BJYM to “Sansad Gherao” on August 9, Asks corrupt UPA government to Quit

New Delhi, June 22: BJYM National President & M.P. Shri Anurag Thakur on Wednesday announced that lakhs of young volunteers of the youth wing of the Bhartiya Janata Party will march to the Parliament on August 9 to voice their protest against rising corruption and collapse of institutional democracy in the country. In a protest symbolically coinciding with the commencement of the Quit India Movement by Mahatma Gandhi against the British Empire on August 9, the BJYM has decided to launch a nation-wide campaign to expose the congress led UPA government.

“We are astonished at the inaction and insensitivity of the congress-led UPA government over the plethora of corruption cases that have surfaced in recent past,” said Shri Thakur. He further added that for the first time in the history of modern India, the nation is witnessing such unprecedented levels of corruption. The Congress-led UPA government has no moral right to remain in government at the Centre.

“The people of the country, and especially the youth are in a state of shock and surprise at the colossal loss of institutional democracy in the country. They desperately want an explanation for the kind of corruption that has surfaced in this regime. We demand the government to own moral responsibility for this collapse,” said Shri Thakur at a press conference at the BJP headquarters in Delhi.

Under the UPA government many scams and corruption cases have surfaced including but not limited to the CWG scam, 2G Scam, Adarsh Housing Society scam and S Band deal scam. In spite of the hue and cry created by the media and civil society, the Prime Minister and UPA chairperson have maintained a silence and this has led the country to an emergency like situation.

The BJYM has created awareness all over the country in regards to the corruption and black money scams of the congress led UPA government by undertaking youth marches and marathons against corruption. These kind of programs were organised all over the country, mobilising lakhs of youth against corruption.

The country and especially its youth are aghast at this eerie silence of this unresponsive government and strongly demand answers to the queries that arise in people’s minds. “The government has lost its moral credibility to remain in power and we want the government to quit, much like the ineffectual British, who ruined the social and political fabric of the nation,” Shri Thakur said.

BJYM has given a call of “Chalo Delhi” to protest against such ineffective governance. Youths from all parts of the country will converge on the national Capital on August 9 to exhibit their anger and anguish at the corrupt governance in the country.

“We take a vow to expose the UPA government and shall fight tooth and nail to ensure this corrupt government is shown the door,” slammed the BJYM President.

BJP feels Agreement lacks transparency

The West Bengal unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party on Monday criticised the West Bengal government for the alleged lack of transparency in the signing of the tripartite accord at Sukna in Darjeeling district for the setting up of the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration.

The State BJP leadership compared the signing of the accord with the previous Left Front government's agreement with the Tata Motors Limited for setting up a small car factory unit at Singur — alleging that the contents of both the agreements were not made public and lacked transparency.

“In spite of being such a sensitive issue, the contents of the agreement have not been made public yet. This indicates a complete absence of transparency in the signing process. The BJP will wait for a copy of the agreement and if the contents are found to be against the interests of the State, will hit the streets in protest,” Rahul Sinha, BJP's State president, said at a press conference.

The BJP also objected to the name of the newly set up administrative body — Gorkhaland Territorial Administration — stating that inclusion of the word ‘Gorkhaland' itself would stoke separatist sentiments in the region.

“Even in the 1988 Gorkha Hill Council Agreement, the word ‘Gorkhaland' was dropped and replaced by Gorkha following widespread protests,” Mr. Sinha said.

Sushil Modi elected new chief of Empowered Committee on GST

Roll-out of GST regime delayed due to opposition by BJP-ruled States

In a tactical victory of sorts for Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, BJP leader and Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi was on Monday elected Chairman of the Empowered Committee of State Finance Ministers on GST (Goods and Services Tax) in place of the former West Bengal Finance Minister, Asim Dasgupta, who had to bow out following his defeat in the Assembly elections.

At the meeting convened by Mr. Mukherjee after a gap of nearly five months, the name of Mr. Modi (who also holds the Finance portfolio in Bihar) as chairman of the empowered panel was proposed by Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit and seconded by Orissa Finance Minister Prafulla Chandra Ghadai.

Speaking to the media after Mr. Modi's election in which he was also present, Mr. Mukherjee said: “The substantive business of today's meeting was the election of the chairman. Sushil Modi, the Deputy Chief Minister and Finance Minister of Bihar, has been elected unanimously as the chairman of the Empowered Committee of State Finance Ministers.”

The roll-out of the GST regime has been much delayed mainly owing to the opposition by BJP-ruled States such as Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, their prime concern being that the new indirect tax regime would infringe on the States' autonomy in levying taxes. Interestingly, however, Bihar is in favour of introducing the GST even though the BJP is a part of the NDA coalition in power in that State.

Perhaps, it was with this in view that the Union Finance Minister sounded out Mr. Modi in late May for chairmanship of the empowered committee whose task is to spearhead implementation of the new tax regime. However, Mr. Modi had then declined the offer owing to his preoccupation with affairs of the State.

Now that persuasion appears to have prevailed, it is being viewed as a development that would brighten the prospects of reaching a consensus among all the States on the proposed GST regime. Interacting with the media after his election, Mr. Modi advised the Centre to be flexible in its approach and take the concerns of States on board. “If the Centre is not flexible, implementation would be difficult. The States' concerns must be addressed,” he said.

Mr. Modi said that a Constitution Amendment Bill on GST was introduced in the Lok Sabha during the budget session, which was then referred to a Parliamentary Standing Committee on Finance. “There are many issues on which there were differences of views. Now it is the onus of the Standing Committee to resolve them,” he said.

Most of the contentious issues surrounding the GST, Mr. Modi said, were State-centric and were related to revenue losses that States would be incurring on account of the new tax regime. He said the empowered group would meet again in mid-August and discuss the issues relating to compensation package for phasing out Central Sales Tax for fiscal 2010-11.

Pointing out that it was not a political issue, Mr. Modi said: “GST implementation has got nothing to do with the BJP or the Congress. The Centre has still not announced the Central sales tax package. In the next meeting of State FMs, we will be discussing all these issues.”

“We are all very positive that under the leadership of Modi, all the issues which have been pending between the Centre and States... relating to VAT and GST will be amicably solved,” Gujarat's Finance Minister Finance Minister Saurabhbhai Patel said.

BJP set to block multi-brand retail FDI Bill

PNS | New Delhi
Manmohan Singh Government’s move to open up multi-brand retail for Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) will face a major challenge from the Opposition with the BJP on Wednesday expressing its reservation to the proposal being actively considered by the Centre.

BJP’s decision will come as major setback for the Government, which was pinning its hope on possible support from the principal Opposition party against the backdrop of the Left objection to FDI in multi-brand retail.

“We are opposed to FDI in multi-brand retail. This is going to kill self-employment opportunities, which is the single largest creator of jobs. This will also hit the manufacturing sector in a big way, which would eventually lead to job losses,” Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Arun Jaitley told The Pioneer here on Wednesday.

Jaitley said the Government should give a rethink to find out if the Indian economy was in a state to allow FDI in such a key sector at this point of time.

Sources claimed that with the Left’s known opposition to FDI in this sector, the Government had attempted to reach out to the principal Opposition seeking its support to a related Bill that it intends to introduce in the next session of Parliament.

The Committee of Secretaries (CoS) headed by Cabinet Secretary Ajit Kumar Seth is meeting here on July 22 to prepare a blueprint for allowing FDI in multi-brand retail and to resolve inter-ministerial differences on issues like cap on the foreign investment and regulatory frameworks.

While the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) is in favour of allowing 51 per cent FDI in the sector, the Department of Consumer Affairs wants to cap the foreign direct investment at 49 per cent. The Government feels FDI in retail would help bring down prices in the long run.

“With rising prices of real estate in metro cities, the multinationals would venture into smaller cities, thereby squeezing self-employment opportunities and dealing death blows to small shopkeepers. Moreover, with their strong network across globe, the multinationals would also hit the manufacturing sector by importing their products from across the world,” Jaitley said.

The former Commerce Minister also feared the agenda of multinationals would be to buy cheap and sell at higher prices after they eliminate competition from market by initially offering products at a price cheaper than the market rate.

The Cabinet is expected to take a call on the issue before the forthcoming Monsoon session. However, with the BJP and the Left getting on the same page, the Bill is unlikely to be cleared in the Rajya Sabha, where the ruling alliance is in minority.
(Source: The Pioneer)

BJP condemns Mumbai blasts

New Delhi, July 13 (IANS) The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Wednesday strongly condemned the Mumbai blasts and said it hoped that the government would take a clear stand on the issue of ending terror infrastructure.

"No words can ably express the anguish over these dastardly attacks. We condemn them in strongest possible words. We share the sorrow of the victims," party president Nitin Gadkari said in a statement.

"We hope the government will move beyond reacting from one blast to another and take a clear stand on issues like effective deterrence infrastructure. These blasts are a reminder of the facts that cases like Afzal Guru continue to wait for final action and government dithers from not talking to Pakistan," the statement added.

Three bomb blasts in Dadar in central Mumbai, and Zaveri Bazaar and Opera House in south Mumbai Wednesday evening claimed at least 20 lives and injured over 100 people.

Shyama Prasad’s death still a mystery: L K Advani

Shri L K Advani, Leader in Opposition, India, visiting the permanent
exhibition on Shyamaprasad Mookherjee  at Mookherjee Nivas ,
Bhwanipore, Kolkata on his 110 the birth anniversary. 

Kolkata, July 10 (IANS) Stating that no inquiry was conducted into the ‘tragic death’ of Bharatiya Jana Sangh founder Shyama Prasad Mukherjee, senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader L.K. Advani Sunday said his death was still a mystery.

‘The shocking news came to us on June 23 (1953) that Shyama Prasadji is no more. How it happened no one knows even till date. It is a mystery,’ Advani told reporters after paying homage to Mukherjee on the occasion of his 110th birth anniversary here.

The BJP leader Sunday visited the residence of Mukherjee in south Kolkata.

‘He (Mukherjee) did fall ill, it is true, but what was the treatment given to him, how it happened, we do not know. There was correspondence between Dr. B.C. Roy (the then West Bengal chief minister) and Pandit Nehru (the then prime minister), but nothing came out of it. There was not even an inquiry constituted that how the tragic death of the great leader took place,’ Advani said.

Mukherjee was arrested on entering Kashmir in May 1953. Thereafter, he was jailed in a house. His death in custody raised wide suspicion across the country and demands for ‘independent enquiry’ were raised.

In Kolkata, Uma Bharati prays Mamata will 'destroy' Congress

Kolkata 11th July: Claiming that Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee has a "knack of ruining her allies", Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Uma Bharti on Monday "wished and prayed" that the West Bengal chief minister did the same to her current alliance partner Congress.

"She (Banerjee) has a special knack. She ensures the destruction of whichever party supports her or becomes an ally. She has destroyed the BJP in Bengal... I wish and pray that she does the same to her latest ally, the Congress," said Uma Bharti, who was in the city to spread awareness about the need for cleansing the river Ganga.

Uma Bharti, who recently returned to the BJP after being expelled in 2005 for defying the party's central leadership, said it was in the interest of the country that the Congress is wiped out.

Welcoming the regime change in West Bengal, she said Banerjee should remember that the same people who had brought in the communist government in the state caused its demise. "She must therefore work for them or she too will face the same fate."

Uma Bharti, however, refused to judge Banerjee's stint, saying it was too early to say anything.

About her "Save Ganga" campaign, Uma Bharti said it was "foolish" of some people to link the river with Hindutva and give it a communal colour.

She demanded constitution of a board of experts to look after the purification of the river.

"We demand constitution of a board comprising experts that would ensure the river is cleansed and is free from all hazards. We also demand enactment of a law in this regard."

Observing that the power and the mining mafia were gradually causing the demise of the river, Uma Bharti said it was high time the central government paid heed to the demands, as the purification of the Ganga was a must-do.

She also said that if the demands were not met, a human chain will be formed from the Gangotri from where the river originates to Gangasagar, where it flows into the Bay of Bengal, demanding the restoration of the river to its original glory.
Source: http://www.ndtv.com

Advani congratulates Mamata, hopes change will augur well

Sri L.K. Advani, Dr. Raman Singh (CM of Chattisgarh), and others
were presented in 110 Birthday Ceremony of Dr. Shyamaprasad Mukherjee
in Kolkataon 10th July, 2011 in the Calcutta University Institute Hall

Kolkata, Jul 10 (PTI) Senior BJP leader L K Advani today congratulated West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on her party''s victory in the Assembly elections and expressed hope that the change of regime would augur well for the state.

"I congratulate Mamata Banerjee. I am confident that she has opened a new chapter in West Bengal politics. I hope the change in the state will be for the better," Advani said while speaking at a function to mark the 110th birth anniversary of Jan Sangh leader Shyama Parasad Mookerjee.

On Prime Minister Manmohan Singh''s proposed visit to Bangladesh in which Banerjee is scheduled to accompany, Advani said, "It is good that the Prime Minister and the Chief Minister are going to Bangladesh. But among other things, they should see that the lives and property of the Hindus there are protected and the illegal Bangladeshi migration is stopped.

Both the governments should see to this." PTI SBR AMR NIK

Chidambaram as much involved in 2G scam as Raja: BJP

New Delhi, July 9 : Stepping up its demand for the removal of P Chidambaram from the Union Cabinet, BJP today said as Finance Minister he was as much involved in the 2G spectrum scam as then Telecom Minister A Raja and insisted that he should also be incarcerated for his complicity.

BJP spokesperson and Rajya Sabha MP Tarun Vijay maintained that it has now been "proved beyond doubt" that Chidambaram had connived with Raja in the 2G scam and the cover-up exercise that followed was done after taking the former into confidence. "Chidambaram is as much responsible and culpable for this scam as Raja. His place is not where he is today (in the union cabinet) but where Raja is today," Vijay told reporters. The opposition demanded that not only should Chidambaram, who is now Home Minister in UPA-II, be sacked but also sent to jail like Raja and DMK MP Kanimozhi.

He claimed to have a copy of the letter written by Raja to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on November 7, 2008 in which the former has reportedly stated that he was acting on the advice of Chidambaram. "Raja acted on Chidambaram's advice like a nursery-class student. Later as an obedient student, he informed the Prime Minister about the whole thing," Vijay said. He alleged that these ministers have "looted the wealth" of the country when they were given the mandate to protect its interest. .

"These ministers are acting like a sort of gang or mafia. Etisalat DB, which has connections with the Dawood Ibrahim gang, has been fined Rs 7,000 crore for FEMA violations. Unlike the colonial rulers who took the wealth outside India, these people are born Indians but have become a party in the loot of India," Vijay said. The BJP maintained that this fine under FEMA is a clear indictment of Chidambaram as Finance Minister and he should face the law.

SC verdict on Naxalism setback to national Security – BJP’s fears

SC statements on Salva Judum have shocked many citizens

New Delhi, (News Bharati) Jul 6 : BJP today termed as a "setback to national security" the Supreme Court judgement on Naxalism, that restrained the Chhattisgarh government and the Centre from appointing and arming tribals as Special Police Officers.

"While the BJP is studying the Supreme Court judgement on Naxalism, it is a setback to national security," said BJP spokesman Shahnawaz Hussain.

Hussain said, "Naxalism is a big threat to national security and the morale of naxals was high, of late. The nation is worried over naxalism and terrorism."

The BJP leader said, "Naxals were not just against the state government, but against India as a whole. They just had their headquarters based in Chhattisgarh, as it suited them geographically."

The Apex Court had yesterday restrained the Chhattisgarh government and the Centre from appointing tribals as Special Police Officers and arming them to counter Maoists, and termed the step of appointing tribal youths as SPOs as "unconstitutional".

Hussain said the Government is fighting a battle against them in six states in cooperation with the state governments and there was no politics played on the issue of naxalism.