Ahmedabad: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Monday suspended its former spokesperson Kishansinh Solanki for “anti-party activities”, hours after he shared a selfie with Punjab Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Bhagwant Mann on social media.

Solanki, a BJP leader from Ahmedabad who served as a party spokesperson till around six months ago, has been suspended for six years with immediate effect, a statement issued by Gujarat BJP said.

Solanki on Sunday night shared a selfie with Mann on his Facebook page with the caption, “Thanks for birthday wishes @BhagwantMann ji @CMOPb”.

“Ahmedabad district’s Kishansinh Solanki is today suspended from the party for six years with immediate effect for anti-party activities by the order of state BJP chief CR Paatil,” the statement said.

Gujarat BJP spokesperson Yagnesh Dave said Solanki had been a part of the state BJP media team and served as a spokesperson but was not holding any post as of now.

“He was a convener of the BJP media cell and appeared in TV debates on behalf of the party before he was removed from the post around six months ago,” Dave said.

As per his Facebook profile, Solanki had also served as a national executive member of the BJP Kisan Morcha or farmers’ cell.

Mann and his Delhi counterpart Arvind Kejriwal visited Gujarat recently for campaigning for the upcoming Assembly elections.

Union Minority Affairs minister Smriti Irani

New Delhi: The government on Monday clarified that there is no proposal under consideration to scrap the Ministry of Minority Affairs.

The clarification came in response to a media report that claimed that the Centre is likely to scrap the Ministry of Minority Affairs and merge it with the Social Justice and Empowerment ministry.

No such proposal is under consideration, the PIB Fact check clarified in a tweet, which was re-tweeted by Union Minority Affairs minister Smriti Irani.

New Delhi: The Ministry of Minority Affairs, established by the UPA government in 2006, is likely to be merged with the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment by Central government

According to a report published in Deccan Herald, sources in the government have revealed that all their schemes of the ministry will be continued post merger

The Union government is of the view that the ministry was merely a part of the UPA government’s appeasement policy and no such separate ministry for minority affairs was needed. The government, therefore, wishes to make the ministry a part of the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment again, said a source.

The Ministry, headed by Smriti Irani, also Minister for Women and Child Development, refused to comment on the matter.

Syed Naseer Hussain, Congress Rajya Sabha member, however, called it another attempt by the BJP at polarization in society. “A ministry separate from the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment was set up to bring the minority communities to the mainstream and implement programs for their uplift,” the MP told sources.

Syed Tanveer Ahmed, secretary of Jamaat-e-Hind, said that abolition of the ministry was a move against the spirit of the Constitution of India as it will harm the human development index of the country, sources said. He urged the government to focus on granting more money to and strengthening the ministry for the welfare of the minorities.

RAIPUR: Political temperature across six states is set to rise following the Election Commission’s announcement of by-elections for seven Assembly seats on November 3. Besides Bihar and Maharashtra, the other states include UP (one in Gola Karan Nath in Lakhimpur Kheri), Telangana (Munigode/Nalgonda), Odisha (Dhamnagar-SC) and Haryana (Adampur).

Bihar and Maharashtra will witness two and one by-elections each, respectively. For the BJP it will be a testing ground, especially after the party’s break-up with Nitish Kumar-led JD-U a couple of months back. The seats going to the polls are Mokama and Gopalganj. 

Similarly in Maharashtra, the BJP will get a hint of the people’s mood following its ascension to power with a Shiv Sena faction led by Eknath Shinde, in Andheri-East. In Bihar, the two by-elections will be equally significant for the ruling ‘grand alliance’ that includes the JD-U, RJD and Congress besides four other parties. As per the schedule announced by the ECI, nominations will start on Oct 7. Contestants can withdraw their names till Oct 17 and the polling will take place on Nov 3. The vote is due Nov 6.

The Mokama seat fell vacant after the termination of membership of RJD MLA Anant Singh following his conviction in a criminal case. The death of sitting BJP MLA Subhash Singh necessitated a by-poll in Gopalganj. 

While Mokama is considered an RJD bastion, Gopalganj had earlier been represented by the BJP for four consecutive terms.  In Maharashtra, Andheri East belonged to Shiv Sena MLA Ramesh Latke, who died in May this year in Dubai after a heart attack.

While the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena has fielded Latke’s wife Rutuja in the election, the BJP is fielding former corporator Murji Patel.  The Andheri by-poll will take place before the cash-rich civic body BMC goes to the polls. It will be a litmus test for the Shiv Sena, which has split vertically after a revolt.

Bihar crucial 
Bihar and Maharashtra will witness two and one by-polls each, respectively. For the BJP it will be a testing ground, especially after the party’s break-up with Nitish Kumar-led JD-U a couple of months back. The seats going to the polls are Mokama and Gopalganj. It will be equally significant for the grand alliance

MOHALI: Punjabi singer Alfaaz aka Amanjot Singh Panwar, was rushed to a private hospital in Mohali with injuries after being allegedly rammed into by a vehicle at a local Dhaba here on Saturday. Fellow Punjabi singer on Sunday night took to social media on Sunday night to update that Alfaaz was “out of danger

Reportedly, the ‘Yaar Bathere’ singer who was leaving the Pal Dhaba in the company of three of his friends was caught in an argument one Vicky, a former employee at the eatery was having with the owner.

Reportedly, Vicky requested Alfaaz to mediate and get the Dhaba owner to settle his dues. When the singer refused to intervene Vicky attempted to run away with the owner’s tempo and hit the singer while reversing the vehicle.

Reportedly the singer suffered several injuries on his head, arms and legs and was rushed to the hospital by his friends.

Vicky, the suspect managed to escape from the location but was later arrested by the Mohali Police.

Police later registered a case against the culprit at the Sohna Police station.

Fellow Punjabi singer and rapper Yo Yo Honey Singh took to his social media account and shared a picture of the ‘Haye Mera Dil’ singer from the hospital which he captioned, “My brother @itsaslialfaaz has been attacked last night, Whoever planned this won’t let u go !! Take my words !! Everyone pls pray for him.” He later deleted his post from his account.

Hours after deleting the post, Yo Yo Honey Singh shared another post, in which he shared Alfaaz’s health update and wrote, “Special thanx to Mohali police who caught the culprits who hit alfaaz with a tempo traveller on the road lastnite is now out of danger too.”

Alfaaz, a Punjabi singer, is known for his super hit songs like ‘Putt Jatt Da’, ‘Rickshaw’, ‘Gaddi’ and many more. The singer has collaborated with Yo Yo Honey Singh for chartbuster tracks like ‘Haye Mera Dil’, ‘Bebo’, ‘Birthday Bash’ and ‘Yaar Bathere’. 

BALLARI: Upparahlali village in Kampli taluk of Ballari district has been declared an alcohol-free village, thanks to the efforts of the village seniors.

It’s the first village in the district to get this ‘unique tag’ after the village heads banned the consumption and sale of alcohol in the village. If any villager is found violating the rule, the village heads fine them.

They installed an ‘Alcohol-free Village’ board at the entrance of the village recently. Many people in the village have struggled to achieve this distinction, said elders in the village.  

Nagappa Madar, a resident of Upparahalli, said that it’s a proud moment for all the residents that their village has turned alcohol-free.

“For the past two years, we were trying to declare it an alcohol-free village, but we could not do it due to many reasons. A few months ago, we created different groups in the village involving teachers, women and children. The teams would go door-to-door to create awareness of the ill-effects of alcohol. The response was positive and there was agreement by all to declare the village alcohol-free,” he said.

Besides, the teams formed by the villagers, government employees, ASHA workers and members of an NGO were also roped in for the campaign.

“Our village has a population of 1,300. We knew those who were addicted to alcohol. We spoke to their family members requesting them to convince the addicts to quit their habit. We also told villagers about the dream of village heads to get this special status for the village. The shops which used to store liquor illegally have been warned. Those who come to the village consuming alcohol have to pay a penalty,” he added.

“There were complaints of quarrels and disputes among relatives in the village, mainly from the families which had alcohol addicts. This made the village seniors achieve something unique and today our village has become a role model to others. The panchayat heads who were present during the function have promised to create awareness in other villages as well,” added another villager.

BHITIHARWA: Poll strategist Prashant Kishor on Sunday started his 3,500-km long padyatra from Bhitiharwa Gandhi Ashram and said that all political equations of major parties would be demolished if people stand against them.

“With the support and suggestions of people, we will identify thousands of ‘right people’ who want to establish a new system. I want people who wish to move parallel to me and not behind me. No power can stand before people’s power,” Kishor said addressing a large crowd. 

“Even as it’s said that I played a major role in victories and defeats of politicians, I have left the profession after 10 years,” he added. “Now, I will work for the ‘right people’ identified by the society who, as MPs, MLAs and MLCs, can work for them and their children.” 

Kishor, who was once close to Nitish Kumar, and also served as JD-U vice president before he fell out with the Bihar CM, took a dig at RJD chief Lalu Prasad and Nitish. He said, “I am not for floating a party first, as people float parties and make big promises. Bihar was the poorest and most backward state 35 years ago and remains so.” He told people, “You voted for BJP, Lalu and Nitish but no change happened. You have to vote for yourself.” 

Kishor will cover almost the entire state on foot during his one-and-a-half-year journey under his Jan Suraj Abhiyan. “I am not here to seek your votes or to form any party but to make new efforts so that we can identify the right people from the society,” Kishor said. “Even my hard critics admit that I know how to formulate election strategy. I will help the right people of the society to contest elections so that opponents find it a hard nut to crack,” he added.

Meanwhile, Nitish while replying to a media query on Kishor’s padyatra, said, “Everyone has his own wish, It doesn’t make any sense.” On the other hand, Bihar BJP spokesperson Nikhil Anand said, “PK is a political middleman. He has no leadership value or electoral worth. Everyone knows he has a secret understanding with Nitishji and at the end of the day will join or collaborate with him.”

RANCHI:  In a major relief to the three suspended Congress legislators who were arrested in Kolkata with cash in their vehicle allegedly paid to them for toppling the Hemant Soren government in Jharkhand, the MP-MLA Court in Kolkata ordered the release of the vehicles seized from the spot on July 30. 

Irfan Ansari, one of the three MLAs arrested by the Kolkata Police, said that though the order was passed on September 27, the vehicles were released on Sunday. The court also said that there is nothing on record to give rise to the belief that the money recovered from them was meant for a conspiracy to topple the Jharkhand government, Ansari added. 

“It is a relief for us,” Ansari said. “It is a start of the end of our sufferings, which we have been undergoing for two months,” he added, saying that he has been framed under a conspiracy by his opponents.
“We have already been granted interim bail and the court has asked us to enjoy Durga Puja in Kolkata, which is celebrated here with great fervour. We believe that we will soon be granted regular bail as the court has already observed that no proof of any conspiracy to topple the government has been found so far,” Ansari said.

According to him, the Calcutta High Court observed, “Even if these materials are taken into consideration, apart from the solitary complaint of the de-facto complainant which was lodged after the arrest of the petitioners, there is nothing on record to give rise to the reasonable belief that the money recovered from them were in the nature of illegal gratification to induce the petitioners to participate in the conspiracy to topple the democratically elected government in Jharkhand.”

The high court on August 17 granted interim bail to all five accused persons, including the three suspended Congress MLAs – Irfan Ansari, Naman Bixal Kongari and Rajesh Kachhap, arrested by West Bengal Police in connection with the cash seizure case.

While granting bail, the High Court also directed them not to leave Kolkata for three months. Meanwhile, the court ordered for transfer of the case to the MP-MLA court for conducting the trial. The three MLAs were caught with `49 lakh in their vehicle, outside Howrah on July 30.