Archives for 2022

MUMBAI: Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has so far made seven visits to New Delhi in the last one month, but could not get an approval to expand his cabinet. Reason: The BJP has apparently dragged its feet on two promises made to Shinde.-ADVERTISEMENT-Ads by 

“When Shinde tied-up with the BJP to topple the Uddhav Thackeray government, the saffron party top leadership had made two promises to him that he would made the chief minister and his camp would get two-thirds ministerial portfolios in the new government. Hence, most Sena MLAs were promised to make either cabinet minister or junior minister in the new government. The BJP fulfilled its first promise by making Shinde as the chief minister, but dragged its feet on giving the 2/3 ministries to his loyalists. That’s why the delay in the cabinet expansion,” said sources.

Shinde, however, said that there would be a cabinet expansion soon. In the first swearing-in, 15 MLAs from both the BJP and the Shinde camp will take the oath as the minister while Devendra Fadnavis is likely to get the home department.

The initial plan of the BJP was to give Shinde outside support, the sources said. “But the top leadership of the BJP changed the plan at the last minute and asked Devendra Fadnavis to take oath as the deputy chief minister. They felt that outside support will create instability in the Shinde government and the BJP may face flak if anything goes wrong. Now, the BJP demands a majority share in the cabinet, while Shinde is reluctant,” the sources added.

“Shinde is not happy with the BJP leadership for changing plan at the eleventh hour. But he has little options and cannot speak openly about it as well. The BJP used him to topple the Uddhav Thackeray government and is now demanding 2/3 ministerial berths. Shinde has decided not to expand the cabinet till the issue is sorted,” said sources.

Leader of Opposition Ajit Pawar said that Shinde had promised a ministerial berth to every MLA who joined him. “Now Shinde is not able to fulfil his promise, hence there is delay in cabinet expansion. The chief minister should spell out the reasons behind the delay,” Pawar said.

Shinde follows KCR in expansion delay
Maharashtra has the second highest delay in expanding the cabinet after forming the government. It has been 37 days but no cabinet expansion of the Shinde-Fadnavis government has happened in Maharashtra. KCR had delayed cabinet expansion for 61 days after forming the government in Telangana. 

MUMBAI: Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has so far made seven visits to New Delhi in the last one month, but could not get an approval to expand his cabinet. Reason: The BJP has apparently dragged its feet on two promises made to Shinde.

“When Shinde tied-up with the BJP to topple the Uddhav Thackeray government, the saffron party top leadership had made two promises to him that he would made the chief minister and his camp would get two-thirds ministerial portfolios in the new government. Hence, most Sena MLAs were promised to make either cabinet minister or junior minister in the new government. The BJP fulfilled its first promise by making Shinde as the chief minister, but dragged its feet on giving the 2/3 ministries to his loyalists. That’s why the delay in the cabinet expansion,” said sources.

Shinde, however, said that there would be a cabinet expansion soon. In the first swearing-in, 15 MLAs from both the BJP and the Shinde camp will take the oath as the minister while Devendra Fadnavis is likely to get the home department.

The initial plan of the BJP was to give Shinde outside support, the sources said. “But the top leadership of the BJP changed the plan at the last minute and asked Devendra Fadnavis to take oath as the deputy chief minister. They felt that outside support will create instability in the Shinde government and the BJP may face flak if anything goes wrong. Now, the BJP demands a majority share in the cabinet, while Shinde is reluctant,” the sources added.

“Shinde is not happy with the BJP leadership for changing plan at the eleventh hour. But he has little options and cannot speak openly about it as well. The BJP used him to topple the Uddhav Thackeray government and is now demanding 2/3 ministerial berths. Shinde has decided not to expand the cabinet till the issue is sorted,” said sources.

Leader of Opposition Ajit Pawar said that Shinde had promised a ministerial berth to every MLA who joined him. “Now Shinde is not able to fulfil his promise, hence there is delay in cabinet expansion. The chief minister should spell out the reasons behind the delay,” Pawar said.

Shinde follows KCR in expansion delay
Maharashtra has the second highest delay in expanding the cabinet after forming the government. It has been 37 days but no cabinet expansion of the Shinde-Fadnavis government has happened in Maharashtra. KCR had delayed cabinet expansion for 61 days after forming the government in Telangana. 

BEIJING: India and Pakistan should resolve their differences over the Kashmir issue peacefully through dialogue and consultation, China said on Friday on the third anniversary of the revocation of the special status of Jammu and Kashmir.

In August 2019, the Indian government bifurcated Jammu and Kashmir into Union territories and abrogated the provisions of Article 370 of the Constitution which accorded special status to the erstwhile state.

The Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Bill was introduced in the Rajya Sabha on August 5, 2019, and passed on the same day. The Lok Sabha cleared it the next day.

Asked for her comment on the third anniversary of the revocation of Article 370 by India, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying told a media briefing that the issue should be resolved peacefully by India and Pakistan through dialogue.

“On the issue of Kashmir, China’s position is clear and consistent. This is an issue leftover from history between India and Pakistan. And this is also a shared view of the international community,” she told a Pakistani journalist here.

“Three years ago, actually we already stated that there should be restraint and prudence by the relevant parties, especially parties that should avoid taking unilateral actions to change the status quo or to escalate tensions,” Hua said.

“We call on both parties to resolve the dispute through dialogue and consultation peacefully for the region to remain peaceful and stable,” she said.

India has previously emphasised that matters related to the Union Territory of Jammu & Kashmir are entirely the internal affairs of India.

“Other countries including China have no locus standi to comment. They should note that India refrains from the public judgement of their internal issues,” the Ministry of External Affairs had said in March this year.

The ties between India and Pakistan nosedived after New Delhi abrogated Article 370 of the Constitution.

India’s decision evoked strong reactions from Pakistan, which downgraded diplomatic ties and expelled the Indian envoy.

India has repeatedly told Pakistan that Jammu and Kashmir “was, is and shall forever” remain an integral part of the country.

India has said it desires normal neighbourly relations with Pakistan in an environment free of terror, hostility and violence.

LUCKNOW: In order to plan its re-structuring and expand its outreach, the Uttar Pradesh unit of Hindu Yuva Vahini (HYV), an outfit launched by Yogi Adityanath as his personal force in 2002, has been dissolved. According to a senior leader of the outfit, the HYV will be revamped soon so that it can assist the BJP not only in its traditional base in Eastern UP but in the western region as well during the 2024 general elections

HYV’s UP in-charge, Raghvendra Pratap Singh, dissolved the state, regional and district units as well as organisational departments.

The decision to dissolve the UP unit of HYV was taken during Yogi Adityanath’s Gorakhpur visit on Tuesday.

The organisation, set up by Yogi when he was Gorakhpur’s MP, had played a key role not only in planning and executing his election campaigns during the 2004, 2009 and the 2014 Lok Sabha elections but also worked hard to carry out the campaign of BJP leaders.

According to Raghvendra Pratap Singh, all the units of the outfit will soon be revamped. “The old units had been working for long. Now the organisation will be overhauled and young and committed workers would be given chance to work in it,” he added.

The HYV leader, a close confidante of Yogi,  claimed that the re-organisation of the outfit was being planned to extend assistance to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in winning the 2024 Lok Sabha election.

In fact, HYV was disbanded by Yogi Adityanath himself after assuming the role of UP CM in 2017. The outfit’s office-bearers and members, who rebelled against the decision to disband it, were expelled from it — including the then state president Sunil Singh who later joined the Samajwadi Party.

The outfit then gradually withdrew from political activities and shifted its focus to social issues.

In January 2022, however, the outfit re-started political activities after the BJP decided to field Adityanath from the Gorakhpur Urban seat for the Assembly election. The BJP bagged 28 of the 29 assembly seats in the Gorakhpur division.

However, after the suspension of its political responsibilities, HVY donned the mantle more of a social organisation during the last five years. It got engaged in distribution of ration cards, carrying out anti-Covid and anti-Japanese Encephalitis awareness campaigns and reaching out to the beneficiaries with welfare schemes in coordination with the local administration in and around Gorakhpur division.

“The HVY has been playing crucial role in strengthening the base of the BJP in various districts by launching various social and mass awareness campaigns. Its cadre worked for the victory of BJP candidates in 2022 Assembly elections by reaching out to voters across urban and rural areas,” said senior BJP leaders seeking anonymity.

HVY was conceptualised and brought into force by Yogi Adityanath owing to his differences with the BJP brass in 2002 over ticket distribution in eastern UP. Over the years, the number of HVY members swelled from 300 in 2002 to over 15 lakh in 2017. In Gorakhpur division alone, five lakh youth joined the outfit with its rural outreach.

The activities of the HYV, however, did not go down well with the local BJP leaders in 2002 and corresponding years till 2017 as they considered the outfit a “private outfit of Adityanath to serve his political interests.”