Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka and 11 other ministers were attending the meeting…reports Asian Lite News
New Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy on Thursday took charge at the state Secretariat.
After taking oath at L.B. Stadium, he, along with ministers, reached the Secretariat and took charge in his office located on the sixth floor
Accompanied by his wife, he performed puja amid chanting of Vedic hymns by a group of priests. When he occupied the chair of the Chief Minister, the priests blessed him. Later, he signed certain files brought by Chief Secretary Santhi Kumari and other top officials.
After Revanth Reddy took charge, the first meeting of the State Cabinet began at the Secretariat.
Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka and 11 other ministers were attending the meeting.
Earlier, officials and Secretariat employees accorded a warm welcome to Revanth Reddy on his arrival. After the Congress stormed to power, Revanth Reddy had announced that the doors of the Secretariat would be thrown open for people.
The new Secretariat complex, equipped with state-of-the-art features and built with a unique design, was inaugurated on April 30. Then Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao had inaugurated the complex by occupying a chair in his chambers on the sixth floor and signing a few files.
The integrated complex housing the offices of the Chief Minister, ministers, Chief Secretary and all other Secretaries and heads of departments, has been named after Dr B. R. Ambedkar. Built at a cost of over Rs 600 crore, the Secretariat is a six-storey structure with seven lakh square feet of built-up space and equipped with all modern facilities. However, entry into the complex was restricted. Even media persons were not allowed in the premises.
Chandy will go down in the history of Kerala Assembly records as the longest-serving legislator in the state…reports Asian Lite News
Senior Congress leader Oommen Chandy, who served as Chief Minister of Kerala twice, passed away at a private hospital in Bengaluru in the wee hours of Tuesday.
Chandy, 79, had not been keeping well for quite some time and was staying in Bengaluru since November last year. He was ailing from throat cancer.
As a mark of respect, the Kerala government has declared a public holiday on Tuesday. Also, a two-day mourning will be observed in the state.
Chandy will go down in the history of Kerala Assembly records as the longest-serving legislator in the state.
He won his first election in 1970 from his home constituency Puthupally in Kottayam district. When he passed away, he was the sitting legislator from the same constituency and was an MLA for an uninterrupted 53 years.
His body, according to his family, will be flown from Bengaluru later in the day to state capital Thiruvananthapuram and the funeral is being planned to be held at his home parish at Puthupally on Wednesday.
It was last year, he edged out K.M.Mani – the Kerala Congress veteran – in terms of the number of years being a legislator.
Condolences started to pour in with Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan recalled his association with Chandy as they both made their debut in the Kerala Assembly in 1970. “We started our political journey together through student politics and continued a very long way. Chandy was always with the people and it’s tough to say goodbye to him,” said Vijayan.
His long-time close aide and the country’s longest-serving Defence Minister A.K.Antony said the loss of Chandy is by far the biggest loss to him and to his family. “…He will go down as the most popular politician in Kerala as even when on his deathbed, his only thinking was how to help people. Kerala will miss Chandy very badly,” Antony said, adding that right from 1973, they used to share everything and Chandy was the one who can never be replaced.
‘Tribute to the stalwart’
Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge and several other party leaders on Tuesday condoled the death of former Chief Minister Oommen Chandy saying he stood tall as leader of masses and his visionary leadership left an indelible mark on Kerala’s progress and the nation’s political landscape.
In a tweet, Kharge said, “My humble tribute to the stalwart Oommen Chandy, Former Kerala Chief Minister and a staunch Congress man who stood tall as a leader of the masses. His unwavering commitment and visionary leadership left an indelible mark on Kerala’s progress and the nation’s political landscape. He will be remembered for his dedication and service to the people.”
#Congress president #MallikarjunKharge tweets, "My humble tribute to the stalwart #OommenChandy, former Kerala Chief Minister and a staunch Congress man who stood tall as a leader of the masses. His unwavering commitment and visionary leadership left an indelible mark on Kerala's… pic.twitter.com/INzQbKEJW2
“Heartfelt condolences to the family and supporters,” he added.
Recalling him as a pillar of party, who dedicated his life to service, party General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said, “Deepest condolences to the family of Oommen Chandy. He was a pillar of the Congress party, a leader who dedicated his life to service and was deeply committed to the values we are fighting for today.”
Deepest condolences to the family of Shri. Oommen Chandy. He was a pillar of the Congress party, a leader who dedicated his life to service and was deeply committed to the values we are fighting for today.
We will all remember him with great respect and miss his wise counsel.
— Priyanka Gandhi Vadra (@priyankagandhi) July 18, 2023
“We will all remember him with great respect and miss his wise counsel,” she said.
Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh also condoled the death of the veteran party leader by calling him an extraordinary personality and a truly mass leader. “A man of great simplicity and unfailing courtesy, he was a 24×7 politician giving everything he had to the welfare of his constituents and of the people of Kerala. His tenure as CM was notable for many achievements that were widely lauded and recognised by the UN as well. I was privileged to have known him for years and still recall our joint visits to various settlements in Attappadi ten years ago,” he said.
Even Congress paid tributes to the former Chief Minister on its official Twitter handle it said, “Deeply saddened by the passing of former Kerala CM and esteemed Congress leader, Oommen Chandy. “A stalwart in politics, his contributions to Kerala’s progress and development will always be remembered. A true statesman, he leaves behind a legacy that will inspire generations. Our heartfelt condolences to his family and loved ones during this difficult time. May his soul rest in eternal peace,” the party said.
Chandy, 79, who served as Chief Minister of Kerala twice, passed away at a private hospital in Bengaluru in the wee hours of Tuesday.
He had not been keeping well for quite some time and was staying in Bengaluru since November last year. He was ailing from throat cancer.
As a mark of respect, the Kerala government has declared a public holiday on Tuesday. A two-day mourning will be also observed in the state.
Siddaramaiah,74, launched several welfare schemes during his five-year tenure as Chief Minister from 2013 and it helped the Congress campaign during the assembly polls which had several people-oriented promises…reports Asian Lite News
A seasoned political leader with socialist leanings, Siddaramaiah is set to be Karnataka Chief Minister for a second term with the Congress leadership deciding to entrust him with the task that entails quick delivery on the promises to people including “five guarantees”.
A leader with strong grassroots connect, Siddaramaiah has been associated with the formulation of state budgets for several years and has an eye for detail.
The Congress leadership, which had to make a choice between him and state Congress chief DK Shivakumar for the post of Chief Minister following an emphatic win in the assembly polls earlier this month, apparently felt that the former Chief Minister’s wide administrative experience will come handy in implementing manifesto promises in view of their financial implication.
Karnataka has complex caste equations and a history of voting out incumbent governments. Only three Chief Ministers before Siddaramaiah – S Nijalingappa (1962 and 1967, three terms including 1956); D Devaraj Urs (1972 and 1978) and RK Hegde (1983 and 1985) had two terms as Chief Minister.
Siddaramaiah,74, launched several welfare schemes during his five-year tenure as Chief Minister from 2013 and it helped the Congress campaign during the assembly polls which had several people-oriented promises.
During his long political career, Siddaramaiah has lost elections but has bounced back due to his strong determination and his quest for “social justice”.
Siddaramaiah was expelled from Janata Dal (Secular) following differences with its leadership and joined the Congress in the presence of the then party chief Sonia Gandhi in 2006.
Born on August 12, 1948 in Siddaramanahundi village of Mysore district in a farming family, Siddaramaiah belongs to the Kuruba community. He faced struggle during his initial years of education and later pursued BSc and Bachelor of Law.
His political innings began in 1978 when he became a member of Taluk Development Board. Siddaramaiah entered electoral politics by contesting Lok Sabha elections from Mysore in 1980. Though he did not win the election, he continued his fight.
He contested from Chamundeshwari in the 1983 assembly elections as a Lok Dal candidate and won. He extended support to the then Ramakrishna Hegde government and was made Chairman of the Kannada Watchdog Committee.
In the mid-term polls to the legislative assembly, Siddaramaiah contested as a candidate of the Janata Party and was re-elected. He has served as Finance, Transport and Animal Husbandry and Sericulture Minister in Karnataka.
Siddaramaiah went with the parent party during the split in Janata Dal in 1989 and contested the 1994 legislative assembly election as a Janata Dal candidate. He won and entered the assembly for the third time.
Siddaramaiah became the Finance Minister in the cabinet of then Karnataka Chief Minister HD Deve Gowda.
Siddaramaiah recalled that when he was preparing his first budget as the Finance Minister, there were jibes like ‘what does a shepherd know about finance?’
“But I did not pay heed to such insults. Instead, I took it as a challenge and later presented thirteen budgets which were hailed by eminent economists,” he said.
After Deve Gowda became the Prime Minister in 1996, Siddaramaiah was elevated as Deputy Chief Minister in JH Patel cabinet.
During the Janata Dal split in 1999, he identified with Janata Dal (Secular). He won the 2004 assembly election and became Deputy Chief Minister in the Congress-JD(S) coalition government.
However, there emerged differences between him and Deve Gowda and he was expelled from the JD(S) for his AHINDA activities.
He spearheaded AHINDA (Kannada acronym for minorities, backward classes and Dalits) conventions in various places of Karnataka to hear their concerns.
“It was always felt that minorities, backward classes and Dalits were marginalized and not given their due opportunity. I wanted to ensure social justice in all political and administrative platforms,” he had said.
The social coalition that he sought to build helped Congress in subsequent elections.
Joining Congress in 2006 became a turning point in his political career. Siddaramaiah won from Chamundeshwari in a bypoll. When assembly constituencies were reorganized in 2008, he entered the assembly from Varuna and was appointed leader of the opposition.
Siddaramaiah travelled through Karnataka in the 2013 assembly elections in which Congress won an absolute majority. After becoming Chief Minister, Siddaramaiah worked to fulfil the promises made by the party to the people. He announced several welfare programmes for the poor including Anna Bhagya.
Siddaramaiah was the leader of the coordination committee of the Congress-JD(S) government, which was formed after the 2018 elections, but collapsed subsequently due to the resignation of MLAs.
Siddaramaiah was the Leader of Oppostion in the outgoing assembly.
Congress won 135 seats in the 224-member Karnataka assembly pushing BJP to 66 seats in the results declared on May 13.
Siddaramaiah’s test will be to quickly deliver on manifesto promises to help his party carry the momentum of its election victory in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. (ANI)
In his statement, Capt Amarinder Singh had said, “the counting of votes marks the conclusion of the electoral festival of democracy and we are confident of outstanding results”…reports Asian Lite News
In a major embarrassment for two-time Punjab Chief Minister and Congress rebel Capt Amarinder Singh and former Congress CM, Charanjit Singh Channi have lost.
Amarinder Singh faced a humiliating defeat from AAP’s greenhorn Ajit Pal Kohli with over 13,000 votes on Thursday from his stronghold Patiala (Urban), the seat that he has won for four consecutive terms since 2002 when he first contested.
The former’s fledgling Punjab Lok Congress (PLC) was contesting the polls in alliance with the BJP and SAD (Sanyukt), an Akali Dal rebel.
In the Congress-ruled state, Arvind Kejriwal’s AAP is heading for a landslide win, with the Congress, the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and the BJP far behind.
A day ahead of the counting of votes, Capt Amarinder Singh exuded full confidence, saying he expected positive verdict by the people of Punjab in favour of his party Punjab Lok Congress and the alliance partners, including the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Shiromani Akali Dal-Samyukt.
In his statement, Capt Amarinder Singh had said, “the counting of votes marks the conclusion of the electoral festival of democracy and we are confident of outstanding results”.
Capt Amarinder Singh said people of Punjab had understood the importance of a “double-engine” government in Punjab which will watch and safeguard the national interest and help in reviving Punjab’s economy. “Promising days are ahead for Punjab”, he had remarked.
In 2017, Capt Amarinder Singh, now 80, polled 72,217 votes against nearest rival Balbir Singh of the Aam Aadmi Party, who got just 19,852. Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) candidate and former Army chief Gen J.J. Singh (retd) got just 11,613 votes. Gen Singh is now with the BJP.
Channi loses to Channi
Meanwhile, Channi lost from both the constituencies he contested from – Chamkaur Sahib and Bhadaur. AAP candidate Charanjit Singh won Chamkaur Sahib, while the party’s Labh Singh Ugoke won from Bhadaur seat.
The Congress has been a divided house for more than a year in the run-up to the polls. Its internal rivalries, including the battle between former Chief Minister Amarinder Singh and cricketer-turned-politician Navjot Sidhu, had dominated headlines.
She also pointed out that it would have been better and more befitting if Channi had taken the blessings of Guru Ravidas-ji after being appointed the chief ministerial candidate of the Congress party…reports Asian Lite News
Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) President Mayawati on Tuesday described the Congress party’s decision to declare incumbent Charanjit Singh Channi as its chief ministerial face in Punjab as a desperate attempt to revive its sinking fortunes in the state.
The BSP supremo, who addressed a large gathering here along with Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) President Sukhbir Singh Badal, in Nawanshahr said: “The Congress party only remembers Dalits at the time of elections. Once the elections are over they will sideline Charanjit Channi who is even now being remote controlled from Delhi.”
She also asked Channi to understand why he had been promoted in the party, saying the Congress party had a past history of using the Dalit community during elections.
She also pointed out that it would have been better and more befitting if Channi had taken the blessings of Guru Ravidas-ji after being appointed the chief ministerial candidate of the Congress party.
“I appeal to the Ravidas samaj to make Channi realise the value of Guru Ravidas-ji”, Mayawati added in her first election rally ahead of polling for 117 seats of the Assembly on February 20.
The BSP president, while expressing confidence that the SAD-BSP alliance would sweep the polls, said: “We all have to work unitedly to install Sukhbir Badal as the next chief minister of the state.”
She said she was confident that with Badal as the next chief minister special schemes would be launched to bring in all-round improvement in the life of the weaker sections of society.
In her message on the occasion, Mayawati said while the Congress party was dying a natural death across the country and its days were numbered in Punjab said the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was also on its way out. “People realise the BJP has a corporate mindset and will make it meet the same fate as the Congress party.”
Speaking about Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Mayawati said people should see the conditions in Delhi for themselves before thinking of reposing faith in AAP in Punjab.
Speaking on the occasion, SAD President Sukhbir Singh Badal stated that after Mayawati’s visit to Punjab, the SAD-BSP tsunami was set to sweep the state.
He said the Punjabis felt cheated by the Congress party which had done nothing and wasted five years by scrapping or curtailing all social welfare benefits given to Punjabis by Parkash Singh Badal, be it scrapping blue cards or curtailing old-age pension and shagun scheme.
He said similarly Punjabis could not trust AAP which had an anti-Punjab agenda.
He said AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal did not have any attachment with Punjab.
“Kejriwal has taken an anti-Punjab stance in the Supreme Court on key issues and even demanded transfer of Punjab’s river waters to Haryana and Delhi, closure of its thermal plants and registration of criminal cases against farmers who were forced to burn their paddy stubble.”
— YesPunjab.com (For Punjabi follow @BawaHs) (@yespunjab) February 8, 2022
Badal also announced that all blue cards which had been deleted by the Congress government would be restored within one month of formation of the SAD-BSP government.
He also announced that Rs 2,000 per month would be given to the woman head of below poverty line families, all consumers would be given 400 units of power free of cost, Rs 10 lakh medical insurance cover would be given to all and that students will be eligible to a Rs 10 lakh loan for higher studies, besides 33 per cent reservation in technical institutions (government school students).
He also announced that all those who did not have a home would be given a five marla plot of land and that a 500 bed medical college would be established in every district of the state.
Pointing out that leaders like Channi and Sukhjinder Randhawa had backstabbed him and misled the Congress high command after he had supported them in their political careers, the PLC chief said these men could not be trusted…reports Asian Lite News
Punjab Lok Congress (PLC) chief Capt Amarinder Singh on Tuesday said the Congress had made a big mistake by announcing a chief minister’s face as “a chief minister should be decided on grounds of capability and not on the metric of caste, be it a Scheduled Caste, Jat or Hindu, which they had done.”
Pointing out that Punjab was never before divided on caste or religious lines, Capt Amarinder said “Charanjit Channi does not have the calibre of a chief minister,” and his tall claims cannot fool the people of the state.
“Channi claims he has done everything in 111 days, he’s fooling the people. Every project has a gestation period and takes months to start,” he noted, warning the people against getting carried away by such brazen lies since all the projects that Channi talks of were initiated by his government.
Interacting with the media after a public meeting in support of the Patiala Rural PLC candidate, Sanjeev Kumar Bittu, the former chief minister warned of an explosion soon from Navjot Singh Sidhu, who had been discarded by his own party for chief ministerial candidature in favour of Channi, saying the PPCC president was too ambitious to stay quiet for long.
Pointing out that leaders like Channi and Sukhjinder Randhawa had backstabbed him and misled the Congress high command after he had supported them in their political careers, the PLC chief said these men could not be trusted.
“They will compromise the interests of Punjab to further their own,” he warned, in response to questions. He recalled how he had inducted Channi into the Congress and helped him become MLA and ensured Randhawa’s seat in the last election.
Answering a question, the former chief minister said there was no comparison between Narendra Modi and Rahul Gandhi as far as political and public life experience goes.
He had known Modi for long and used to meet him frequently in Delhi at a time when they were both chief ministers, he said, adding that the Modi government had helped him whenever Punjab was in dire straits.
“We have to work with them to ensure a safe future for Punjab,” he stressed. “The future of Punjab depends on these polls,” he said, underlining the need for close Centre-state coordination to secure the state’s interests.
To a question on whether his wife, MP Preneet Kaur, would campaign for him or the Congress, Amarinder said it was for her to answer that.
“Politics is different…my mother was in the BJP and I was in the Congress. We sat in opposite benches in Parliament. Politics politics ‘hoti hai pyaar pyaar hota hai’,” he remarked.
Urging the people to vote for “vikas” which only the NDA could provide and not “vinaash”, which the other parties would push Punjab towards, Amarinder expressed confidence that the people of the state would look after their interests and vote accordingly.
He trashed the surveys favouring the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), saying such polls were conducted even in 2017 and had proven to be false. While he could not predict the number of seats they would get, his party in alliance with the BJP and SAD (Sanyukt) was set to form the next government, he asserted.
Getting emotional on the announcement of his name, Channi said that he has always been honest, never took a penny from anyone, and will continue to work honestly…reports Asian Lite News
Just two weeks ahead of Assembly polls in the Congress-ruled Punjab, party leader Rahul Gandhi on Sunday ended months of suspense by announcing incumbent Charanjit Singh Channi as the party’s Chief Ministerial face for the polls.
Accepting the decision, state party chief Navjot Singh Sidhu, who was in the race, hugged Channi on the stage as Gandhi announced his name after over 45 minutes of his speech, televised across the 117 Assembly seats.
Political observers believe the decision of the Congress to go to the polls in the state, which is witnessing a five-cornered contest, under the leadership of three-time legislator Channi, the state’s first Dalit Chief Minister, is to woo the Dalit Sikh votes that constitutes 32 per cent Scheduled Caste population in the state, the country’s largest.
“The people of Punjab have said, not me, the thought is theirs, not mine, that they want a person from a poor household as the CM. We want someone who understands poverty, hunger, and fears of the poor. Punjab’s CM candidate is Charanjit Singh Channi Ji,” said Gandhi during his address at the ‘Aawaz Punjab Di’ virtual rally.
He praised Channi for his humble background.
Lashing out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Gandhi said “he is not the PM but a king. Have you seen him helping anyone on the roadside”.
Getting emotional on the announcement of his name, Channi said that he has always been honest, never took a penny from anyone, and will continue to work honestly.
“This is a big battle which I can’t fight alone and I don’t have the money, courage to fight it,” he said, adding, “The people of Punjab will fight this battle.”
Channi became the CM after the unceremonious exit of Amarinder Singh over allegations of being hand-in-glove with the Akalis for not fulfilling the 2017 prominent poll promises — acting with an iron fist against the drug mafia and justice for the sacrilege of 2015 that led to protests and the deaths of two persons in the subsequent police firing.
The Congress announcement of the CM’s face came after the AAP declared comedian-turned-politician Bhagwant Mann as its Chief Ministerial candidate on January 18.
Before the formal announcement by Gandhi, Sidhu said, “I have accepted Rahul Gandhi’s decision…If I am given decision-making power, I will finish the mafia, improve people’s lives. If not given power, I will walk with a smile with whomever you make the CM.”
Responding to the Congress announcement, AAP Punjab co-incharge Raghav Chadha tweeted, “It is indeed sad that out of 3 crore Punjabis, the Congress party chose a person who is accused of illegal sand mining and transfer posting scam as their CM candidate.”
Political observers said that it was a tough task for the party high command to choose Channi, a Dalit Sikh, over Sidhu, a Jat Sikh, in a state with a population caste mix of roughly 32 per cent Dalits, 30 per cent Jat Sikhs and 40 per cent the rest.
“Most of the cabinet ministers and top leaders stood behind Channi owing to his soft approach, easy accessibility and the most important, being the biggest Dalit face. If the high command projected Sidhu as the chief minister’s face, it could upset the party’s Dalit vote bank,” a senior Congress leader said, requesting anonymity.
“After building an image of transferring power from the elite (Capt Amarinder Singh) to the poor, the party can’t ignore Channi’s claim at this stage,” the Congress leader added.
In a bid to woo Dalit voters, Channi last month spent a night at Dera Sachkhand Ballan, a prominent Ravidassia community that has much influence in the Doaba region comprising Jalandhar, Hoshiarpur, Nawanshahr and Kapurthala districts.
In his brief helm of 111 days, Channi built an image of the common man’s Chief Minister by extensively touring the state, occasionally performing ‘bhangra’ on the beats of a ‘dhol’ at public functions, favouring tea at roadside eateries while narrating couplets to the masses, besides accepting ‘siropas’ (religious robes) enroute by stopping his cavalcade.
The key opponents in the state — the AAP, the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD)-Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) combine and the BJP in alliance with Amarinder Singh’s new party Punjab Lok Congress and the Samyukt Samaj Morcha, the fledging coalition of farm unions — are making an issue out of the Congress CM’s face.
Now the prominent faces for the parties are Channi (Congress), 58; Mann (AAP), 48; Sukhbir Singh Badal (SAD), 59; Amarinder Singh (BJP-led alliance), 80; and Balbir Singh Rajewal (Samyukt Samaj Morcha), 78.
11L people viewed Rahul’s virtual rally
A virtual rally in Punjab titled “Aawaz Punjab Di” addressed by former Congress President Rahul Gandhi from Ludhiana has broken all records after its live telecast was viewed by 11 lakh people on social media, according to the party.
The virtual rally was held on Sunday. Congress Social Media Head, Rohan Gupta said, “The unique thing about the rally was the large audience of more than 90,000 people, who watched the rally live, simultaneously at the same time on the Facebook page of Rahul Gandhi. With the current views of 8.8 lakh, 42,000 comments, 1.1 million reach and 6000 shares, making it one of the most successful virtual rallies.”
पंजाब की जनता ने कांग्रेस पार्टी के CM चेहरे के रूप में चरणजीत सिंह चन्नी जी को चुना है।
The rally was telecast on virtual mediums or social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube along with live LED screens across all districts of Punjab.
The party claimed 90,000 live views on Facebook Live are unprecedented for any political leader in India, showing the massive impact and curiosity about the rally.
Party insiders say that the leadership is in favour of playing it safe for the moment by not naming any chief ministerial candidate…reports Asian Lite News
Everything is in a name when it comes to announcing the chief ministers face, it seems!
Just about a week after the AAP declared comedian-turned-politician Bhagwant Mann as its chief ministerial candidate, whispers in the Congress party have become louder over announcing a name for the coveted post.
The demand by Congress leaders in Punjab comes at a time when both Charanjit Singh Channi, the state’s first Dalit Chief Minister, and the party’s state unit chief Navjot Singh Sidhu have made clear their desire to occupy the seat, while former party chief Sunil Jakhar is the silent runner in the race.
Delhi is cautious about announcing the name as it has the potential to create trouble for the party with elections just round the corner.
In the 2017 Punjab assembly polls, ending all speculation with just a week to go before the election, then party vice-president Rahul Gandhi had announced that Amarinder Singh would head the government if the Congress was voted to power.
“Amarinder Singh has given his blood and sweat for Punjab. He has worked day and night for the development of Punjab. He has always worked for the Punjabi and Sardar (Sikh) community. He is going to be our chief minister,” Gandhi had said at his first political rally in the Akali Dal assembly stronghold of Majitha.
This time too the clamour within the party has been increasing to announce Channi as the Congress’ face.
Party insiders say that the leadership is in favour of playing it safe for the moment by not naming any chief ministerial candidate.
But the key opponents in the state — the AAP, the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD)- Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) combine and the BJP in alliance with Amarinder Singh’s new party Punjab Lok Congress and the Samyukt Samaj Morcha, the fledging coalition of farm unions — are making an issue out of it. The prominent faces for the parties are Channi, 58, Mann, 48, Sukhbir Singh Badal, 59, Amarinder Singh, 80, and Balbir Singh Rajewal, 78, respectively.
The announcement of the Congress chief ministerial face is crucial with the pollsters predicting that the Congress could either retain the helm with a photo finish close to the halfway mark of 59 or no party will get a clear majority, despite the anti-incumbency sentiment against previous incumbent Amarinder Singh, who was unceremoniously removed after a bitter power tussle with Sidhu last September.
Cricketer-turned-politician and a well-known TV personality Sidhu, 58, who in the game once rebelled against the Indian cricket team captain and in politics left the BJP in 2016 to join the Congress a year later, is slamming the central leadership by asking: “What’s a ‘baraat’ without a ‘dulha’ (bridegroom)?
Hitting out at the Chief Minister in his Seraj Assembly constituency, she reminded the people that Virbhadra Singh had contributed a lot to the development of this area…reports Vishal Gulati.
It’s a battle between the past performance of an erstwhile political stalwart and the new achievements of a first-time Chief Minister in Himachal Pradesh, literally!
Congress veteran and six-time Chief Minister late Virbhadra Singh’s legacy will be put to test against BJP’s Chief Minister Jairam Thakur’s credibility during the parliamentary bypoll of Mandi, one of country’s toughest and sprawling constituencies.
The saffron party has pitted Brigadier Khushal Thakur (retired), a decorated officer who played a crucial role in the 1999 Kargil war, against Congress’ Pratibha Singh, a two-time MP from Mandi.
The seat — a prestige for Chief Minister Thakur as it falls in his home district — fell vacant with the death of two-time BJP MP Ram Swaroop Sharma, who defeated Congress candidate Ashray Sharma, the grandson of former Telecommunications Minister Sukh Ram in his electoral debut, with a record margin.
Eyeing sympathy votes, Pratibha Singh, who is banking largely on her first-time legislator son Vikramaditya Singh for campaigning, is seeking votes on development carried out by her husband during his three stints as an MP from Mandi and six terms as the Chief Minister.
Pratibha Singh, who lost the Mandi seat in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, is missing no opportunity to remind the electorates that the victory in Mandi by-election “will be a tribute to him (Virbhadra Singh)”.
Hitting out at the Chief Minister in his Seraj Assembly constituency, she reminded the people that Virbhadra Singh had contributed a lot to the development of this area.
“I am saddened to see the poor condition of roads. It appears that BJP pays no attention towards the problem of the common man,” she said, adding the state needed ‘majboot’ (strong) Lok Sabha members, not ‘majboor’ (helpless) leaders.
Countering the Congress candidate, Chief Minister Thakur replied: “People want a ‘majboot’ candidate as their MP, not a ‘majboor’ candidate.”
“The Congress candidate says that she did not want to contest the election. If she was not keen, she should not contest it,” he said, while seeking votes for party candidate Brigadier Khushal Thakur, a Kargil War hero.
Facing criticism over his purported remark with Congress woman legislator Asha Kumari saying the women are stronger, not helpless, Chief Minister Thakur defended himself by saying he has high respect for the Congress candidate and for all women.
“Asha Kumari misconstrued my words,” Thakur told the media.
Even the Congress candidate has courted controversy by taking a jibe at her political rival by saying Kargil “was a small battle, not a full-scale war”, which the Chief Minister said “saddening”.
“Everybody knows about the valour of Brigadier Khushal Thakur. He fought the Kargil battle valiantly. It is saddening that Pratibha Singh described the battle with Pakistan a minor one,” said the Chief Minister, who misses no opportunity to remind the voters that the credit for popularising Mandi as Chotti Kashi went to the late MP. Even in the Prime Minister’s speeches had a mention of Chotti Kashi.
For the five-time legislator Thakur, development, welfare and no witch hunting are the mantras of success. He says his government is working without any vendetta and vengeance even towards the political opponents.
Pratibha Singh is hoping to make a comeback from the margins after she failed to retain the Mandi seat in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls.
She believes she has an edge owing to sympathy. She’s also banking on this month’s results in the Panchayati Raj Institutions elections in which the Congress-supported candidates did particularly well in the tribal-dominated areas that fall in the Mandi constituency.
The main contest in Mandi is between the BJP and the Congress.
Her husband, Virbhadra Singh, who devoted over 50 years for the common people despite being born in royalty, had travelled across the state, both as an MP and the Chief Minister.
The veteran leader passed away on July 8 in Shimla at the age of 87, leaving behind a rich political legacy.
Her husband was elected from Mandi in 1971, 1980 and 2009. However, Virbhadra Singh lost the Mandi seat in 1977. At the time of his death, he was representing the Arki Assembly seat that is going for bypoll along with two other Assembly seats — Fatehpur (in Kangra district) and Jubbal-Kotkhai (Shimla district) — on October 30.
However, BJP candidate Brigadier Thakur in his maiden contest is banking on his integrity and connect with voters.
The Mandi constituency, which includes Kullu, Mandi and some areas of Chamba and Shimla districts, besides the tribal-dominated Kinnaur and Lahaul and Spiti, is one of the biggest in the country.
The Chief Minister said that all preparations have been made by the state government to deal with the possible challenge arising out of the Covid-19 infection…reports Asian Lite News.
Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren claimed on Tuesday that more than 1.70 crore people in the state have been administered the first dose of Covid vaccine till now.
Flagging off the Covid-19 Vaccine Express from the Dhurwa Grounds here, Soren said that till date, more than 1 crore 70 lakh people across the state have been vaccinated against Covid-19 while about 40 lakh people have received the second dose.
Speaking on the occasion, Soren said that 60 mobile vaccination vans have been dispatched to different districts of the state with the aim of speeding up the Covid-19 vaccination campaign in the state. All these vans will serve as “Tika Express” to take the vaccination campaign to the masses.
The Chief Minister said that all preparations have been made by the state government to deal with the possible challenge arising out of the Covid-19 infection.
With the help of these ‘Vaccine Expresses’, it will be easier for people to get the jab. This facility will be available to the people at their homes only, he said.
