Latest news with #Poonawalla
India Gazette
5 hours ago
- Politics
- India Gazette
"Nothing short of state-sponsored man-made disaster": BJP' Shehzad Poonawalla slams Congress over Bengaluru RCB stampede
New Delhi [India], June 6 (ANI): Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) spokesperson Shehzad Pooonawalla on Friday alleged that the Bengaluru stampede was a state-sponsored man-made disaster and further held Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister to be directly responsible for the tragic incident. 'What we have seen in the Bengaluru stampede is nothing short of a state-sponsored man-made disaster for which the CM and Deputy CM are directly responsible. They are A1 and A2, but instead of taking accountability, we see that they constantly attempt to shift the blame. DK Shivakumar, just 24 hours ago, was saying that the Police have done a fantastic job, they have done an excellent job. He was blaming the crowd,' Poonawalla told ANI. Poonawalla further questioned the haste to arrange a big program for the RCB team in a short span of time and also quetioned the clearance given to the parade. 'We have seen the CM trying to indulge in whataboutery and within 24 hours now, to fix the responsibility on somebody, action has been taken on series of officers but no action on the political leadership. Was this RCB team a national team? Did it win a national competition? Then why was the haste there to arrange such a big programme within 24 hours? Did the Polic give the clearance for the programme in Vidhana Soudha? Who gave the clearance? Who was the one who was there with the team, receiving them at airport, kissing the trophy, holding the flag, trying to take the credit through photo-op and who took the decision to continue the celebration even when deaths were occurring?' the BJP spokesperson questioned. Stating that the blame game was another attempt by the state government to save their skin and find a scapegoat, Poonawalla questioned Congress national leader Rahul Gandhi on why there were not standards of accountability set on ministers. 'So, this is yet another attempt to save their own skin and to find a scapegoat. One should now ask the question from Rahul Gandhi, why don't you set the same standards of accountability on A1 and A2, Siddaramaiah and DK Shivakumar that you set on all others? They are trying to protect their skin and their responsibility by laying the blame at somebody else's doorstep,' he added. On June 4, eleven people died and more than 30 were injured in a stampede outside Bengaluru's M Chinnaswamy stadium as a huge crowd of nearly three lakh people had gathered to witness the victory celebration of Royal Challengers Bengaluru which won the Indian Premier League (IPL). (ANI)
India Gazette
5 hours ago
- Politics
- India Gazette
"Congratulate Karnataka govt for taking every possible step and suspending Commissioner": Pramod Tiwari on Bengaluru stampede
New Delhi [India], June 6 (ANI): Congress MP Pramod Tiwari backed the Karnataka government on the Bengaluru stampede incident and congratulated them for taking all possible steps and suspending the Commissioner of the Bengaluru City Police. 'I congratulate the Karnataka government for taking every possible step and suspending even the Commissioner...' Tiwari compared RCB to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and lashed out at the opposition, stating that they had not been able to locate or punish the culprits of the Pahalgam attack. 'The compensation RCB gave is too little. Like I said, at least one crore each should be given to the families of the deceased... They are an example for the BJP. To date, the BJP has not been able to locate or punish the culprits of the Pahalgam attack,' he added. Meanwhile, BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla alleged that the Bengaluru stampede was a state-sponsored man-made disaster and further held Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister to be directly responsible for the tragic incident. 'What we have seen in the Bengaluru stampede is nothing short of a state-sponsored man-made disaster for which the CM and Deputy CM are directly responsible. They are A1 and A2, but instead of taking accountability, we see that they constantly attempt to shift the blame. DK Shivakumar, just 24 hours ago, was saying that the Police have done a fantastic job, they have done an excellent job. He was blaming the crowd,' Poonawalla told ANI. Stating that the blame game was another attempt by the state government to save their skin and find a scapegoat, Poonawalla questioned Congress national leader Rahul Gandhi on why there were not standards of accountability set on ministers. 'So, this is yet another attempt to save their own skin and to find a scapegoat. One should now ask the question from Rahul Gandhi, why don't you set the same standards of accountability on A1 and A2, Siddaramaiah and DK Shivakumar that you set on all others? They are trying to protect their skin and their responsibility by laying the blame at somebody else's doorstep,' he added. On June 4, eleven people died and more than 30 were injured in a stampede outside Bengaluru's M Chinnaswamy stadium as a huge crowd of nearly three lakh people had gathered to witness the victory celebration of Royal Challengers Bengaluru which won the Indian Premier League (IPL). (ANI)
Hindustan Times
3 days ago
- General
- Hindustan Times
Congress leader suggests ‘ceasefire with Maoists', BJP alleges ‘vote bank' politics
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) accused the Congress of endorsing a call for a ceasefire with the banned CPI (Maoist) and said it has "exposed" the opposition party's 'double standards' on the issue of taking on the Naxal menace. The controversy erupted after a recent remark by Telangana Congress president B Mahesh Kumar Goud, who said that he would bring an appeal of a peace talk committee for a ceasefire with the CPI (Maoists) to the notice of chief minister A Revanth Reddy and also discuss the issue in the party's high-level committee. Also Read | 'Thunder vs blunder': BJP's dig at Rahul Gandhi's 'surrender' remark on PM Modi According to media reports, the Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee chief, while addressing a conference organised by the peace talks committee in Hyderabad on Sunday, also accused the Centre of aiming to eliminate Maoists to hand over mineral wealth in Chhattisgarh and other states to corporates. The BJP seized on the statement, with national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla accusing the Congress of supporting Maoist insurgents for 'vote bank politics.' Poonawalla also asked why the grand old party "always stands with enemies of India – from Naxals to Pakistan-based terrorists'. Also Read | BJP on Congress leader's 'Rahul Gandhi would've taken PoK back' remarks: 'Hilarious' 'When the Congress was in power (at the Centre) it used to call Naxalism the biggest internal security threat and today it has become the biggest issue of human rights for the party," Poonawalla said. "After Naxal commanders like Basavarju were killed, the Congress is now shedding tears. Telangana Congress president says there should be a ceasefire with the Naxalites,' he added. Terming the reported remarks of Goud as 'shameful', another BJP national spokesperson, Pradeep Bhandari, asked in a post on X, 'Why does Congress always stand with enemies of India – Naxals to Pak-based terrorists?' Also Read | BJP hails Salman Khurshid's Article 370 remarks, asks 'will Congress turn on him like Tharoor' He said the number of Maoist-hit districts coming down to just 18 in early 2025 from 126 in 2014 is a testament to the resolve of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government to make India 'Naxal-free by 2026'. "Instead of standing with India, he questions the government's anti-Maoist operations and echoes the narrative of urban Naxals,' Bhandari alleged. The Congress has yet to respond officially to the BJP's charges. (with PTI inputs)
Time of India
3 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
'RRR' got 'SMS' to put nation before party, family: BJP mocks Congress amid India's diplomatic outreach post Operation Sindoor
BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla (File photo) NEW DELHI: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla on Tuesday took a dig at the Congress amid disquiet within the grand old party over statements by its leaders who are members of the multi-party delegations for India's diplomatic outreach post Operation Sindoor . Poonawalla said that top Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi , Revanth Reddy and Jairam Ramesh, whom he dubbed as "RRR", have received an "SMS", referring to Shashi Tharoor , Manish Tewari and Salman Khurshid. "Today, 'RRR' - Revanth, Ramesh and Rahul - got an 'SMS'...SMS means messages from Salman Khurshid, Manish Tewari and Shashi Tharoor. After Tewari and Tharoor, now Khurshid has shown a mirror to RRR to not side with Pakistan. Don't put the (Gandhi) family and party ahead of the nation," Poonawalla, a former Congress member himself, told news agency ANI. "It's unfortunate that on the one hand, our MPs are exposing Pakistan on foreign soil, while 'RRR' call Operation Sindoor a failure. They say that these MPs are roaming freely, just like (Pahalgam) unfortunate that RRR wants to amplify Pakistan's narrative. After this tight slap from 'SMS', 'RRR' should stop supporting Pakistan," he added. Also Read | 'MPs roaming, terrorists also roaming': Jairam Ramesh sparks row; BJP says Congress 'crossed all limit' Poonawalla's remarks come a day after ex-foreign minister Khurshid, in a cryptic social media post, slammed "people at home" for "calculating political allegiances" after he backed the August 2019 abrogation of Article 370 by the Narendra Modi government. Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Trading CFD dengan Teknologi dan Kecepatan Lebih Baik IC Markets Mendaftar Undo However, the most discomforting comments for the Congress, have come from Tharoor, who is heading one of the seven all-party delegations. The Thiruvananthapuram MP, a former diplomat, has made statements which have been seen by a large section of his party as being in "favour" the government, triggering a backlash.
Mint
24-05-2025
- Politics
- Mint
‘Rahul Gandhi thinks LoP stands for Leader of Pakistan': BJP slams Congress leader over India's foreign policy remark
BJP leader Shehzad Poonawalla launched a sharp attack on Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi on Saturday, accusing him of 'speaking the language of Pakistan.' Poonawalla remarked that Rahul seems to believe LoP stands for 'Leader of Pakistan.' "Congress and Pakistan have been hyphenated. Congress has been constantly speaking the language of Pakistan DG ISPR," Poonawalla told ANI, adding Congress leader's understanding of the Leader of Opposition (LoP) is 'Leader of Pakistan.' 'Today, when the entire world, including Pakistan Parliamentarians, agrees on how successful Operation Sindoor was, even after that, Congress speaks Pakistan's tongue. Rahul Gandhi thinks that 'LoP' stands for 'Leader of Pakistan',' he said. BJP leader Shahnawaz Hussain also slammed Rahul Gandhi and said that LoP is forgetting that he is the leader of the Opposition of the country. 'His statements are like that of Pakistan's. He is deliberately crossing the line. At this time, everybody has to stand with the country and armed forces, but he is repeating what Pakistan is saying. People are angered over the behaviour of Congress... The country will not forgive him,' he added. On Friday, criticising the BJP-led NDA government, Rahul Gandhi said that India's foreign policy had 'collapsed'. In a post on X, Gandhi raised three questions to the central government. "Will JJ explain, Why India has been hyphenated with Pakistan? Why didn't a single country back us in condemning Pakistan? Who asked Trump to "mediate" between India & Pakistan?" the LoP said. Reposting a video of S Jaishankar's interview with a media outlet, he said, 'India's foreign policy has collapsed,' he added. Earlier, Gandhi questioned External Affairs Minister Jaishankar, accusing him of being silent on how many aircraft the Indian Air Force lost during Operation Sindoor and said that the nation "deserves the truth". 'EAM Jaishankar's silence isn't just telling -- it's damning. So I'll ask again: How many Indian aircraft did we lose because Pakistan knew? This wasn't a lapse. It was a crime. And the nation deserves the truth,' Rahul Gandhi posted on X. His statements are like that of Pakistan's. India launched Operation Sindoor on May 7 in response to the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam that killed 26 civilians. As part of the operation, the Indian Armed Forces struck terror infrastructure deep inside Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir, killing over 100 militants associated with Jaish-e-Mohammed, Lashkar-e-Taiba, and Hizbul Mujahideen. Rahul Gandhi thinks that 'LoP' stands for 'Leader of Pakistan'. Key Takeaways Political discourse in India is increasingly polarized, particularly on foreign policy issues. Operation Sindoor's impact and the subsequent military strategy are contentious topics in Indian politics. The BJP's defense of national policy often involves attacking opposition remarks as unpatriotic.
