Latest news with #SambitPatra
Deccan Herald
5 days ago
- Politics
- Deccan Herald
BJP cites Indira's push for changing Constitution to hit back at Congress
BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra said the Congress should not divert from the Emergency-era excesses on people and tender an apology. As the country observed the 50th anniversary of Emergency, it is imperative to discuss the sufferings the then government inflicted on people so that it is never repeated, he told reporters.
Hindustan Times
5 days ago
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
BJP leader Sambit Patra seeks apology from Congress for Emergency-era actions
Jun 28, 2025 05:42 PM IST The BJP on Saturday cited the then prime minister Indira Gandhi's comments questioning the usefulness of the Indian Constitution and her assertion of changing it to hit back at the Congress amid a row over the RSS' stand that the presence of terms like "socialist" and "secular" in the Preamble should be reviewed. Sambit Patra cited reports of the Emergency-era which quoted Indira Gandhi from her press conference and address to convey her critical take on the Constitution.(ANI) BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra said the Congress should not divert from the Emergency-era excesses on people and tender an apology. As the country observed the 50th anniversary of Emergency, it is imperative to discuss the sufferings the then government inflicted on people so that it is never repeated, he told reporters. He cited media reports of that period which quoted Indira Gandhi from her press conference and address to convey her critical take on the Constitution. She once spoke in favour of making basic changes in the Constitution and asked, at another occasion, if it serves democracy. Sweeping amendments were made in the Constitution during the 21-month period of the Emergency when people's fundamental rights were suspended and the executive was given vast powers with little judicial recourse. However, the subsequent Janata Party government undid most of the amendments. RSS general secretary Dattatreya Hosabole's recent demand that the inclusion of terms like socialist and secular to define India in the Constitution's Preamble during the Emergency should be reviewed, has triggered a row with opposition parties claiming that it shows the Hindutva organisation's distrust in the country's guiding document.
Time of India
25-06-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Emergency Flashpoint: BJP, Congress Trade Blows as Kharge, Patra Clash Over Democracy, Modi
As India marks 50 years since the Emergency, a war of words has reignited between the BJP and leader Sambit Patra slammed Congress, saying the 1975 Emergency was a 'brutal attack on democracy,' reminding that 1.5 lakh people were jailed overnight and the nation suffered. He accused Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge of using 'insulting language' against PM Modi. In response, Kharge accused the BJP of hypocrisy, claiming the party is hiding its failures by declaring June 25 as 'Samvidhan Hatya Diwas'. He further alleged that an 'undeclared emergency' exists today under the Modi regime, citing inflation, unemployment, corruption, and demonetisation.#emergency1975 #blackday #sambitpatra #kharge #bjpvcongress #modigovernment #undeclaredemergency #constitution #congressvspm #politicalclash #toi #toibharat #bharat #breakingnews #indianews
Time of India
21-06-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Minority quota politics: Karnataka's housing move sparks row
The Siddaramaiah-led Congress government in Karnataka is facing flak for its latest decision to raise the minority quota in state housing schemes from 10% to 15%. The move, approved in a cabinet meeting on Thursday, follows recent criticism over the state's caste census and has triggered a fresh political firestorm. The BJP accused the Congress of indulging in "appeasement politics" for electoral gain. "Wherever Congress is in power, it brings divisive, religion-based reservation policies," BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra told ET. "This is not welfare, it's vote bank politics ." State housing minister HK Patil defended the decision, stating that minority communities have a larger share of homeless families. "The Centre itself has flagged this issue. Our move is for social justice, not politics," he said. The Karnataka BJP is now preparing to launch statewide protests against what it describes as yet another example of "selective governance" by the Congress.
India Gazette
20-06-2025
- Politics
- India Gazette
BJP has phobia of Gandhi-Nehru: Congress' Sukhdeo Bhagat on BJP criticising Karnataka housing scheme quota
Raipur (Chhattisgarh) [India], June 20 (ANI): Slamming the Bharatiya Janata Party for criticising the Karnataka Government's decision to raise minority reservations in housing schemes from 10 per cent to 15 per cent, Congress leader Sukhdeo Bhagat said that he had heard about hydrophobia, but BJP has a 'phobia' of 'Gandhi' and 'Nehru'. Deo alleged that the BJP was giving a 'Hindu-Muslim' angle to every scheme and stated that the party should exclude 'Muslims' from their 'Sabka Saath-Sabka Vikas' slogan. BJP MP Sambit Patra on Friday tore apart the Congress-led Karnataka government over its decision to increase reservation in housing development schemes for minorities from 10 to 15 per cent. He termed it a 'perfect' example of how people keep the Constitution in their 'pockets' after 'tearing it into pieces.' Sambit Patra said the Constitution for the Congress party and the Gandhi family are secondary to appeasement. 'The Karnataka Cabinet passing the Muslim reservation in housing schemes yesterday is a perfect example of how the people who keep the Constitution in their pockets are tearing the Constitution to pieces... For the Congress Party and the Gandhi family, the Constitution is secondary to religious appeasement', Sambit Patra told reporters on Friday. Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar rebuffed BJP leader Amit Malviya's criticism of the state government's decision to raise minority reservations in housing schemes from 10 per cent to 15 per cent, accusing the BJP of fostering division. Malviya had criticised the Congress government, alleging the hike was a move to 'appease its vote bank' at the expense of other communities, calling it 'blatantly illegal and unconstitutional.'Shivakumar accused the BJP of promoting divisive politics and said the government's decision was based on recommendations like the Sachar Committee Report and aimed at correcting implementation lapses in minority housing quotas. Addressing the media, Shivakumar said, 'I am least bothered about any other BJP leader's comments or anything. They create hatred and they will try to divide society. We always try to unite society. There is a Sachar Committee Report which states that 15 per cent of the reservation should be given on welfare schemes to minorities. In various schemes, we had given 10 per cent of houses' reservation to them but in rural parts of Karnataka, there are no minorities. All minorities are in urban section - some were 25 per cent, some others 30 per cent, somewhere else 12 per cent. So, there were a lot of lapses. That is why, my Minister proposed it.' The Karnataka Cabinet on Thursday approved an increase in the reservation quota for minority communities under various housing schemes from 10 per cent to 15 per cent. (ANI)
