Chandrashekhar–Mayawati rivalry to play out in UP panchayat polls
Chandrashekhar is considered to wield influence over Dalits in western UP districts and has, of late, emerged as a serious challenger to Mayawati, whose party has lost ground in UP in the past few years.
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Time of India
8 hours ago
- Time of India
Patiala MP Dr Dharamvira Gandhi campaigns for Congress' Bharat Bhushan Ashu in Ludhiana West and criticizes Aam Aadmi Party leadership
Ludhiana: With just 11 days left until the Ludhiana West byelection, political heat intensified on Sunday as Aam Aadmi Party's former MP Dr Dharamvira Gandhi accused its supremo Arvind Kejriwal of remote-controlling Punjab's govt and betraying the ideals of the AAP movement. Now a Congress member and sitting MP from Patiala, Dr Gandhi was in Ludhiana to campaign for Congress candidate Bharat Bhushan Ashu. At a press conference with senior Congress figures — including legislator Rana Gurjit Singh, former minister Sadhu Singh Dharamsot, and former MLA Kuljit Nagra — Dr Gandhi urged voters to "send a message" to Kejriwal by defeating AAP in the upcoming byelection. Accusing AAP of abandoning its anti-elitist platform, he said: "They called themselves Aam Aadmi, but now live like VIPs." He said the same leaders who once rejected VIP culture now revelled in privilege, sidelining grassroots voices and imposing Delhi's control on Punjab's governance. Dr Gandhi, a cardiologist who began his political journey with AAP during the anti-corruption movement led by Anna Hazare, said he was drawn in by promises of revolution and clean politics — but soon saw what he called "the true colours" of the party. He accused Kejriwal specifically of dominating Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann, alleging that major appointments and decision-making power have been handed over to Delhi-based leaders. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Esta nueva alarma con cámara es casi regalada en Olavarría (ver precio) Verisure Undo "Even the CM's own office hasn't been spared," he said. "Delhi people have started running Punjab." Dr Gandhi cited personal experiences that led to his break with AAP, including clashes with party leadership over parliamentary speeches and community development issues. He claimed he was pressured by AAP leaders like Raghav Chadha to stick to talking points set by Delhi and was blocked from advocating for a cremation ground for Dalits in villages. "Kejriwal didn't want me to raise Punjab's real issues," Dr Gandhi said. "They tried to muzzle me in Parliament, and now they're trying to muzzle Punjab." Calling the bypoll a referendum on self-governance, he urged voters in Ludhiana West to reject what he called "outsider rule" and elect Ashu to restore local autonomy. "This election is not just about one seat," he said. "It's about standing up for Punjab." MSID:: 121707831 413 |
The Print
15 hours ago
- The Print
Modi says no caste in India then calls himself OBC: Rahul attacks PM citing caste census move
'Narendra Modi used to say in every speech, I am OBC. Then, on the caste census, they say that there is no caste in India. If there is no caste in India, then how did Narendra Modi become an OBC? My goal is to conduct a caste census. I had said this to Narendra Modi face to face in Lok Sabha – there will be a caste census, and you know he has a habit of surrendering,' Rahul Gandhi posted on Congress X handle. He questioned PM Modi's claim of being an OBC while asserting that the BJP denies the existence of caste in India, emphasising the need for a genuine caste census. Patna : Congress MP and Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi attended the 'Samvidhan Sabha' in Rajgir, Nalanda, on Friday. Addressing the gathering, Gandhi emphasised the need for a caste census and criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi's stance on the issue. Rahul Gandhi emphasised the importance of conducting a caste census, asserting that it would reveal the country's actual social and economic dynamics. Gandhi stressed that a genuine caste census would undermine the current political landscape, particularly for the ruling party. He mentioned US President Donald Trump's claim that he had made Narendra Modi surrender, suggesting that Modi's silence on the issue was telling. 'My aim is caste census. In Lok Sabha, in front of Modi ji, I told him that caste census would be conducted. And you know he has a habit of surrendering. Trump has said 11 times in public that he made Narendra Modi surrender. But Narendra Modi ji cannot utter a word because it is the truth…They will never get a genuine caste census done because the day they get it done, their politics will end…,' said the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha. He highlighted two models – the BJP's closed-door approach and Telangana's inclusive method, which involved public input. 'There are two models of caste census- A BJP model and second Telangana model. In the BJP model, officers decided the questions in a closed room, 90% of which had no one. The most important thing in the caste census is which questions are being asked. At the same time, we openly asked questions from the public in Telangana. We told the Dalits, backward classes, tribals, minorities and their associations that we are going to conduct a caste census – what kind of questions do you want? People from every section gave us different kinds of questions. About 3 lakh people have prepared questions for caste census in open meetings,' he posted from Congress X handle. The central government on Wednesday announced that the Population Census-2027 will be conducted in two phases and will also include the enumeration of castes. Opposition parties accused the government of further delaying the nationwide enumeration exercise. According to the MHA statement, the reference date for the 'Population Census-2027 will be 00:00 hours on March 1, 2027, for most parts of the country. 'However, for the Union Territory of Ladakh, and the non-synchronous snow-bound areas of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, and Uttarakhand, the reference date will be 00:00 hours on October 1, 2026.' The government has also indicated that a notification of intent to conduct the census, adhering to the timelines mentioned above, will be published in the Official Gazette on June 16, 2025. This will be done under Section 3 of the Census Act, 1948, which governs the legal framework for the decennial census exercise in India. The 2021 census was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Census 2027 is slated to be one of the most comprehensive data-gathering exercises undertaken by the Indian government. The Census of India was conducted under the provisions of the Census Act of 1948 and the Census Rules of 1990. The last Census of India was conducted in 2011 in two phases, namely i) Phase I – House Listing (HLO) (1 April to 30 September 2010) and (ii) Phase II – Population Enumeration (PE) (February 9 to February 28, 2011) with reference date – 00:00 hours of the first day of March 2011, except for snow-bound non-synchronous areas of Jammu and Kashmir, Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh for which it was conducted during September 11 to 30, 2010 with reference date as 00.00 hours of the first day of October 2010. Census 2021 was also proposed to be conducted in two phases similarly, with phase I during April-September 2020 and the second phase in February 2021. All the preparations for the first phase of the Census to be conducted in 2021 were completed, and field work was scheduled to begin in some States/UTs from April 1, 2020. However, due to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic across the country, the census work was postponed. Earlier today, Rahul Gandhi, who arrived in Gaya, visited the Dashrath Manjhi Memorial, accompanied by members of Manjhi's family. As part of his visit, he will attend various events in the region. The Mountain Man lived in Gehlaur village, near Gaya. As per the Bihar Government, Manjhi carved a path 110 m long (360 ft), 9.1 m (30 ft) wide and 7.7 m (25 ft) deep through a ridge of hills using only a hammer and chisel. After 22 years of work, Dashrath shortened the travel between the Atri and Wazirganj blocks of Gaya town from 55 km to 15 km. He breathed his last on August 17, 2007, at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi. The Government of Bihar gave him a state funeral, proposed his name for the Padma Shri award in 2006 in the social service sector and released a stamp by the India Post in the 'Personalities of Bihar' series on December 26, 2016. This report is auto-generated from ANI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content. Also read: How Modi govt's Caste census move has opened fault-lines within BJP
Indian Express
a day ago
- Indian Express
UP govt to give 20% reservation in police, fire services to ex-Agniveers
The Uttar Pradesh government will provide 20 per cent reservation to the ex-Agniveers in the state police and fire department, an official said on Saturday. The state government issued an order regarding this on June 6. The Uttar Pradesh government on Tuesday said that it will provide 20 per cent reservation to ex-Agniveers in direct recruitment to several positions in the state police. The decision was taken at a cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. Speaking to reporters after the meeting, UP Finance Minister Suresh Kumar Khanna on Tuesday said the move aims to provide meaningful post-service opportunities to Agniveers, who have completed their four-year term under the Agnipath scheme. 'This is a significant decision. The reservation will be applicable across categories — General, SC, ST and OBC. If an ex-Agniveer belongs to the SC category, the reservation will apply within SC; if OBC, then within OBC,' he explained. Special age relaxation of up to three years will also be provided to former Agniveers applying for these posts, he added. There are four categories — police constable, PAC constable, mounted police and fireman — for which recruitment will be done. The first batch of recruits under this system will come out in 2026, Khanna said. 'Several states and central forces have already taken the initiative to provide reservations to Agniveers. States like Haryana and Odisha have offered 10 per cent reservation to former Agniveers. The Uttar Pradesh Cabinet has now approved 20 per cent horizontal reservation, which is a bold and generous initiative,' the minister said. This not only recognises their service but ensures that they continue contributing to the nation's security infrastructure after their military stint, he said. The Centre introduced the Agnipath scheme in 2022 for short-term induction of personnel in the Army, Navy and Air Force with an aim to bring down the age profile of the three services.
