Latest news with #Congress-led
Hans India
3 hours ago
- Politics
- Hans India
Govt ignoring coastal Karnataka, claims BJP
Mangaluru: Accusing the Congress-led state government of apathy and administrative failure in addressing public issues in Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has announced a large-scale dharna satyagraha in front of all Gram Panchayat, Town Municipal and City Municipal Council offices across the two districts on June 23. The protest, scheduled between 10 am and 1 pm, aims to highlight what the party describes as 'deliberate neglect' of people's basic civic needs and pending welfare schemes. District BJP presidents, MLAs, MLCs and MPs from both districts are expected to participate in the demonstration. Among the key issues flagged by BJP MLC Kishore Kumar Puttur, who released a statement on Tuesday, are: Delays in plot approval: Residents are allegedly being forced to travel to other taluk headquarters and wait for months to get approvals for residential plot layouts, particularly for Form 9 and 11E. Staff shortages in local bodies: Gram Panchayats continue to face acute staff crunch, with no remedial action from the government. Stalled housing under Ashraya scheme: Approval of houses has been on hold for over two years, and even ongoing works are not receiving sanctioned funds. Rejection of Akrama-Sakrama applications: Widespread dissatisfaction is brewing over what the BJP terms as 'arbitrary' rejection of regularisation applications without proper scrutiny. Non-disbursement of pension schemes: Elderly citizens and beneficiaries under the Sandhya Suraksha scheme are allegedly not receiving their entitled pensions. Threats to Gruha Lakshmi scheme: The government is reportedly considering rolling back the flagship women's welfare scheme, citing fiscal constraints. Misuse of public funds: BJP has criticised the ongoing re-enumeration exercise under the name of census as a misuse of public money. Terming the protest 'a people's movement rather than a political campaign,' Puttur stated that the dharna would be peaceful but firm in conveying the grievances of ordinary citizens to the government.
Hindustan Times
7 hours ago
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Minorities' housing schemes quota to go from 10% to 15%
The Karnataka cabinet on Thursday decided to enhance the reservation for minorities under various housing schemes in the state from 10% to 15%, drawing criticism from the opposition BJP, which called the move 'unconstitutional'. According to ministers, the move aligned with both the demographic realities and existing central guidelines. According to the government, this enhanced quota will benefit all minorities, including Muslims, Christians, and Jains. The change will apply to all government housing initiatives implemented across the state, and according to housing minister Zameer Ahmed Khan, it comes after long-standing demands from minority groups who have struggled to access affordable housing. The decision, however, has led the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to accuse the Congress-led government of pushing a religion-based agenda in violation of constitutional principles. Deputy chief minister DK Shivakumar defended the revision, highlighting that many housing units remain unoccupied in towns and cities, and that the new allocation could address both vacancy and need. 'In Mandya, there are 7 to 9 towers where no one has moved in. At least minorities are willing to occupy those buildings,' he said. 'In urban areas, a lot of minorities are present. We couldn't allocate [homes] to others, and that's why they requested 10–15%.' He pointed to similar patterns in Bengaluru, where homes built under public schemes have not been fully utilised. 'We've constructed houses, but no one has occupied them,' he said, adding that the increase was a long-pending demand. 'In the past seven years, they proposed this, and we agreed.' Law minister HK Patil called the change a reflection of the government's 'housing for all' vision. 'Many houseless individuals come from downtrodden and minority backgrounds. This move ensures that homes reach those in genuine need,' he said, clarifying that the quota does not exclude other communities. 'The government is firm that all eligible, houseless individuals should be accommodated.' The BJP has condemned the decision as constitutionally untenable. Union minister Pralhad Joshi claimed it flouted Supreme Court orders that bar religion-based reservations. 'This is a clear case of appeasement. The Congress government has increased what was on paper 4 to 15% in practice,' he said. 'It is a direct attack on the rights of SCs, STs, and OBCs, who will now lose out on benefits rightfully theirs.' Joshi warned of potential legal action, stating the party would review options in consultation with legal experts. BJP MLC CT Ravi also criticised the policy, invoking the legacy of Dr BR Ambedkar. 'Ambedkar never supported religion-based reservation. Now Congress is extending it to housing too,' he said. The move follows another contentious policy from the Siddaramaiah government earlier this year — an attempt to reserve 4% of government contracts under ₹2 crore for Muslims.
Indian Express
9 hours ago
- Politics
- Indian Express
5 Assembly bypolls in 4 states largely peaceful; Nilambur sees 73% turnout
Bypolls were held in five Assembly segments across Punjab, West Bengal, Gujarat and Kerala on Thursday, with the Nilambur seat in Kerala registering a voter turnout of 73.26% and Ludhiana West in Punjab recording a polling percentage of 51.33%. The bypolls to the Assembly seats of Kadi in Gujarat's Mehsana district and Visavadar in Junagadh were peaceful and recorded around 57.90% and 56.89% turnout, respectively, on Thursday, said a release from the office of the Chief Electoral Officer. Kadi bypoll was necessitated following the death of BJP MLA Karshan Solanki in February this year. The seat is reserved for the SC communities and a total of eight candidates were in the fray. The BJP fielded Rajendra Chavda and the Congress picked a former MLA from the same seat, Ramesh Chavda. AAP nominated Jagdish Chavda. In Visavadar seat, bypoll was necessitated after AAP MLA Bhupendra Bhayani resigned in December 2023 and later joined the BJP. In the polls, however, the party fielded former Junagadh district president and local cooperative leader, Kirit Patel against AAP's senior leader Gopal Italia and Congress's Nitin Ranpariya. The bypolls in Ludhiana West saw the lowest turnout since 2007 at 51.33%, as polling remained largely peaceful in this urban constituency of Punjab, barring a few incidents. In 2007, the polling was 58.92%, while the highest turnout was recorded in 2012 at 69.66%. The bypoll was necessitated after AAP MLA Gurpreet Bassi Gogi died in January this year. In West Bengal, Kaliganj bypoll recorded a turnout of 69.85% amid peaceful voting. However, the Election Commission has sought a report from the presiding officer after taking cognisance of reports that the BJP candidate for Kaliganj seat, Ashish Ghosh, made a vulgar gesture after casting his vote Thursday The EC has also sought the CCTV footage of the booth. Meanwhile, both the BJP and the Congress accused the ruling TMC of 'terrorising' polling agents of their parties. The poll panel deployed 14 companies of central forces for the bypolls in the seat. In the fray are Congress candidate Kabil Uddin Sheikh, backed by the Left Front, TMC's Alifa Ahmed, apart from BJP's Ghosh. The bypoll was necessitated due to the demise of Alifa Ahmed's father Nasiruddin Ahamed in February this year. Voting in the Nilambur bypoll in Kerala saw a steady turnout during the day, but slowed down towards evening and crossed the 70% mark at 5 pm. The turnout was 73.26% according to the latest figures by the EC. In the 2021 assembly polls, the turnout was 75.20%. Among the 10 candidates, the key contenders are ruling LDF pick M Swaraj, Aryadan Shoukath (Congress-led UDF), TMC state convener and independent candidate P V Anvar, and Mohan George of the BJP-led NDA. The bypoll was necessitated following Anvar's resignation as MLA from Nilambur. Counting of votes is on June 23. With PTI inputs
India Today
12 hours ago
- Politics
- India Today
BJP slams Bengal government over Muslim shops making Jagannath temple prasad
West Bengal's Digha Jagannath Dham finds itself in controversy after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) raised objections to the preparation and distribution of the prasad by Muslim-owned IT Cell head Amit Malviya on Tuesday took to social media, criticising the Trinamool Congress-led government. Malviya posted a document online listing several names he identified as Muslim sweet shop shops, he alleged, have been involved in preparing Gaja and Pera, sweets that are being distributed as prasad associated with Lord Jagannath. Sheet shared by BJP IT Cell head Amit Malviya highlighted the list of shop owners. advertisement 'Mamata Banerjee is trampling on Hindu sentiments with impunity in West Bengal! In the Suti 1 Block of Murshidabad district, sweet shops and ration dealers - majority of them Muslim - have reportedly been entrusted with the preparation and distribution of Gaja and Pera, which are being labelled as Prabhu Jagannath Dev's sacred prasad,' he wrote on added, 'This is not just administrative carelessness. This is a deliberate provocation. In Puri, even today, non-Hindus are not allowed to enter the Jagannath Temple - such is the sanctity attached to the Lord and His traditions. And yet, in Mamata Banerjee's Bengal, prasad meant for devotees of Lord Jagannath is being sourced from shops run by those who do not even follow the faith!'Calling the incident 'targeted sacrilege,' the BJP leader claimed that Hindus and Jagannath devotees are 'deeply hurt,' terming it a violation of tradition and religious similar concerns, Suvendu Adhikari, Leader of the Opposition in the West Bengal Assembly, criticised the distribution of Digha Jagannath Dham prasad through Muslim-run establishments. 'It is hurting our sentiments,' he response, senior Trinamool leader Firhad Hakim rejected the allegations, calling them 'mean thinking".Defending the state government's position, Hakim said, 'Bhagawan is for everyone and his prasad is also for everyone. This whole world is created by God and if a prasad is for him, then it is for everyone. One who is willing will accept it, and one like Suvendu Adhikari, who is an atheist, will not accept it.'West Bengal's Jagannath Temple in Digha was inaugurated by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on April 30 this year. The temple is a replica of the main Jagannath Temple in Puri, new temple has since led to several political controversies between BJP and Trinamool.
Time of India
14 hours ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Peaceful bypolls in five assembly seats
Polling for five assembly bypolls held in four states remained by and large peaceful with webcasting done at all but one polling station. Webcasting was implemented for the first time in 1,353 of the 1,354 polling stations set up across four states, the poll authority said. The bypolls were held in one assembly segment each in Punjab, West Bengal, Kerala and two assembly segments in Gujarat. Brisk polling was recorded in Kaliganj by-poll in West Bengal's Nadia district with 69.85% polling recorded till 5 pm. Unlike all recent polls in Bengal, this time's polling was almost incident-free and peaceful. "There have been no major incidents in the by-poll in Kaliganj on Thursday and by far it has been a very peaceful poll," WB-CEO Manoj Agarwal told ET. The Kaliganj bypoll was necessitated following the demise of the Trinamool Congress legislator Nasiruddin Ahmed in February this year. A triangular contest among BJP, Congress and AAP - last seen in 2022 - was witnessed in Gujarat's Visavadar (Junagadh district) and Kadi (Mehsana district) by-elections. In Visavadar, a Patidar-dominated seat and BJP stronghold until 2012, AAP's Gopal Italia is in contest with BJP's Kirit Patel and Congress' Nitin Ranpariya. In Kadi (SC), the contest is between BJP candidate Rajendra Chavda, Congress's Ramesh Chavda and AAP's Jagdish Chavda. In Visavadar, the polling percentage was approximately 60%, while in Kadi it was around 57% till the last reports came in. Kerala's Nilambur assembly constituency also saw a steady turnout with 60% votes polled till around 3 pm. Key contenders here are ruling LDF pick M Swaraj, Aryadan Shoukath (Congress-led UDF), Trinamool Congress state convener and independent candidate PV Anvar, and Mohan George of the BJP-led NDA. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Play War Thunder now for free War Thunder Play Now Undo In Punjab, polling went on smoothly for the Ludhiana West assembly bypoll with 40% polling recorded till 3 pm. The seat fell vacant following the death of AAP MLA Gurpreet Bassi Gogi in January.
