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United News of India
6 days ago
- Politics
- United News of India
Congress slams Gujarat govt over series of tragic mishaps
New Delhi, July 10 (UNI) The Congress today flayed the BJP government in Gujarat, accusing it of colluding with corrupt officials leading to a series of "avoidable" and tragic accidents across the state in recent years. Addressing a press conference at the AICC headquarters, senior Congress leaders Jignesh Mevani and Lalji Desai expressed deep concern over the collapse of the Gambhira bridge which has claimed several lives with many missing. "The local people had been raising concerns about the condition of the Gambhira bridge for quite some time," Mevani said. "Our CLP leader Amit Chavda had repeatedly warned that the bridge was in a dilapidated condition and needed urgent repairs. Yet the BJP government chose to ignore these warnings, and now, innocent lives have been lost.' The Vadgam MLA further said that a woman had cried out for help for nearly an hour after the collapse, pleading for her family to be saved. 'In the end, it was local fishermen who rescued them, while the government and administration were completely missing,' he added. Mevani also pointed to a series of recent disasters in Gujarat that he attributed to administrative negligence and lack of accountability, including the Morbi Bridge Collapse (2022), Rajkot Gaming Zone Fire, Vadodara boat tragedy and others. Criticising the state government's response, Mevani said, 'It seems the Gujarat government has accepted that such accidents are a part of life. They just hand out a compensation of Rs four lakh to the victim's families, as if that's the price of a human life.' He further alleged that blacklisted companies responsible for earlier mishaps were awarded fresh government contracts after donating to the BJP coffers during elections. Mevani raised serious concerns over the integrity of the investigations into these accidents, alleging that the same corrupt officers involved in illegal alcohol trade, gambling, land deals, and even drug rackets are being handed charge of these probes. 'These are the same officers who take money to ensure BJP wins elections,' he claimed. He accused the government of resorting to token arrests under media and opposition pressure while letting the real culprits often with links to the ruling party 'go scot-free'. Calling for accountability and transparency, Mevani demanded the formation of a Special Investigation Team (SIT) comprising honest officers to investigate not just the Gambhira bridge tragedy, but also the 16 previous accidents across Gujarat. Meanwhile, Lalji Desai alleged that there was misgovernance in Gujarat and "protectors have become the predators". He alleged that the state was running a "20-20 model of corruption". UNI RBE RN
The Print
10-06-2025
- Politics
- The Print
Mevani vs Gohil: A rift laid bare in Gujarat Congress amid Rahul's big reform plan ahead of bypolls
On 16 April at Modasa in Gujarat's Aravalli district, Rahul Gandhi launched the exercise to overhaul the District Congress Committee (DCC) units across states. The move came days after he had publicly announced that the party's Gujarat unit would have to remove leaders who are conniving with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The state unit was plunged into a crisis barely two months after Ahmedabad hosted the 86th session of the All India Congress Committee (AICC). The infighting has erupted while the state is heading towards by-elections in the Kadi and Visavadar assembly seats. Polling is scheduled for 19 June. New Delhi: The Congress's ambitious plan to revamp its district units, with a pilot in Gujarat, has run into internal turbulence. The party's state working president and MLA, Jignesh Mevani, has raised a banner of revolt against state Congress chief Shaktisinh Gohil, a Rajya Sabha MP. Subsequently, the Congress leadership began the process of appointing new district unit presidents in the state. Led by Mukul Wasnik, an internal committee, including Kanhaiya Kumar, Sachin Rao, Meenakshi Natarajan, and Krishna Allavaru, framed the modalities of the exercise. Following the committee's suggestions, the AICC appointed an observer for each district, with three to four state-level leaders assigned to assist each AICC observer. The Wasnik-led panel had submitted its recommendations to the AICC, which, by 31 May this year, was supposed to announce the new district presidents. It has not, so far. Among the state-level observers, Mevani has for a while been alleging that compromises in the selection process in some districts as the leadership of the Pradesh Congress Committee did not heed Rahul Gandhi's suggestion to weed out 'BJP agents'. 'Even the leaders of the other parties are now saying that you are (Congress) filled with dud cartridges. So get rid of them—what are you waiting for? B-team members, spent cartridges, those making backdoor deals with the opposing camp, wedding-horse types—does it really hurt to remove all of them? If not for me, at least listen to Rahul Ji!!' Mevani posted on X. When contacted, Mevani told ThePrint that the party had already addressed some of his concerns. He added that his X post was about the state of affairs of the Congress in Gujarat, not the appointment process of the district Congress committees. 'Gujarat Congress, in tune with AICC, has been identifying the new DCC chiefs. It (The exercise) will give us new and deserving faces at the district level. It will inspire our cadre. It shows the party's seriousness to reform it,' Mevani told ThePrint. Party sources, however, said that Mevani expressed his displeasure with Gohil's approach and made it clear in party forums. A deepening crisis The crisis deepened last week after Amit Nayak, a Gujarat Congress spokesperson, announced his resignation, citing factionalism in his letter to Rahul Gandhi. In his letter, Nayak accused Ahmedabad City Congress chief Himmatsingh Patel of working for the BJP. 'For quite some time now, you have been persistently trying to find racehorses, wedding horses, and lately even limping horses. As a small worker in the party, it is my duty to contribute accurate information to your noble goal …,' Nayak wrote on Facebook. 'How long can a small worker, putting his life, business, and social standing at risk, continue to fight with dedication for the party's ideology? And how long will corporate-style leaders—who have mastered the art of political gains over the years—continue to deceive the party leadership?' he questioned. Speaking to ThePrint, Gohil, however, refused to comment on the allegations made by Mevavi, saying that the Congress party was currently focusing on the upcoming bypolls. The AICC, which has also rolled out the revamp exercise in Haryana and Madhya Pradesh, would soon take the final call on the appointment of the district unit presidents, he added. Congress Lok Sabha MP Manickam Tagore, one of the AICC observers for the DCC reform process in Gujarat, said the exercise was quite comprehensive. 'For instance, I was assigned the Ahmedabad rural district, under which there are five assembly constituencies. In the nine-odd days that I spent there, I interviewed close to 780 people. The cohort that I spoke to ranged from taluka-level office-bearers to block presidents. Observers appointed by the Pradesh Congress committee assisted me. We have submitted our report to the AICC, which will take the final call,' the Congress leader told ThePrint. Tagore, MP from Tamil Nadu's Virudhnagar, is now serving his third term in the Lok Sabha and remains among the central observers appointed by the AICC to restructure the party's district-level units in Haryana. Mevani said that the Wasnik-led panel recommended three to five leaders for every district, and any one of them could become president. 'Some of the district presidents, who are doing well for the party, will continue. They are not to be replaced,' Mevani added. (Edited by Madhurita Goswami) Also Read: Revanth inducts 3 ministers into cabinet, 3 berths still vacant. Congress rushes to pacify dissenters
Indian Express
07-06-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
Mevani attacks BJP over atrocities on Dalits, weaker sections in Gujarat
Congress's Vadgam MLA Jignesh Mevani on Saturday questioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah's silence on alleged incidents of atrocities against Dalits, adivasis and other weaker sections in Gujarat, and announced that the party will hit the streets to raise the issue. Addressing a press conference at the AICC headquarters in the Capital, Mevani accused the PM, the Home Minister and the RSS of 'putting the values of Manusmriti above the Constitution'. Citing the low conviction rate in cases of atrocities on Dalits, Mevani said at the national level, this figure is 30-35%, but in Gujarat it is only 3-5%, which means 95% of the culprits in the state go scot-free. The Congress leader told reporters that several incidents of Dalit atrocities have been reported from Gujarat such as the murder of a 19-year-old Dalit youth in Amreli, the alleged setting ablaze of a Dalit senior citizen in Patan and the alleged gangrape of a Dalit girl in which BJP members are alleged to have been involved. 'The Congress is preparing to launch a massive demonstration in August-September against atrocities being afflicted on Dalits, adivasis and those from the weakened sections in Gujarat,' he announced.
United News of India
07-06-2025
- Politics
- United News of India
Cong accuses BJP-RSS of oppressing marginalised, rejecting Constitution
New Delhi, June 7 (UNI) The Congress on Saturday accused the BJP-RSS of oppressing the weak and marginalised over the past decade and rejecting the principles enshrined in the Constitution of Baba Saheb Ambedkar. Speaking to media, senior Congress leader Jignesh Mevani said, "For the past 10 years, RSS-BJP members have consistently inflicted atrocities on the weak and marginalized. Among those who believe in the Indian Constitution, there is no doubt that Narendra Modi, Amit Shah, the BJP, and the RSS do not follow the Constitution of Baba Saheb Ambedkar. Instead, they follow the Manusmriti." He further alleged that several leaders from the BJP and RSS have, in the past, openly stated that Ambedkar's Constitution should be discarded. "They don't want the Constitution of India — they want the Manusmriti," he said. Mevani said, "From the tragic suicide of Rohith Vemula, the denial of dignity to the Hathras victim and her family, the brutal assault on Dalit youth in Una, Gujarat, and a controversial remark by Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who once said in Parliament, 'Chanting Ambedkar-Ambedkar has become a fashion these days' only shows the ruling party's regressive mindset. 'Whether or not BJP-RSS leaders have vermillion in their veins, the ideology of Manusmriti certainly flows through them,' Mevani alleged. Pointing at incidents of atrocities on Dalits in Gujarat, Bihar and Madhya Pradesh, Mevani alleged that none of the chief ministers or home ministers of the states has stood with the Dalit and tribal victims. He also slammed the BJP-ruled Gujarat government for "low conviction" rate and urged the Prime Minister to take cognizance of the matter and question the Gujarat government. UNI RBE PRS
India Gazette
07-06-2025
- Politics
- India Gazette
"Ceasefire in Operation Sindoor due to US pressure, not strength": Congress Jignesh Mevani
New Delhi [India], June 7 (ANI): Congress leader Jignesh Mevani on Saturday questioned the government over the ceasefire in Operation Sindoor, alleging foreign pressure and demanding clarity on its terms. Mevani accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of backing down under US influence and asked why the remaining terrorists haven't been caught. 'It's been a month since the government launched Operation Sindoor and claimed to have caught a terrorist. The Prime Minister boasts of a 56-inch chest, says India is a Vishwa Guru, and speaks of vermilion running through our veins. Then why haven't the remaining four terrorists been captured yet? Why doesn't Modi tell the nation under what conditions the ceasefire was agreed upon?' Mevani told ANI. Mevani further alleged, 'There was a moment when India had the upper hand. But then the US stepped in, pressured Pakistan, and our government surrendered. Why did the ceasefire happen? What were the terms? Let Modi explain that to the people.' Challenging the Prime Minister directly, Mevani said, 'Instead of distributing Sindoor from door to door, I challenge Modi: capture the remaining four terrorists before August 15.' Criticising foreign influence, he added, 'America is constantly tweeting about the situation. They claim that trade would have stopped if they had asked for it. These are official statements. So why is India silent? Why is America the one dictating terms on a matter between India and Pakistan?' Earlier Congress leader Rahul Gandhi attacked the BJP-led government over his allegations of mediation by the United States in Operation Sindoor, alleging that Prime Minister Narendra Modi 'followed' Donald Trump following 'a call' by the US leader and that the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi did not budge to the US in the 1971 war. This came after U.S. President Donald Trump's repeated claims of stopping hostilities between India and Pakistan after New Delhi's effective response to Islamabad's aggression following precision strikes on terror infrastructure. India had conducted Operation Sindoor early on May 7 and hit terror infrastructure in Pakistan and PoJK in response to the Pahalgam terror attack. India effectively responded to subsequent Pakistani aggression and pounded its airbases. India and Pakistan agreed to stop military action following a call made by Pakistan's DGMO to his Indian counterpart. (ANI)
