BJP picks new state chiefs, moves closer to electing JP Nadda's successor
The BJP has now new state presidents, including some who were reelected, in 16 states, a figure that will rise on Tuesday. Some big states like Karnataka and Madhya Pradesh may also follow suit in the next few days.The BJP has picked seasoned organisational men but with low public profile in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh in Ramchander Rao and P V N Madhav respectively.Maharashtra BJP working president and four-term MLA Ravindra Chavan is set to be elected president in place of Chandrashekhar Bawankule, a Cabinet minister in the BJP-led government in the state, while incumbent Uttarakhand president and Rajya Sabha MP Mahendra Bhatt is set to begin a new term.advertisementThe development has brightened the prospect for the BJP to elect its new national president to replace Nadda, a Cabinet minister in the Modi government, in July.Rao's choice, however, triggered a furious reaction from fiery Hindutva leader and MLA T Raja Singh, who resigned from the BJP. The elevation of Rao, a relatively low profile in the Telangana organisation riven with factionalism, is being seen as a balancing act and also a reward to old organisation hands.The BJP's decision to replace its Lok Sabha MP Daggubati Purandeswari as its Andhra president with a seasoned organisation man is driven by its leadership's wish to build the party in a state where it is an ally of the ruling TDP but remains a minor electoral player.Purandeswari, the daughter of towering Andhra leader N T Rama Rao and sister-in-law of Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, enjoys a certain stature due to her family background and long stint in politics during which she served as a Union minister in the UPA government when she was in the Congress.However, BJP sources said a thorough organisation leader like Madhav can be more helpful in building the party in the state.While Rao is a Brahmin, Madhav is from the Backward Classes, giving the party a toe hold in a community outside the ones that form the bulwark of all major political players in the state.advertisementIn Uttarakhand, the party, having made a Thakur leader in Pushkar Singh Dhami as the chief minister, has opted for a Brahmin face in Bhatt as its president. Chavan is a Maratha, a powerful community in Maharashtra.- Ends
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Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
Dhule saw devpt under BJP: Kunal Patil after joining party
Nashik: Former state working president of Congress and ex-MLA of Dhule Rural Kunal Patil on Tuesday joined BJP in Mumbai and said the need for development in the Dhule-Nandurbar region was the primary reason for the switch. Patil, whose family has been associated with Congress for over 75 years, was inducted into BJP in the presence of party executive president Ravindra Chavan, party's state president Chandrashekhar Bawankule, WRD minister Girish Mahajan and Dhule district guardian minister Jaykumar Rawal. Patil said he joined BJP to drive development in the Dhule-Nandurbar region, a constituency his family represented so far. Bawankule and Chavan assured him of full support for the region's development. " by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like One Investor Uses These 5 REITs for Over $10K in Monthly Income [See How] Seeking Alpha Read Now Undo We have been following up the Sulwade Jamphal irrigation scheme with different govts at the Centre for years together. But it was BJP that understood the gravity and funded the project, which will be a reality soon," Patil said, adding that the people of Dhule had been dreaming of the Manmad-Dhule-Indore railway track since childhood. "I was drawn to BJP because, after they took office at the Centre and in the state, the long-pending Manmad-Dhule-Indore railway project finally got a push. Despite my family's three-generation association with Congress, I've decided to start a new chapter," Patil said. Patil's joining BJP is a significant blow to Congress in the Dhule-Nandurbar area, given the family's long-standing ties with the party and the Gandhi family. Notably, Rahul Gandhi had visited Patil's home during the Bharat Jodo Yatra when Patil's father, Rohidas Patil, was unwell. The Patil family's legacy in Congress is substantial, with Rohidas Patil serving as an eight-time MLA and minister, and his father, Chudaman Patil, being a two-time MP from Dhule. "With Patil joining BJP, the party has only further consolidated its position in the Dhule and Nandurbar region. This will definitely have a very strong effect on the results of the forthcoming local body self-governing bodies in the region," a senior BJP politician from Dhule said. Get the latest lifestyle updates on Times of India, along with Doctor's Day 2025 , messages and quotes!
Indian Express
an hour ago
- Indian Express
Residents of enclave exchange detained in Delhi on suspicion of illegal Bangladesh migrants, later released
About a decade after they chose to come to India after an historic enclave exchange with Bangladesh, eight members of the families of migrant labourers, hailing from Cooch Behar district of West Bengal, were detained in Delhi on suspicion of being illegal Bangladesh nationals. They were detained by the Delhi Police from a brick kiln during a drive against illegal Bangladeshis. They have now been released. 'Our team had detained them from a brick kiln on Monday. After they produced their resident cards issued by the West Bengal government and other relevant documents, they were allowed to leave on Tuesday,' Deputy Commissioner of Police (Northwest Delhi) Bhisham Singh told The Indian Express. After news of their detention reached Cooch Behar, the district police got in touch with their Delhi counterparts. 'This is happening every day to migrants from West Bengal. The police of different BJP-ruled states and that of Delhi did not even bother to inform the West Bengal government. We, on our own, have made verifications and sent them the requisite documents. In this case, the district administration got in touch with the Delhi police authorities,' chairman of the state's migrant welfare board Samirul Islam told The Indian Express. 'In 2015, Prime Minister (Narendra Modi) and our chief minister (Mamata Banerjee) welcomed them to India after the historic exclave exchange. Now they are being detained as illegal Bangladeshi citizens. And that too in the national capital,' the TMC MP in Rajya Sabha added. Those who were detained by the Delhi Police were identified as Samsul Haque and his brother Rejaul Haque, Md Rayhan Haque, Md Rabiul Haque, and his wife Rashida Begum. Rabiul's three children, aged 15, 10, and 4, were also detained. Their family members said they hailed from Dashiar Chhara, an Indian exclave in Bangladesh. After the enclave exchange, they moved to an apartment complex in Dinhata made exclusively for enclave dwellers who came to India. 'My father, Samsul Haq, and my uncle Rezaul Haq worked in a brick kiln in Delhi. They worked there for the past eight months. Police raided the brick kiln and picked them up. They were taken to the Shalimar Bagh police station. My father (Samsul Haque ) was away in the market. He later went to the police station with all documents relating to residential proof. He, too, was detained,' said Sharmin Khatun, daughter of Samsul Haq, over the phone. 'Our fathers chose to come to India to have a better life. We did not want to lose our homeland. But we never dreamt that we would be branded as illegal Bangladeshis,' said Sharmin. The enclave exchange took place on August 1, 2015. One hundred and eleven 'Indian' enclaves spread over 17,160 acres inside Bangladesh went to Bangladesh, while 51 'Bangladeshi' enclaves occupying 7,110 acres in India became a part of India. The residents of these enclaves were given the option of accepting citizenship of either country. At least 921 residents had then crossed over to the Indian side with much fanfare. The incidents come close to heels for detention of West Bengal residents in Gujarat, Maharashtra, Delhi, Madhya Pradesh. Recently, seven residents of West Bengal were detained by Mumbai police and pushed into Bangladesh by the BSF. They were later brought back from Bangladesh after the West Bengal government's intervention. With ENS, Delhi Ravik Bhattacharya is the Chief of Bureau of The Indian Express, Kolkata. Over 20 years of experience in the media industry and covered politics, crime, major incidents and issues, apart from investigative stories in West Bengal, Odisha, Assam and Andaman Nicobar islands. Ravik won the Ramnath Goenka Excellence in Journalism Award in 2007 for political reporting. Ravik holds a bachelor degree with English Hons from Scottish Church College under Calcutta University and a PG diploma in mass communication from Jadavpur University. Ravik started his career with The Asian Age and then moved to The Statesman, The Telegraph and Hindustan Times. ... Read More
The Print
an hour ago
- The Print
Opposing invite to Medha Patkar, BJP MPs force cancellation of LS panel meet on Land Acquisition Act
'The BJP MPs started calling Medha Patkar anti-national in a coordinated fashion even before the meeting could begin. They accused her of stalling development across states. One BJP MP even went on to say that if we could invite Patkar, then the committee might as well call the prime minister of Pakistan. Then they walked out,' one Opposition MP said on the condition of anonymity. In addition to Patkar, actor and activist Prakash Raj, lawyer Aradhana Bhargava, and other experts, NGO representatives, and stakeholders had been invited by the committee, chaired by Congress MP Saptagiri Ulaka, to share their views on the subject, members of the panel told The Print. New Delhi: A parliamentary committee meeting on the Land Acquisition Act was cut short Tuesday after BJP MPs on the panel walked out in opposition to the participation of social rights activist Medha Patkar, who had been invited as an expert, calling her 'anti-national' and 'anti-development', ThePrint has learnt. Patkar was waiting outside the meeting room when it happened. When contacted, BJP MP Raju Bista, who is a member of the committee, told ThePrint: 'The committee should have disclosed the list of members they have invited to gather oral evidence beforehand. They did not do that. Instead some people who were not even in the official list of invitees landed up. Parliamentary committee meetings cannot be used to gain political mileage.' Bista also denied calling Patkar 'anti-national'. According to a Lok Sabha secretariat notice, the agenda of the Rural Development and Panchayati Raj Standing Committee meeting was 'Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013 — Implementation and Effectiveness'. Its objective was to gather 'oral evidence of the representatives of the Department of Land Resources (Ministry of Rural Development), Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Ministry of Tribal Affairs, Non-government Organisations, experts and other stakeholders'. Two Opposition MPs part of the committee said soon after the BJP MPs walked out of the meeting, it was cancelled citing lack of quorum, or the minimum number of MPs required to be in attendance for it to be held. Under the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in Lok Sabha, the quorum to constitute a sitting of a committee shall be, 'as near as may be, one-third of the total number of members of the Committee'. Of the 29 members of the committee, 17, including 11 BJP MPs, turned up for the meeting Tuesday. Once the BJP members walked out, there were six MPs, including four from the Congress, who remained. BJP MPs who walked out include Sanjay Jaiswal, Parshottam Rupala, it is learnt. Former Prime Minister and Janata Dal (United) leader H.D. Deve Gowda, who is also a committee member, and CPI(M) MP K. Radhakrishnan, were the other members who did not walk out, sources said. 'We had informed the members that Medha Patkar would be coming. But BJP MPs objected. So the meeting had to be postponed. Land acquisition is a big issue. But the ruling party MPs boycotted the meeting without hearing. And it was subsequently cancelled citing lack of quorum. But the committees have been formed in a way that achieving a quorum is not possible without the presence of BJP MPs,' Ulaka said. The Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013, commonly known as the Land Acquisition Bill, was championed by Rahul Gandhi when the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government was in power. Prakash Raj, who was representing a Karnataka-based NGO, was invited to speak on displacement, another member said. 'The BJP MPs insisted that their problem was with Patkar, who spearheaded the Narmada Bachao Andolan. We pointed out how Patkar has protested even against Congress governments. The chairperson said he would not object if Prakash Raj is kept out of the meeting as he was a last-minute addition. On Patkar, he requested the BJP MPs to hear her out and Lok Sabha committees are democratic platforms and members or the Lok Sabha secretariat cannot dictate terms on invitees,' one MP said. Sources said the committee has had multiple meetings on the subject which was to be taken up Tuesday. 'It has also visited Lakshadweep and Andaman and Nicobar Islands to study the subject. For now, it has been decided to reschedule it sometime in July,' another MP said. (Edited by Amrtansh Arora) Also Read: Is a smashed bottle a sign of increasingly polarised Parliament panels? What MPs, ex-officials say
