi K Palaniswami did not say that the AIADMK would not support the BJP. Stalin said everybody is waiting to see AIADMK’s answer.
The Tamil Nadu CM asserted that the AIADMK can never go against the BJP. He said a vote for the AIADMK is equivalent to a vote for the BJP. Stalin responded to former chief minister and AIADMK general secretary Palaniswami’s claim that he had got several awards from the centre and said that Palaniswami had got the awards for being the best of slaves. He said they are carefully implementing schemes for the development of Tamil Nadu and Palaniswami claims that he has got awards from the central government.
2024 Lok Sabha Elections
Prime Minister Narendra Modi says RJD is responsible for destroying Bihar, slams Lalu’s party over various corruption cases
The prime minister made a scathing attack at the opposition and said Ghamandia Gathbandhan has no vision or trust. He said when INDIA bloc alliance goes out asking for votes, then they do so on the basis of the work done by Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said that India and Bihar are moving forward to return to their ancient glory and added the upcoming Lok Sabha elections is an election to take a resolve for developed India and developed Bihar. PM Modi was addressing an election rally in Bihar’s Gaya, where he said that the public support that has gathered on the land of Gaya clearly shows enthusiasm of the people once again for the Modi government.
The prime minister spoke on BJP’s manifesto for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections and said that it is for the first time that a Sankalp Patra of any party is being called a guarantee card as in the last 10 years, people have seen Modi’s guarantee for fulfillment of a guarantee.
PM Modi said for the next five years, Modi’s guarantee card has been updated. He promised 3 crore houses will be made for the poor, the poor will get free ration for the next 5 years and those above 70 years of age will receive free treatment upto Rs 5 lakhs He said the PM-Kisan Samman Nidhi yojana will be continued and all of these are Modi’s guarantees.
The prime minister made a scathing attack at the opposition and said Ghamandia Gathbandhan has no vision or trust. He said when INDIA bloc alliance goes out asking for votes, then they do so on the basis of the work done by Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar. PM Modi said the people of Bihar know why they try and take credit for the work done by Nitish and the central government.
The prime minister said RJD is responsible for destroying Bihar and slammed Lalu’s party over various corruption cases including land for jobs scam, fodder scam. Speaking about BJP’s manifesto PM Modi said, there is a roadmap for every section and sector of the society.
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