During the inauguration of the new Congress headquarters in Delhi, Rahul Gandhi led the charge that the battle against the RSS-BJP was not just a political one. “The BJP and the RSS have captured every single institution of our country. We are now fighting the BJP, the RSS and the Indian state itself,” he said. Rahul contended that what RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat had said was “treason because it is stating that the Constitution is invalid, it is stating that the fight against the British is invalid and he has the audacity to say this publicly. In any other country he would be arrested and tried.” On the other hand, BJP chief JP Nadda accused Rahul Gandhi and his network of having close ties with urban Naxals and the deep state, claiming they focus and aim to tarnish India’s reputation. While Congress on Thursday said the BJP had distorted Rahul Gandhi’s remarks as it defended the Leader of the Opposition from flak over his “fighting the Indian State” comment, citing the definition of ‘state’ in Article 12 of the Indian Constitution. On the other hand, Mamata Banerjee has said she wouldn’t tolerate RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat’s alleged attempt to distort history after he had said India had truly attained independence only with the consecration of the Ram temple at Ayodhya last year. Mamata has asked: “Mahatma Gandhi, Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, Bhagat Singh, Maulana Abul Kalam Azad; will we forget them? Will we forget their struggle? Gandhi ji is the Father of the nation. He gave up his life for the country. How can we forget freedom fighters?”
PATNA POLITICS REJIG: RJD LOOKS TO EXPAND MAHAGATHBANDHAN
The political activity in Patna is soaring up as the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) has magnified efforts to strengthen the Mahagathbandhan in the state. RJD chief Lalu Prasad attended a ‘Dahi-Chura’ feast organised by Rashtriya Lok Janshakti Party (RLJP) chief Pashupati Kumar Paras party on the occasion of Makar Sankranti. During the meeting, Paras, the brother of the late Union minister Ram Vilas Paswan, received a nod from Lalu to join the Opposition camp. However, the estranged uncle Pashupati Kumar Paras who claimed that he was insulted by the nephew when they were together, made it clear that he has been exploring all options.
MAYAWATI’S SECOND NEPHEW JOINS POLITICS; BSP TO FIGHT DELHI POLLS
BSP was not able to win a single seat in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections with its core Dalit votes shifting to other parties. Now, the BSP supremo Mayawati is trying to go back to the basics and reframe the party’s bahujan strategy. She even decided to contest the assembly bypoll in nine seats of Uttar Pradesh (UP) in a break from the past, but the party could neither win a seat nor make the contest triangular. After these losses, BSP has now announced its intent to contest all 70 seats in the Delhi Assembly elections set to be held in February to reclaim its lost political space. Addressing a press conference in Lucknow on her 69th birthday, Mayawati urged the public to vote for a party that prioritises welfare and inclusive governance, reminding people of hardships faced during the Covid-19 pandemic. The BSP supremo also chose the occasion to launch her second nephew Ishant Anand. The elder one Akash is the party’s coordinator and second-in-command after Mayawati. Both the nephews remained standing next to the chair till Mayawati held the press conference. Ishant is Akash’s younger brother. On her 69th birthday, Mayawati also launched the Hindi and English edition of ‘Safarnama: Part-20 of Struggle Life and BSP Movement’.
CRACKS WIDEN IN INDIA BLOC, WHILE MVA LANDS IN CHOPPY WATERS
Amid reports of cracks in the INDIA bloc, the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP-SP) chief Sharad Pawar has thoroughly made it clear that the alliance was made only for national elections. Meanwhile, Shiv Sena (UBT) announced its decision to go solo in the local body elections in Maharashtra. However, Pawar said that he would convene a meeting of the MVA’s three constituents to discuss whether they should unite to contest the upcoming local body elections. While the Congress, meanwhile, has said the party’s central leadership will decide on whether it will contest solo or in alliance in the local body polls. While the INDIA alliance appears to be crumbling in the Delhi assembly polls, the MVA coalition too seems to be in troubled waters.
RAHUL LAUNCHES CONGRESS’S DELHI ELECTION BID WITH BIG PROMISES
The political activity in Delhi is heating up as Congress leader Rahul Gandhi launched his party’s campaign for the Delhi assembly elections with the slogan ‘Jai Bapu, Jai Bhim, Jai Samvidhan’. The rally, held in Seelampur (Shahdara), an area still haunted by the communal riots of 2020. Rahul said: “The BJP–RSS people spread hatred and divide communities. But the Constitution reminds us that India belongs to everyone.” The Congress has promised that it would give Rs 500 LPG cylinder, free ration kits, and free electricity up to 300 units to the city residents if it is voted to power in Delhi. The grand old party on January 6 announced ‘Pyaari Didi Yojana,’ promising a monthly monetary grant of Rs 2,500 to women and on January 8, the party announced its ‘Jeevan Raksha Yojana,’ under which it promised to provide free health insurance of up to Rs 25 lakh. The party also promised to give Rs 8,500 every month to educated unemployed youths in Delhi every month for one year. Delhi elections are due on February 5 and results will be declared on February 8. (IPA Service)