By Rahil Nora Chopra
Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge and Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju had a heated argument in the House after Kharge targeted Prime minister Narendra Modi, questioning his absence from the all party meeting on the West Asia crisis and criticising the government for not agreeing to a House discussion on the consequences of the conflict. When the Chairman allowed the minister to speak on the bills listed for discussion, Kharge said the BJP has time to pass a legislation but not to debate the Iran war despite notices. Kharge said, “LPG prices are rising, but they (government) don’t want to discuss it. Whatever we suggest, they disagree. What they want, they enforce it forcibly. Is it a democracy?” On the other hand, Parliamentary affairs minister Kiren Rijiju tried to counter the charge by blaming Kharge and Lok Sabha Opposition leader Rahul Gandhi for skipping an all-party meeting on this issue. Rijiju said the petroleum minister and the Prime Minister had already made statements in both Houses on the issue.
MAMATA HITS BACK AT AMIT SHAH ALLEGING ORGANISING CONSPIRACY TO WIN POLLS
The political battle has intensified in West Bengal ahead of the assembly polls. Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday advised the voters in West Bengal to cast their ballots without fear and also called them as to remove the Trinamool Congress (TMC) from power. Addressing supporters, Shah said voters should not feel intimidated. “This time, no one should fear; no goon can stop the voters of Bengal. Everyone must vote without fear to uproot and throw TMC into the Bay of Bengal,” he said. Shah made a direct appeal to voters in Bhabanipur, the constituency from where Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is contesting, urging them to support candidate Suvendu Adhikari. Shah said the BJP wants to build a “Sonar Bangla” and accused the ruling party of being affected by corruption. By fielding Suvendu Adhikari against Banerjee in Bhabanipur, the BJP is seeking to recreate the drama of Nandigram in the heart of Kolkata and turn the contest into a direct prestige battle between Bengal’s two most recognisable political faces. Meanwhile, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee claimed that the harassment of seven judicial adjudication officers in Malda’s Kaliachak was part of a joint conspiracy involving the BJP and the Election Commission of India. In her address at an election rally in Sagardighi, located in neighbouring Murshidabad district, Mamata said the alleged plan was aimed at disturbing the electoral process and creating conditions for the imposition of President’s Rule in the state.
SPECULATION RIFE OVER FUTURE POLITICAL COURSE OF AAP MP RAGHAV CHADHA
The internal rift between Aam Aadmi Party MP Raghav Chadha and the AAP high command came to light much after the party replaced him with Ashok Mittal as its deputy leader in the Rajya Sabha. The change comes amid Chadha’s prolonged silence on matters related to the AAP, and his absence from several public events led by AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal. The AAP presently has 10 members in the Rajya Sabha, including seven from Punjab and three from Delhi. Meanwhile, Raghav Chadha said he had been silenced, not defeated. In a video message posted on X, Chadha said, “Whenever I get a chance, I raise issues concerning the people in Parliament, including topics that are often overlooked. But is it an offence to talk about people’s problems? Did I commit any crime?”. He further alleged that the party had formally communicated to the Rajya Sabha Secretariat that he should not be permitted to speak. On the other hand, the speculations is rife that Chadha might switch to the BJP ahead of the Punjab elections but AAP leaders, however, played down the possibility.
BSP SUPREMO MAYAWATI FAVOURS FORMATION OF A SEPARATE WESTERN UTTAR PRADESH
With the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections scheduled for 2027, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) supremo Mayawati has rekindled an old demand for a separate state of Western Uttar Pradesh. The former chief minister has asked her party cadres to acquaint the people of west Uttar Pradesh during their meetings that the BSP is in favour of reorganising the state, whereas the BJP and the Samajwadi Party are more interested in their own politics than welfare. Dalits and Muslims together account for over 45 percent of the population in the region, with Dalits making up nearly 20 percent. A significant proportion of the Dalit population belongs to the Jatav community, which is considered a core voter base of the BSP.
JMM IS CONTESTING IN ASSAM ASSEMBLY POLLS IN 18 TRIBALS DOMINATED CONSTITUENCIES
The Congress and Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) are together running the government. However, JMM has kept its foot into Assam politics and will be contesting the 9 April assembly elections independently. Several party leaders including Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren are campaigning in tea gardens in eastern and North Assam, where Adivasi voters play the decisive role. The JMM has declared it will contest 18 assembly seats, it marks the party’s most ambitious political expansion beyond Jharkhand, where it is targeting the more than 65-lakh-strong tea tribe population, including the Santhal, Munda, Oraon and Kurukh communities—tribes seen to have origins in Jharkhand. The tea tribe community constitutes about 20 per cent of the state’s population. (IPA Service)
