logo
BJP has phobia of Gandhi-Nehru: Congress' Sukhdeo Bhagat on BJP criticising Karnataka housing scheme quota

BJP has phobia of Gandhi-Nehru: Congress' Sukhdeo Bhagat on BJP criticising Karnataka housing scheme quota

India Gazette14 hours ago

Raipur (Chhattisgarh) [India], June 20 (ANI): Slamming the Bharatiya Janata Party for criticising the Karnataka Government's decision to raise minority reservations in housing schemes from 10 per cent to 15 per cent, Congress leader Sukhdeo Bhagat said that he had heard about hydrophobia, but BJP has a 'phobia' of 'Gandhi' and 'Nehru'.
Deo alleged that the BJP was giving a 'Hindu-Muslim' angle to every scheme and stated that the party should exclude 'Muslims' from their 'Sabka Saath-Sabka Vikas' slogan.
BJP MP Sambit Patra on Friday tore apart the Congress-led Karnataka government over its decision to increase reservation in housing development schemes for minorities from 10 to 15 per cent. He termed it a 'perfect' example of how people keep the Constitution in their 'pockets' after 'tearing it into pieces.'
Sambit Patra said the Constitution for the Congress party and the Gandhi family are secondary to appeasement.
'The Karnataka Cabinet passing the Muslim reservation in housing schemes yesterday is a perfect example of how the people who keep the Constitution in their pockets are tearing the Constitution to pieces... For the Congress Party and the Gandhi family, the Constitution is secondary to religious appeasement', Sambit Patra told reporters on Friday.
Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar rebuffed BJP leader Amit Malviya's criticism of the state government's decision to raise minority reservations in housing schemes from 10 per cent to 15 per cent, accusing the BJP of fostering division.
Malviya had criticised the Congress government, alleging the hike was a move to 'appease its vote bank' at the expense of other communities, calling it 'blatantly illegal and unconstitutional.'Shivakumar accused the BJP of promoting divisive politics and said the government's decision was based on recommendations like the Sachar Committee Report and aimed at correcting implementation lapses in minority housing quotas.
Addressing the media, Shivakumar said, 'I am least bothered about any other BJP leader's comments or anything. They create hatred and they will try to divide society. We always try to unite society. There is a Sachar Committee Report which states that 15 per cent of the reservation should be given on welfare schemes to minorities. In various schemes, we had given 10 per cent of houses' reservation to them but in rural parts of Karnataka, there are no minorities. All minorities are in urban section - some were 25 per cent, some others 30 per cent, somewhere else 12 per cent. So, there were a lot of lapses. That is why, my Minister proposed it.'
The Karnataka Cabinet on Thursday approved an increase in the reservation quota for minority communities under various housing schemes from 10 per cent to 15 per cent. (ANI)

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Kerala to include lesson on Governor's powers in school syllabus
Kerala to include lesson on Governor's powers in school syllabus

Hindustan Times

time8 minutes ago

  • Hindustan Times

Kerala to include lesson on Governor's powers in school syllabus

Amid growing friction between the Kerala government and Raj Bhavan, state general education minister V Sivankutty said a lesson on the constitutional powers and duties of Governors would soon be a part of the school curriculum. In Kerala, the office of Governor Rajendra Arlekar, who took charge in January and who was seen to initially enjoy cordial relations with chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan(PTI) The announcement came just a day after Sivankutty walked out of an event at the Raj Bhavan in Thiruvananthapuram protesting against the display of a portrait of 'Bharat Mata', associated with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), on the dais. Speaking to reporters on Friday, Sivankutty said that the lesson explaining the constitutional rights and duties of Governors in India would be included in the second volume of social science textbooks for class 10 students this year. The chapter will be added to textbooks for students of classes 11 and 12 as part of curriculum revision as well, he added. 'Schools are the ideal place to learn the values of democracy. School curriculum is being revised while upholding constitutional values. In the country today, efforts to destabilise elected state governments through governors are rising. The Supreme Court has recently made it clear what the constitutional rights of governors are,' the minister said. His reference was to the Supreme Court's ruling on April 8 that set a timeline for Governors to clear state bills or refer them to the President. It also set a timeline for the President to clear them. The President has sought a Presidential Reference on the judgement. The court's ruling came after the state of Tamil Nadu approached it citing the alleged obstructionist behaviour of Governor R N Ravi. Several states governed by parties opposed to the Bharatiya Janata Party have seen clashes between the elected government and the Governor, whose powers are limited under the Constitution. When asked if the decision had anything to do with the ongoing row with the Raj Bhavan over the use of the 'Bharat Mata' portrait, the minister replied, 'I strongly feel students must learn and understand the duties of governors. That's why we have decided to include the chapter. It is a part of constitution. It is true that governors are interfering a lot. Students must be taught the right things.' In Kerala, the office of Governor Rajendra Arlekar, who took charge in January and who was seen to initially enjoy cordial relations with chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan -- especially when compared to the former Governor Arif Mohammed Khan -- has been locked in a tussle with the LDF government over the usage of a portrait of 'Bharat Mata' , showing a woman holding a saffron flag astride a lion at official events. The CM and ministers of the state government have argued that the portrait is associated with the RSS, the ideological fount of the BJP, and its display at official government events is inappropriate and violative of secular values. On Thursday, Sivankutty walked out in the middle of an event at the Raj Bhavan to honour scouts and guides after objecting to the display of the portrait. Later, he argued that Indian nationalism draws its strength from its diversity of languages, religions, regions, cultures etc. None of these can be contained within a narrow or unified image, he said. 'Calling the image of a woman carrying a saffron flag the sole symbol of Indian patriotism ignores this basic reality,' he added. Raj Bhavan issued a statement claiming that the minister's 'staged walkout' was a 'gross violation of protocol and a grave insult to the office of the Governor'. The Governor also said that there was 'no question of doing away with Bharat Mata as we draw our idea of patriotism and nationhood' from it. The office of the Governor said the minister's actions set a wrong precedent and that it viewed the developments with utmost concern. The row also spilled out onto the streets of Thiruvananthapuram with the SFI, student wing of CPI(M), taking a protest march to Raj Bhavan. In response, ABVP, the student wing of the RSS, displayed black flags as a convoy of the general education minister passed by.

PM Modi targets RJD, Cong in marker for Bihar elections
PM Modi targets RJD, Cong in marker for Bihar elections

Hindustan Times

time16 minutes ago

  • Hindustan Times

PM Modi targets RJD, Cong in marker for Bihar elections

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in a meeting in Siwan, Bihar, targeted the Rashtriya Janata Dal and the Congress, talked up his National Demoratic Alliance's development credentials , and inaugurated projects worth ₹ 11,000 crore from a stage replete with eight Union ministers, the state's chief minister and two deputy chief ministers, providing a curtain raiser to assembly elections due later this year. Prime Minister Narendra Modi waves to the crowd on his way to address a public rally with Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary in Siwan, Bihar. (Santosh Kumar/HT) The Congress and the RJD hurt Bihar's pride and kept the state poor due to mafia raj, goonda raj and corruption, Modi said , taking a pointed shot at RJD's Lalu Prasad and alleging that the former chief minister insulted BR Ambedkar. The PM was speaking after laying the foundation stone of and inaugurating multiple development projects worth ₹ 11,000 crore. Modi, who is on a three-state tour, inaugurated the new Vaishali-Deoria railway line and a Vande Bharat Express between Patliputra and Gorakhpur via Muzaffarpur and Bettiah. He also flagged off a state-of-the-art locomotive - the first built at a plant in Marhowra in Saran district – for export to the Republic of Guinea. Modi said the Congress did not allow Bihar to move out of poverty and the worst sufferers were Dalit, Mahadalit, backward classes and Extremely Backward Classes (EBCs), while in the last 11 years a record 250 million Indians moved out of poverty. 'Bihar under Chief Minister Nitish Kumar played a key role in it, as 3.75-crore (37.5 million) people from the state pulled themselves out of poverty. Despite so many years of independence, half the population lived below the poverty line. People struggled to beat poverty, as they could not find a way. The state was reduced to a migration centre and destined to live with the misfortune of poverty. Now, it is time to be wary of the same forces, who kept it poor, as they are desperate for power while the state has prepared the launchpad for rapid growth,' he added. Bihar governor Arif Mohammad Khan, chief minister Nitish Kumar, Union ministers Jitan Ram Manjhi, Giriraj Singh, Lalan Singh, Chirag Paswan, Ramnath Thakur, Nityanand Rai, Satishchandra Dubey, and Raj Bhushan Choudhary, deputy CMs Samrat Choudhary and Vijay Kumar Sinha, state health minister Mangal Pandey and former Union minister Upendra Kushwaha were present on the occasion. This is PM's fourth visit to Bihar this year and third since April 24 in what is viewed as a build up for the crucial state elections scheduled in October-November. He reached the venue in a road show, waving to the people from an open vehicle along with CM Nitish Kumar and Deputy CM Choudhary. Siwan is the birthplace of India's first President Dr Rajendra Prasad. Modi, who did not mention RJD's Prasad by name, also referred to a recent controversy where a portrait of Ambedkar was placed close to the feet of the ailing septuagenarian on his 78th birthday on June 11. 'Ambedkar was against dynasty rule. But they (RJD and its allies) do not like it. So they have his portrait placed at their feet. On my way, I saw posters demanding an apology for this insult to Babasaheb,' said Modi. 'But there has been no apology. This is because they hold Dalits in contempt. In contrast, Modi has Babasaheb in his heart and would like to keep his portrait close to his chest,' he added. According to the RJD, the controversy arose because of the camera angle at Prasad's residence. The party has said Prasad had his feet on a sofa because of 'medical advice', and a supporter stood close carrying the portrait of India's first law minister. Modi said that the panja (or hand – the Congress's symbol) and the lantern (the RJD's symbol) worked with a motive of 'Parivar ka Saath aur Parivar ka Vikas' (Support to family, growth to family), while the NDA works for Sabka saath, Sabka Vikas (inclusive development for all). He warned that those who brought 'jungle raj' to Bihar were looking for an opportunity to repeat their old deeds. 'You have to be very cautious for the bright future of your children. People who are ready to put the brakes on Bihar's developmental journey have to be kept at bay, as a prosperous Bihar is important for a prosperous India,' he added. Remembering Rajendra Prasad, Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narayan, and social reformer Braj Kishor Prasad, Modi said Siwan was the land that lent strength to democracy and the Constitution and played a big role in the freedom movement. 'We are trying to take the same spirit forward with inclusive growth so that nobody is discriminated against and even the world recognises India's growth journey to be the third largest economy. I have faith in your abilities, as you are the ones who ended jungle Raj and then worked with the NDA to put the state on track,' he added. The PM said that the Marhowra rail factory was an example of the kind of Bihar the NDA striving to create. 'With the export of locomotives, Saran, which was abandoned by the RJD as backward, has made its place on the global map. Jungle Raj had stalled the growth engine, but now Bihar's engine will run in Africa. Bihar will be a big centre for Make in India and contribute to the nation's growth,' Modi said. The PM said in the last 10-11 years, over 55,000 kms of rural roads were built, 15 million houses got power connection and tap water, 45,000 common service centres were started and now there was a wave of start-ups in towns and cities. CM Nitish, who has been critical of the RJD over its governance track record, took potshots at the main rival, without naming the party. 'Did the ones in power until we took over care for governance? People were scared of stepping out of their homes because of the law and order situation. Such a contrasting sight today when we have boys, girls, and so many women moving freely,'he said. Leader of Opposition in the state assembly Tejashwi Yadav blunted the PM's attack and asked him to stop misleading the people. 'Why is Bihar still grappling with poverty, unemployment, migration, pitiable state of health and education, gross nepotism in appointments, poor state of industrialisation? He[Modi] has no answer, but he can only mislead. The crowd was forcibly assembled for the rally,' he said.

Labelling ASEAN countries as China's ‘B-team' unwarranted, insulting: Congress
Labelling ASEAN countries as China's ‘B-team' unwarranted, insulting: Congress

Indian Express

time31 minutes ago

  • Indian Express

Labelling ASEAN countries as China's ‘B-team' unwarranted, insulting: Congress

The Congress on Friday hit out at Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal for his remarks against the India-ASEAN trade agreements, signed under the UPA government, saying labelling these countries as 'B team of China' is 'irresponsible and insulting'. Speaking at the India Global Forum (IGF) session in London, Goyal said, 'There was a point of time 15 years ago when we were more focused on doing FTAs with countries who were our competitors. So if I am doing an ASEAN agreement, it really is silly because (that is) opening up my market to my competitors, many of whom have now become the B team of China.' 'So effectively and indirectly, I have opened up my market for goods that find their way from China into India,' Goyal had said. Sharma, a former Union Commerce Minister, Friday said in a statement, 'Piyush Goyal's statement terming the Trade agreement with ASEAN as silly and labelling these countries as B team of China is irresponsible and insulting.' He said India and ASEAN countries 'have been engaged in a multifaceted relationship for over three decades' which is 'mutually rewarding and important'. 'This is an integral part of the Look East policy to deepen and diversify India's relations with a region economically vibrant and of enormous geostrategic importance…' 'The Commerce Minister should be prioritising strengthening trade relations with partner countries and not insulting them while bending backwards to negotiate a suboptimal trade agreement with US on its terms,' he added.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store