Page 72 - Bjp

West Bengal: BJP MLA Biswajit Das joins TMC, says 'felt uncomfortable'

BJP MLA from Bagda, Biswajit Das, on Tuesday joined the TMC, the third saffron party legislator to do so since the assembly poll results were declared in May. Das, a two-time MLA from the TMC, had switched over to the BJP in 2019. He won from Bagda on a BJP ticket in 2021 assembly polls. "I never felt very comfortable in the BJP. I wanted to return to the TMC long ago. The BJP has done nothing for Bengal," he said after joining the party in presence of TMC secretary general Partha Chatterjee. On Monday, another BJP legislator, Tanmoy Ghosh, had returned to the TMC. Earlier, in June, BJP MLA and party's national vice-president Mukul Roy rejoined the TMC, four years after he left the Mamata Banerjee-led party to join the saffron camp.

Biplab Deb expands cabinet, seeks to stem dissent by inducting rivals

Biplab Kumar Deb, heading the first BJP government in Tripura, expanded his cabinet on Tuesday with the induction of three ministers, including two from the rival camp

BJP, prime minister committed to OBC's welfare: Sushil Kumar Modi

Senior BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi on Tuesday asserted that most of the steps for welfare of Other Backward Classes have taken place whenever his party was in power in Bihar or at the Centre.

Had invited Mulayam to condolence meeting for Kalyan Singh: UP BJP chief

Uttar Pradesh BJP chief Swatantra Dev Singh said on Tuesday that he had invited the veteran leader to a condolence meeting for former chief minister Kalyan Singh

Bengal post-poll violence: CBI files 3 more FIRs, total 31 cases registered

The CBI, as part of its probe into cases of post-poll violence in West Bengal, has filed three new FIRs in two places, agency sources said on Tuesday. According to the sources, the cases were filed in Purba Medinipur's Nandigram and Cooch Behar's Sitalkuchi areas. As many as 31 cases have been filed so far by the agency. After the TMC stormed back to power, the BJP accused the ruling party workers of unleashing violence on its members, leaving several of them dead. The saffron camp also claimed that many homes of party activists have been destroyed, and women raped in various parts of the state. The Calcutta High Court, after taking cognisance of an NHRC report on post-poll violence, handed over the probe to the CBI.

Haryana CM Khattar lashes out at Amarinder Singh over farmers' issues

Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar listed several steps taken by the BJP ruled state for farmers, and asked what Amarinder Singh's government has done done in comparison.

UP BJP chief meets Mulayam Singh, enquires about his well-being

Uttar Pradesh BJP chief Swatantra Dev Singh on Monday met Samajwadi Party patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav at the latter's residence here and enquired about his well-being

Rahul attacks govt, asks if Articles 15 and 25 of Constitution 'sold'

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Monday attacked the government over the incident of a tribal man allegedly being tied to a vehicle and dragged as well as some other recent instances of mob violence

BSP's outreach to Brahmins vote-bank politics: Uttar Pradesh BJP president

Targeting the BSP over its outreach to Brahmins, UP BJP president Swatantra Dev Singh said its leaders are now visiting temples and offering prayers to woo the community ahead of the assembly polls

Akhilesh trying everything to come back to power in UP, says BJP

The BJP on Monday attacked Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav over don-turned-politician Mukhtar Ansari's brother Sibghatulla Ansari joining his party

If Nitish were to become PM, numbers won't be a problem: JD(U) leader

Reiterating that Nitish Kumar was PM material, the JD(U) asserted it was not staking claim to the highest seat of power for the Bihar CM but numbers would be no problem if such a situation arose.

ED notice a love letter for political workers, not death warrant: Raut

Taking a swipe at the Centre, Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut on Monday said a notice issued by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) is not a "death warrant" but a "love letter" for political workers

Narayan Rane fails to appear before Raigad police; lawyer says he is unwell

Narayan Rane on Monday failed to appear at the office of the superintendent of police here in Raigad district of Maharashtra as directed by a court earlier due to ill health, his lawyer said

Spectre of caste census limits BJP's OBC politics

Even among OBC parties that support a caste census, this could be a miscalculation because these largely family-run 'Mom and Pop' shops are seen as representing the dominant castes among the OBC.

State scan: Is relationship between Shiv Sena and BJP well and truly over?

BJP, Shiv Sena rift gets wider after Rane's 'slap CM' remark

Taking on Thackerays: Rane's 'slap' remark may galvanise Sena workers

With Rane, BJP looks to expand its footprint in Mumbai and Konkan. But a perceived self-goal by him may have galvanised the restive Sena cadre and voters to coalesce around their party

Some BJP leaders hand in glove with coal mafia: Mamata

She also accused the Narendra Modi government of trying to "bulldoze the federal structure" of the country and snatching away rights of the states.

Best of BS Opinion: Ambition in a minefield, Schizophrenic BJP govt & more

Here are the best of Business Standard's opinion pieces for Saturday

The schizophrenic BJP government

The paradox is that BJP's economic policies have been the opposite of its non-economic policies.

Electoral bonds worth Rs 3,429.56 crore redeemed by parties in 2019-20: ADR

Electoral bonds worth Rs 3,429.56 crore were redeemed by parties in 2019-20, and 87.29 per cent of this was received by four national parties the BJP, Congress, TMC and the NCP, poll rights group Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) said. In a new report, the ADR said the BJP declared a total income of Rs 3,623.28 crore during the financial year 2019-20, but spent only 45.57 per cent (Rs 1,651.022 crore) of it. The Congress' total income in 2019-20 was Rs 682.21 crore. The party spent Rs 998.158 crore, which exceeds its income for that year by 46.31 per cent, it said. The TMC declared a total income of Rs 143.676 crore during FY 2019-20, and spent Rs 107.277 crore (74.67 per cent), the ADR report added. "As per the data shared by SBI in response to ADR's RTI application, electoral bonds worth Rs 3,429.5586 crore were redeemed by parties in FY 2019-20. Of this, 87.29 per cent was received by four national parties BJP, INC, AITC & NCP," it said. "The total amount of electoral