Why is BSP, Congress silent on Mathura clashes?: BJP

NEW DELHI: Attacking BSP and Congress on their "silence" over the Mathura clashes, BJP today alleged that they were trying to save the Samajwadi Party government in UP as because of their understanding to help each other in the Rajya Sabha polls.   
  
"It appears that all these parties are trying to save the Samajwadi Party government... Probably a reason is that in the Rajya Sabha polls, SP is supporting Congress and BSP too is supporting it in some states," BJP spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi said, referring to understanding among SP, BSP, Congress and Ajit Singh-led RLD.      
    
"Why are you silent? Is it because the religion and caste of the killed is not of help in fulfilling your political ambitions," he said at a press conference here.   
         
Trivedi said the silence of these parties is as much to blame as the UP government. He also attacked Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal over the issue, saying he otherwise speaks on all national and international issues but has maintained a surprising silence on the violence.      

Citing a sting shown by a private channel to hit out at the Akhilesh Yadav government, he said it was left with no face-saver now.    
"It is clear now that what happened in Mathura was not due to negligence but part of a conspiracy," he said.    
BJP alleged that sting has "exposed" the ruling party's collusion with Mathura's Jawahar Bagh encroachers.       
The party also asked the state government to immediately recommend a CBI inquiry so that truth could come out.     
 
"The sting has exposed the Chief Minister and his government. He had blamed officers for the violence. Now it has emerged that over 80 intelligence inputs were sent to the government but it did not act because it was in collusion with land mafia," BJP national secretary Shrikant Sharma claimed.   

The sting operation purportedly showed intelligence officials saying they had informed the state government about threats posed by the well-armed encroachers, who were also part of a sect.
    
Dwivedi rejected the state government's decision to appoint a one-man commission as an attempt for "cover up".       

He said a senior state minister, who is also a member of the ruling family, was part of the conspiracy behind this "institutional land grabbing" by SP. BJP has earlier blamed Shivpal Yadav, Akhilesh's uncle and a Cabinet minister, for the Mathura episode.  

JNU Row: Sudhanshu Trivedi defends Rajnath Singh’s remarks on varsity students, Hafiz Saeed

New Delhi, Feb 15 : With Home Minister Rajnath Singh’s statement about Hafiz Saeed “supporting” the JNU protest attracting criticism from a few quarters, BJP leader Sudhanshu Trivedi on Sunday sought to defend the senior party leader, saying people should protest this in unison rather than questioning it. ”As per a political viewpoint, the Home Minister had appealed to people from different areas of society to come and unitedly protest against anti-national powers. But sadly, rather than protesting, why are you becoming advocate for a terrorist who has made a statement,” Trivedi asked.

Singh on Sunday claimed that the JNU university event in Delhi in memory of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru had received “support” from terror outfit LeT’s founder Hafiz Saeed, a statement that sparked a political row with opposition parties asking him to provide evidence. Reacting to Singh’s claim, National Conference leader Omar Abdullah said it is a “very serious charge” to level against the students and that the evidence must be shared with all. CPI-M General Secretary Sitaram Yechury said the Home Minister has to come out and share the evidence he has with the country to back up his “serious allegation”. CPI leader D Raja also demanded that the evidence be made public.

Dismissing the opposition charges, Trivedi said “This could not be a subject of public discourse. The ways, timings and the medium that terrorist and anti-national activities use is a subject of consideration for intelligence and security agencies and cannot be a subject of public discourse.”  escribing the Opposition’s reaction as “unfortunate”, Trivedi said, “Despite this, to blame the government on a particular issue, without going into details is utterly wrong and unfortunate.”

Making a counter-attack on Congress, Trivedi said this is “very surprising in itself”. ”I would like to say that those who talk about blaming are the same people who had said Hafiz Saeed as Hafiz Sahab. These are the same people who had merged their voices, while sitting in India, with Hafiz Saeed who was the sole person to oppose Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Pakistan tour in December last year.”

Targeting former UPA Home Minister, he said, “All other people, whether in opposition or power had welcomed the Prime Minister. If ever, any Indian Home Minister has been patted at back by Hafiz Saeed, then it was in January 2013. The then Home Minister under UPA was appreciated by Saeed for the former’s subject on Hindu Terrorism.”

This New is Originally Posted on India

BJP hopeful on Arunachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir; defends President's rule

NEW DELHI: For a party that has rung alarm bells each time there is some problem at the Pakistan or China border, BJP is faced with a predicament where J&K as well as Arunachal Pradesh are under President's rule and in the midst of political uncertainty  a scenario that has sections within the saffron organisation in a fix.

BJP leaders to whom ET talked to said though the crises were not of its making, it should definitely not continue for long. Party leader Sudhanshu Trivedi defended the imposition of President's rule in the two states, insisting "one cannot leave border states in a state of anarchy and chaos. No politics should be played on sensitive issues. All steps should be taken to restore normalcy", he said.

  

BJP leaders are more vocal on Arunachal and defended the Centre for imposition of President's rule. "While the crisis in Arunachal is one where a big chunk of Congress MLAs are with us, in J&K the situation developed in the wake of Mufti Sayeed's demise; but we are moving towards ironing out the differences with PDP," a BJP MP involved in party affairs in both states in the past said.

Other BJP leaders underlined that being border states and under President's rule were the only common grounds between J&K and Arunachal. In J&K, BJP is dependent on how Mehbooba Mufti plays her cards. "Arunachal has usually been with whichever party is in power at the Centre so we are hopeful," a BJP leader said.

BJP pins the blame for imposition of President's rule on the Congress. "Congress accusing us is akin to pot calling the kettle black. When it comes to President's rule, Indira Gandhi had crossed the half century mark," BJP secretary Srikant Sharma claimed.

"The uncertainty in both the states will end soon in our favour. It is just a matter of time," a BJP leader said.

This New is Originally Posted on The Economic Times

Pranab seeks clarification on Arunachal

President Pranab Mukherjee seemed poised to take a call on the Centre’s recommendation to impose President’s rule in Arunachal Pradesh, after he sought clarifications from Home Minister Rajnath Singh. 

This, even as the Congress party, whose government headed by Chief Minister Nabam Tuki is imperilled, moved the Supreme Court questioning the recommendation. 

Top sources in the government told The Hindu that Rashtrapati Bhavan had, on Sunday night itself, conveyed to the Union government that certain clarifications were required on certain dates mentioned in the recommendations. On Monday afternoon, Mr. Rajnath Singh met President Mukherjee. Rashtrapati Bhavan did not confirm the part about Sunday’s conversation only saying, “the Home Minister did meet the President this [Monday] afternoon, as did the Congress delegation [protesting the recommendation].” 

The Congress called the recommendation unconstitutional, with party vice-president Rahul Gandhi directly attacking PM Narendra Modi. 

“Modiji you talk about federalism but murder democracy. You talk about cooperation but use every means to coerce. Imposing President’s rule in Arunachal is a blatant bid to topple a duly elected government. The Congress party will fight this attack on our Constitution, on our democracy and on the people’s mandate,” he said on social media site Twitter. 

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal came out in support of the Congress and criticised the Centre’s recommendation. “I strongly condemn the Centre’s move to impose President’s rule in Arunachal Pradesh, while the matter is still pending before the SC’s Constitutional Bench,” said Mr. Kumar. 

The official spokesperson for the BJP, Sudhanshu Trivedi, however, said not recommending President’s rule would have, in fact, imperilled the law and order situation in the State. 

“Politically, this is a subject of internal conflicts of the Congress party, its MLAs crossed over as the Chief Minister and the Speaker were first cousins and that was creating issues among other MLAs of the party,” he said. “Constitutionally too, the State government did not call an Assembly session in the last six months. Even if they do not acknowledge the session, run outside the Assembly premises by so-called rebels in December, the Chief Minister should have called a session by January 21st. In either case it is a fit case for President’s rule,” Mr. Trivedi added. 

This New is Originally Posted on THE HINDU

Congress failed to protect the constitution in Arunachal: Sudhanshu Trivedi

New Delhi: The BJP spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi on Monday accused the Congress of having failed to protect the constitution in Arunachal Pradesh and said the ruling party in the state has lost the constitutional authority to remain in power.

“Politically, this is an internal matter of the Congress and constitutionally, in either of the way in which the decision is pending in the Supreme Court, they have lost the constitutional authority to be in the government in Arunachal Pradesh, ”

“And morally, I would like to ask one question — Why are you (Congress) running away from calling the house and proving majority or going for a floor test?”

“In fact, you are not able to convene your own legislative party meeting itself,” he added

The BJP leader also accused the Congress of misleading the nation over the issue.

“They will reach the Supreme Court. They will reach the President but they will not convene the (assembly) session and not even the legislature party meeting. The Congress should refrain from making political statements as the case is pending before the constitutional bench of the Supreme Court,”

Trivedi said that constitutionally, there was a provision that any government cannot remain in power if it is not able to conduct the next session of the assembly within six months after the conclusion of the previous session.

“The previous session of the Arunachal Pradesh assembly ended on July 21, and a session must be convened before January 21,” he said.

This New is Originally Posted on NewsGram