Mayawati

Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) president Mayawati on May 18 lashed out at the BJP for allegedly targeting religious places to divert people's attention from issues such as poverty, unemployment and inflation and cautioned that it will only weaken the country. She also said changing the names of the places associated with a particular religion will only create hatred. "In order to divert people's attention from issues such as rising poverty, unemployment and skyrocketing inflation in the country, the BJP and its associate organisations are specially targeting religious places and this is not hidden from anyone," Mayawati told newspersons in Lucknow. "This can spoil the situation anytime. Years after Independence, the manner in which people’s religious sentiments are being incited, as part of a conspiracy in the guise of Gyanvapi, Mathura, Taj Mahal and other places, will not strengthen the country but will only weaken it. The BJP needs to pay attention to this," she said. The BSP … [Read more...] about BJP targeting religious places to divert people’s attention from issues such as unemployment, inflation: Mayawati

Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) supremo and former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Mayawati has alleged that Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its allies were distracting people by targeting religious places to divert attention from key issues like inflation, poverty and unemployment. The BSP chief also warned that such an attempt can worsen the situation anytime. The BSP chief, in her statement issued on Wednesday, said, “In order to divide the attention of the people suffering from the ever-increasing poverty, unemployment and skyrocketing inflation in the country, the BJP and its allied organizations are selectively targeting religious places, especially religious places. It is not hidden and it can worsen the situation here at any time”. “After years of independence, now under the guise of the matters of Gyanvapi, Mathura, Taj Mahal and other places, the manner in which religious sentiments of the people are being provoked as per conspiracy, this will not only strengthen the country … [Read more...] about ‘BJP, its Allies Selectively Targeting Religious Places’: Mayawati Slams Saffron Party for ‘Diverting Attention From Key Issues’

With the Centre slashing the excise duty on petrol and diesel, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati on May 22 said it was the duty of not only Uttar Pradesh but also of other States to immediately announce a cut in VAT on fuel. Petrol price on May 22 was slashed by ₹8.69 a litre and that of diesel by ₹7.05 per litre following the government's decision to cut excise duty on auto fuels, giving relief to consumers battered by high fuel prices that had pushed inflation to a record high. In a tweet in Hindi, Mayawati said, "After a long time, the Centre has given some relief by reducing charges on petrol-diesel to the people who were forced to live a miserable life due to rising inflation, poverty, unemployment and stress. Now it is the responsibility of UP and other states to follow the advice of the Centre and immediately reduce VAT (on diesel and petrol)," Ms. Mayawati said. Also Read Being between 'devil and deep sea': Chidambaram on States' situation after Govt's … [Read more...] about Uttar Pradesh, other States should slash VAT on petrol, diesel: BSP chief Mayawati

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to fly to Nepal on Buddh Purnima today to pay a visit to Lumbini, the birthplace of Lord Buddha in Nepal, nearly seven months after inaugurating the Kushinagar airport in October last year. According to reports, the PM will land at the newly constructed Kushinagar airport from where he would visit a Buddha temple, situated around 4km away, and later leave for Nepal in a chopper. Kushinagar is a Buddhist pilgrimage spot. The BJP has been focusing heavily on reinvigorating India’s global and pan-Asia ties with Buddhism, even as the party has worked to consolidate the support of the Dalit community, who often embrace the religion. In 1956, Dr BR Ambedkar, the most revered Dalit icon, turned to Buddhism. The religion’s association with a Dalit icon, who is regarded as the foremost leader who fought for their rights and had them enshrined in the Indian Constitution, is bound to have its own social and political weight. “Ambedkar … [Read more...] about How PM Modi’s Visit to Nepal on Auspicious Buddh Purnima May Have Indian Cause & Effect Too. Hint: Dalits

The Samajwadi Party and the Bahujan Samaj Party, the main Opposition parties in Uttar Pradesh, have taken a combative stand against the BJP on the Gyanvapi mosque court proceedings and alleged the role of the ruling party in the ongoing legal controversy. Bahujan Samaj Party president Mayawati on Wednesday said the BJP and its allies were selectively targeting specific religious places to divert public attention from increasing poverty, unemployment and soaring inflation. “The situation could deteriorate any moment due to this,” Ms. Mayawati said here. The BSP chief said the way in which religious sentiments of people were being stoked “as part of a conspiracy” in the name of “Gyanvapi, Mathura, Taj Mahal and other places” would make the country weaker and not stronger. The BJP should draw its attention to this, she added. Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav alleged that the Gyanvapi issue was a “conspiracy” of the BJP and its “invisible friends” and “hidden friends.” … [Read more...] about SP, BSP allege BJP’s role behind Gyanvapi controversy

At the Congress party’s brainstorming session in Udaipur over the weekend, Rahul Gandhi created a flutter by suggesting that regional parties do not have the ideological clarity to take on the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The Janata Dal (Secular) in Karnataka has already reacted in strong words to Mr. Gandhi’s statement. But it is not as if India’s grand old party has shown any initiative in illustrating his remarks by action even though the perfect opportunity is already here: the five-yearly presidential election. Countdown to July With just over two months to go for President Ram Nath Kovind’s term to end, it is a given that the BJP has the numbers in the electoral college to call the shots. It has enough legislators in Parliament and the State Assemblies as well as those of allies and friendly parties to install its candidate in Rashtrapati Bhawan, whether it be Mr. Kovind for a second term or someone else. What is surprising is the lack of mobilisation by the … [Read more...] about The Congress’s inexplicable lethargy over the presidential poll

Gyanvapi Mosque Row Updates: Advocate commissioner Ajay Mishra, who was removed from his post in the panel tasked to conduct a videography survey inside the Gyanvapi mosque complex, has filed a two-page report in the Varanasi court regarding the survey conducted under him from May 6-7 and May 14-16. As per sources, the report mentions the “fragmented deity, the debris of the temple, the shape of the lotus”, etc. A Varanasi court, which had ordered the videography survey of the Gyanvapi Mosque complex, on Tuesday removed Mishra on grounds of non-cooperation. “Ajay Mishra, the advocate commissioner has been removed by the court,” assistant advocate commissioner Ajay Pratap Singh told PTI. Meanwhile, the five women petitioners in the case have approached the Varanasi court seeking a directive for a fresh survey on the area near the mosque’s eastern part facing an idol of Nandi in the adjacent Kashi Vishwanath temple. They also demanded that the temporary wall facing the Nandi idol in … [Read more...] about Gyanvapi Mosque Row Updates: Ajay Mishra Submits 2-page Survey Report in Varanasi Court, Say Sources

The non-issuance of invitation to BSP to the all party meeting that Rajya Sabha Chairman Hamid Ansari held on Monday for the smooth passage of the Lokpal Bill on Tuesday was attributed to a communication gap at the level of the Rajya Sabha secretariat. Both Deputy Chairman P. J. Kurien and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kamal Nath assuaged the feelings of the BSP which made it a point to protest its exclusion as that had created a wrong impression about the party which had always supported the Lokpal Bill. BSP leader Satish Chandra Mishra took exception to his party’s exclusion from the list of invitees for the all party meeting and sought a clarification from the government. He said the record had to be set straight as a wrong impression had been created in the media that the party had boycotted it. There was no question of boycotting the meeting and the impression created had caused harm to party chief Mayawati, Mr. Mishra stressed. The Parliamentary Affairs Minister … [Read more...] about Communication gap denies BSP invitation to All Party Meeting

Ending disruption, the Samajwadi Party on Tuesday spelt out its opposition to the Lokpal Bill and staged a boycott, paving the way for its passage in the Rajya Sabha. Earlier in the day, Chairman Hamid Ansari accepted Leader of the Opposition Arun Jaitley’s notice for suspension of question hour and called for resumption of the discussion on the Bill. But SP leader Naresh Agrawal opposed it, demanding that the Chair take up other notices too and that the issue of price rise be given preference. When party members trooped into the well, the House was adjourned till noon. When it resumed, SP leader Ram Gopal Yadav spelt out the reasons for his party’s opposition to the Bill. He said only the Lokpal would be considered honest and all others, right from the Prime Minister to MPs and the Cabinet Secretary to those down the rank would be made to look like the accused. He warned that any MP could be hauled up by his rival in the MPLAD (Member of Parliament Local Area Development) Scheme … [Read more...] about SP boycott paves way for Bill passage

The arrest and ill-treatment of Indian diplomat Devyani Khobragade in the U.S. figured prominently in Parliament on Wednesday. Outside the House Prime Minister Manmohan Singh termed the episode “deplorable.” Dr. Singh was responding to queries after an impromptu discussion in both Houses, during which members expressed outrage at the handcuffing and strip-searching of Ms. Khobragade in New York after she was charged with visa fraud. The government told Parliament that India would assert itself effectively and ensure that the diplomat’s dignity was restored. There was also a demand to pass a resolution against the U.S. on the issue. Making a statement in both Houses, External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid said the Deputy Consul General was trapped in a “conspiracy.” “She is innocent. It is not the illegality that she is accused of, but the illegality she refused to oblige,” he said. Terming the action by the U.S. government unwarranted, the Minister said it was a matter of … [Read more...] about MPs want resolution passed against U.S.