More than 600 workers of the Congress, Aam Aadmi Party and Bharatiya Tribal Party (BTP) from Dahod, Narmada, Chhota Udepur and Vadodara districts joined the BJP Tuesday at Gandhinagar in the presence of Gujarat BJP President CR Paatil.Dahod, which saw over 400 workers from the Congress and a few from AAP and BTP, also had eight councillors from the Jhalod Municipality, including President Sonal Dindor from the Congress, jump over to the BJP.The others include Dala Vasaiya, Khuman Mansinh Damor, Parsinh Damor and independent councillors Bhavesh Katara, Sukhram Milwad, Zakir Kanuga and Shankar Katara, among others. Dindor and Vasaiya were among the Congress councillors who had, in August 2020, voted in favour of the BJP in the election to Jhalod Municipality’s Presidential post, thus causing a furore. Soon, as Jhalod BJP President Hiren Patel was killed in an alleged case of contract killing, Dindor and Vasaiya submitted a memorandum to the district police citing ” threat to life”.A senior BJP leader said, “The party has welcomed strong workers to the fold… This is not just in preparation for the upcoming Assembly polls but also because it allows the BJP to strengthen its ground in these tribal districts, especially Narmada, Dahod and Chhota Udepur, where the Congress has traditionally been on a strong foot. Although the 2021 local body polls were in favour of the BJP in the districts, it will bring a major impact in the Assembly elections to have these strong leaders into the fold.”Additionally, Dahod Taluka Congress president Suresh Baka-liya as well as former General Secr-etary of Youth Congress Nikunj Meda and Vice-President of Dahod district Congress Mitesh Yadav joined the BJP. Valsinh Munia, son of former Congress MLA Virji Munia, along with Sanjeli Sarpanch Mavji Rawat , Singwad taluka Congress member Dipak Parmar and Veena Bhuriya from Garbada also joined the BJP.AAP leader Dhavalsinh Bhuriya as well as BTP President of Dahod Ajay Katara along with leader Nilesh Bamaniya joined the BJP. Nazimuddin Gangardiwala of the Congress city unit also joined the BJP. He even replaced his skull cap with the new saffron topi of the party at the event. Another leader, Sabur Sultan Tadvi, also joined the BJP.In Chhota Udepur, district Congress President Umesh Shah, along with his brother and President of Chhota Udepur Traders’ association, Dipesh Shah, joined the BJP. Former Congress district president Yashpal Rathwa, also the director of APMC, also joined the BJP. From Vadodara, former MS University senate member and trader Bipin Patel, Hitendra Gohil, Sandeep Bhagat, Wasim Malik (Sarpanch of Kia), Indravadan Bhagat and Sudha Patel from Kandari joined the BJP.Membership songGujarat BJP Tuesday launched a song prepared for its membership enrolment drive. The Gujarati song hails the party and its current top leadership.
Ahead of the Assembly polls in the state scheduled later this year, a meet was held between Gujarat Congress leaders and senior party officials in New Delhi on Monday.According to party officials, senior party leaders from state including Gujarat Pradesh Congress Committee president Jagdish Thakor, Gujarat incharge Raghu Sharma, Leader of Opposition Sukhram Rathva, senior leaders Arjun Modhwadia, Deepak Babaria and spokesperson Manish Doshi were summoned to party headquarters in New Delhi.“An important meet in context of the coming elections began on Monday evening with senior party leaders such as All India Congress Committee (AICC) general secretaries Priyanka Gandhi, KC Venugopal, Ajay Maken, Mukul Wasnik, Randeep Singh Surejwala and Jairam Ramesh,” said a senior official of Gujarat Congress.
GANDHINAGAR: On a day when the annual rath yatra of Lord Jagannath was held with grandeur in Ahmedabad, Union home minister Amit Shah slammed the Congress, saying that its governments in Gujarat had clamped a ban on the annual procession thrice in the past and that the party was not capable of protecting the state's citizens. "Today, we are witnessing the 145th edition of the annual rath yatra (in Ahmedabad). During the Congress rule (prior to 1995), people used to live under fear thinking that something untoward would happen during rath yatra. Their fear was genuine because riots had happened during the rath yatra with miscreants even trying to snatch away the chariots on two occasions," Shah said at Rupal village in Gandhinagar district on Friday while launching a number of development projects. He said curfews during the rath yatra are a thing of the past as no one dares to play any mischief during the procession after BJP rode to power in Gujarat more than two decades ago. "When I was young, I had witnessed how Congress had put a ban on taking out the processions thrice, as if they are admitting that they are not capable enough to protect Lord Jagannath." Earlier in the day, Shah performed 'mangla aarti' at Lord Jagannath temple in Ahmedabad before the commencement of the yatra.
Amit Shah is scheduled to take part in the Rath Yatra celebrations.Gandhinagar: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday took a dig at Congress saying during their rule in Gujarat people used to fear riots when Rath Yatra procession was taken out."During Congress rule, when Rath Yatra was taken out, people used to fear that there'll be riots. During that time, they also tried to take the chariot. But after the people of Gujarat gave powers to BJP, no one has the power to do anything bad," said Amit Shah in Gandhinagar.He is scheduled to take part in the Rath Yatra celebrations.Home Minister Amit Shah performed 'Mangal Aarti' at Shree Jagannathji Mandir ahead of the 145th Lord Jagannath Rath Yatra on Thursday.Earlier today, Amit Shah attended the inauguration event of Shree Swaminarayan University's admission block and 750-bed PSM hospital's foundation stone laying ceremony at Saij village in Gandhinagar.The Rath Yatra, also known as the Chariot Celebration of Lord Jagannath, Devi Subhadra, and Lord Balabhadra, is the most prominent Hindu festival in the Puri city of Odisha.PromotedListen to the latest songs, only on JioSaavn.comThis festival takes place every year on the second day of the Shukla Paksha in the months of June or July. This year the festival falls on July 1.(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
GANDHINAGAR: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday took a dig at Congress saying during their rule in Gujarat, people used to fear riots when Rath Yatra procession used to be taken out. "During Congress rule, when Rath Yatra was taken out, people used to fear that there'll be riots. During that time, they also tried to take the chariot. But after the people of Gujarat gave power to BJP, no one has courage to do anything bad," said Amit Shah in Gandhinagar where he is taking part in the Rath Yatra celebrations. Shah performed Mangal Aarti at Shree Jagannathji temple ahead of the 145th Rath Yatra of Lord Jagannath in Ahmedabad on Thursday. Earlier in the day, Shah attended the inauguration of Shree Swaminarayan University's admission block and 750-bed PSM hospital's foundation stone-laying ceremony at Saij village in Gandhinagar. The Ratha Yatra of Lord Jagannath and his siblings Devi Subhadra and Lord Balabhadra is held every year on the second day of the Shukla Paksha in the months of June or July.
AHMEDABAD: As many as 25,000 security personnel will be deployed on the route of the forthcoming Lord Jagannath Rath Yatra in Ahmedabad, in which lakhs of people are likely to participate after a gap of two years without Covid-19 restrictions, officials said on Wednesday. Union home minister Amit Shah will perform the Mangla Aarti at the temple on July 1 around 4 am before the chariots of the deities roll out. In normal times, lakhs of people gather along the route of the Rath Yatra on the day of 'Ashadhi Beej' to catch a glimpse of deities and the procession, which includes decorated elephants and several tableaux. Traditionally, the procession, led by chariots, starts around 7 am on 'Ashadhi Beej' from the 400-year-old temple in the Jamalpur area of the city and returns by 8 pm after passing through the Old City, including some communally sensitive areas. "With lakhs of people from across Gujarat are expected to attend the 145th Lord Jagannath Rath Yatra here on July 1, at least 25,000 security personnel will be deployed on the entire route in the city to thwart any untoward incident," officials said. Union Home Minister Amit Shah will perform the Mangla Aarti at the temple on July 1 at around 4 am, temple trustee Mahendra Jha said, adding that the 'mangla aarti' tradition has been followed for many years. Chariots of Lord Jagannath, his brother Lord Balbhadra and sister Subhadra will leave the temple premises around 7 am. As many as 25,000 personnel of police, reserve police and Central armed police will be deployed at strategic locations to guard the rath yatra, Gujarat Minister of State for Home, Harsh Sanghavi, said on Wednesday. Earlier in the day, Sanghavi and Gujarat BJP president CR Paatil visited the Lord Jagannath temple in the Jamalpur area and participated in some rituals. "Apart from the regular constabulary, we will deploy 68 companies of the State Reserve Police (SRP) and Central Armed Police Force (CAPF) to maintain law and order during the rath yatra," Sanghavi told reporters. He added that technology will be used extensively for surveillance. "We will keep a watch using body-worn cameras linked to the control room and drones. The police will also install face-detection cameras to identify and nab anti-social elements roaming in the procession's route," the minister said. At least 18 elephants, 100 trucks, and (members of) 30 akhadas (local gymnasiums) will join the procession, which will cover a distance of 15 km during the day. The chariots of Lord Jagannath, his brother Lord Balbhadra and sister Subhadra will be pulled by the Khalasi community as per the tradition. In 2020, a symbolic rath yatra was organised on the premises of the Lord Jagannath temple, after the Gujarat High Court denied permission for the usual public procession in light of the pandemic. Last year, only three chariots and two other vehicles had covered the entire route and returned without the usual festivity, as no other vehicle, singing troupes, akhadas, elephants or decorated trucks were permitted.
AHMEDABAD: Gujarat DGP Ashish Bhatia on Monday told reporters that 24,000 police personnel will be deployed for the 145th Rath Yatra in the city, as this year’s event will be as was held before Covid. In 2020, the Rath Yatra was not held on the Gujarat high court’s directions, considering the Covid-19 pandemic. In 2021, a truncated Rath Yatra was held where no devotees were allowed. This year, the city and Gujarat police started preparations for the event around a month in advance. Speaking to reporters, Bhatia said CCTVs will be installed along the route of the Rath Yatra, which will be monitored from the city control room. A similar control room will be set up in Gandhinagar from where Rath Yatras held in other towns will be monitored, said Bhatia. tnn
Madhya Pradesh Home Minister Narottam Mishra on Tuesday demanded the withdrawal of the ‘Padma Shri’ award bestowed on social activist Teesta Setalvad, who was arrested by the Gujarat police recently in a case of fabricating evidence to frame innocent persons in connection with the 2002 Gujarat riots. The Centre had in 2007 honoured Setalvad with the Padma Shri, one of the highest civilian awards in the country to recognise people’s contribution in various spheres. Talking to reporters on Tuesday, Mishra accused the previous Congress government of giving the award to Setalvad for the appeasement of minorities. “She was a member of the ‘award vapsi’ gang (those threatening to return awards). The award should be taken back from people like Teesta Javed Setalvad, in the wake of the Supreme Court’s remarks against such people, whose conduct becomes questionable and have been arrested,” said the minister, who is also the state government’s spokesperson. The Gujarat Anti-Terrorist Squad had on Saturday picked up Setalvad from her Mumbai home. She was later taken to Ahmedabad and handed over to the crime branch there. A court in Ahmedabad on Sunday remanded Setalvad in police custody till July 2 in the case of fabricating evidence to frame innocent persons in connection with the 2002 Gujarat riots. On Friday, the Supreme Court dismissed a petition challenging the clean chit given by a special investigation team (SIT) to then Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi and others in 2002 post-Godhra riots cases. Setalvad and her NGO were co-petitioner with Zakia Jafri (wife of Congress leader Ehsan Jafri who was killed in the riots) in the plea filed against Modi and others in the Supreme Court.
Centre had in 2007 honoured Teesta Setalvad with the Padma Shri, one of the highest civilian awardsBhopal: Madhya Pradesh Home Minister Narottam Mishra today demanded withdrawal of the 'Padma Shri' award bestowed on social activist Teesta Setalvad, who was arrested by the Gujarat police recently in a case of fabricating evidence to frame innocent persons in connection with the 2002 Gujarat riots.The Centre had in 2007 honoured Ms Setalvad with the Padma Shri, one of the highest civilian awards in the country to recognise people's contribution in various spheres.Talking to reporters today, Mr Mishra accused the previous Congress government of giving the award to Ms Setalvad for the appeasement of minorities."She was a member of the 'award vapsi' gang (those threatening to return awards). The award should be taken back from people like Teesta Javed Setalvad, in the wake of the Supreme Court's remarks against such people, whose conduct becomes questionable and have been arrested," said the minister, who is also the state government's spokesperson.The Gujarat Anti-Terrorist Squad had on Saturday picked up Ms Setalvad from her Mumbai home. She was later taken to Ahmedabad and handed over to the crime branch there.A court in Ahmedabad on Sunday remanded Ms Setalvad in police custody till July 2 in the case of fabricating evidence to frame innocent persons in connection with the 2002 Gujarat riots.On Friday, the Supreme Supreme Court dismissed a petition challenging the clean chit given by a special investigation team (SIT) to then Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi and others in 2002 post-Godhra riots cases.PromotedListen to the latest songs, only on JioSaavn.comMs Setalvad and her NGO were co-petitioner with Zakia Jafri (wife of Congress leader Ehsan Jafri who was killed in the riots) in the plea filed against Narendra Modi and others in the Supreme Court. (Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
On September 12, 2011, when the Supreme Court had sent the complaint filed by Zakia Jafri against then chief minister Narendra Modi and 62 others back to the Metropolitan Magistrate’s court in Ahmedabad without issuing directions, Modi had tweeted “God is Great”. A few days later, on his 62nd birthday, he launched the ‘Sadbhavna’ fasts, meeting people from all faiths in different districts.As Prime Minister, Modi has chosen not to react to the verdict of a three-judge Bench of the Supreme Court on the same complaint, which upheld the clean chit to his administration for alleged role in “the larger conspiracy” related to the 2002 Gujarat riots.However, the BJP has been in celebratory mode. All its top leaders almost immediately issued statements welcoming the judgment, while condemning the role played by activist Teesta Setalvad, retired DGP R B Sreekumar, former IPS officer Sanjiv Bhatt and others in “defaming” Modi who was the then CM of Gujarat. State chief C R Paatil called Setalvad a “Congress puppet”, and accused the three of “fabricating evidence” to “frame” Modi.A day later, Union Home Minister Amit Shah gave an interview to ANI solely centred around the Gujarat riots, repeating the charges against a “triad of media, political parties and NGOs”, and suggesting even the courts had been “swayed” due to their campaign. Hours later, Setalvad and Sreekumar were arrested on charges of forgery, criminal conspiracy etc, on an FIR that extensively quoted the Supreme Court order. Bhatt, who is serving a life term in another case, was also booked on the same charges.While the BJP’s stand publicly is that the riots order won’t be made a poll issue, the party is set to celebrate it as “a moral victory”. A lawyer actively associated with the BJP, who also represented some of the accused in the 2002 riot cases, said: “As a lawyer, I knew how witnesses were being tutored and many innocent people were framed and faced jail terms. This judgment will pave the way for justice, against those who framed Modiji.”The lawyer added that the Court order as well as arrests of Setalvad and Sreekumar would also send out a message to those party supporters “falsely” accused in riot cases. “Back then, the party was unable to check their persecution,” he said.The BJP especially expects a boost for those BJP leaders closely tied to the Ram Janmabhoomi movement. The Godhra train burning, in which kar sevaks returning from Ayodhya as part of the campaign were killed, is seen as the trigger for the 2002 riots.For those in the Ram temple campaign, this is the second big Court endorsement after the Supreme Court in 2019 gave the go-ahead for the shrine in Ayodhya.Only one big BJP leader was convicted in the riots, who was also acquitted later. Maya Kodnani was sentenced for the Naroda Patiya violence, one of the biggest massacres of 2002, by a Supreme Court-appointed special court. Since she was acquitted by the High Court, Kodnani is again a presence at the party office at Shree Kamalam.Trial is on in only one more 2002 case under the apex court’s scrutiny, the Naroda Gam deaths. Kodnani is also on trial in this apart from Bajrang Dal leader Babu Bajrangi. In its order, the Supreme Court set aside the Tehelka sting operation that had caught Babu Bajrangi bragging about the killings.The Congress’s half-measures on the Supreme Court order – first choosing cautiousness, then speaking out after criticism – won’t help the party’s cause in a state where it is in a direct fight with the BJP.Since 2002, the Assembly elections in Gujarat have been largely polarised on communal lines, with the BJP winning one election after another. Only in 2017 did the Congress show some revival spark, though that is now also seen as snuffed out in face of the AAP’s fledgling competition.The BJP has further put the Congress on the defensive over the Supreme Court order, by alleging the hand of Congress president Sonia Gandhi in propping up Setalvad.Asked how important the Supreme Court judgment was for the BJP, C R Paatil told The Indian Express: “The judgment is important not only for Gujarat, but for the entire country. It is very dangerous in a democracy that some political party hatches such conspiracy or gets it hatched or supports it, by which its rival can get capital punishment.”On whether it will help the party electorally in Gujarat or not, Paatil said: “It is the biggest victory for us that Modi saheb has got a clean chit after such a long struggle. If you ask electorally, we are going to win (the state Assembly elections); it does not matter whether the judgment came now or afterwards. We are going to win because we are doing people’s work, we are connected with the people.”A senior BJP leader, who did not want to be identified, said: “Our party will definitely gain from this development. Narendrabhai and the party as a whole have faced a lot of stress due to these false allegations. Now, sympathy will be in favour of Narendrabhai among people. They will realise that he (Modi) was personally targeted and the entire state of Gujarat was defamed.”According to this leader, the order has ensured that the coming Assembly elections are fought solely on the issue of development. “Narendrabhai has set the tradition of fighting elections on the issues of development. Coming elections will also be fought on the same lines,” said the leader.Indicating the line the party is set to take, one also adopted by Shah in his interview, a senior office-bearer said: “Narendrabhai has always respected the law. He did not act against any of these people who hatched conspiracies (against him). Being the Chief Minister, he could have easily got an FIR registered against them. But he has set a benchmark for respecting the process of law.”The party leader also said that the cases against Setalvad, Sreekumar and Bhatt’s had been registered by the Gujarat government as per the direction of the Supreme Court. “The only gain for our party due to the Court order is that our stand has been vindicated. Our party is not going to make it an election issue and will stick to the politics of development.”
Gujarat Riots: Supreme Court dismissed the petition filed by Zakia Jafri, wife of Ehsan Jafri.New Delhi: "Satyamev Jayate" was the unanimous reaction of BJP leaders on Friday after the Supreme Court upheld the SIT's clean chit to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and 63 others in the Gujarat riots of 2002, when he was the state's chief minister, and dismissed a plea by Congress leader Ehsan Jafri's wife Zakia alleging a larger conspiracy.Union minister Anurag Thakur said,"Satyamev Jayate! Supreme Court of India gives a clean chit and has dismissed the plea filed by Zakia Jafri challenging the SC-appointed Special Investigation Team (SIT) report on post-Godhra violence in Gujarat. The Supreme Court says the petition is without merit." "Satyamev Jayate,"(Truth alone triumphs) was how another Union minister Smriti Irani put it while party spokesperson Sambit Patra also tweeted the same expression.BJP secretary Y Satya Kumar claimed that Congress' last attempt to malign PM Modi has fallen flat and justice prevailed as he cited the top court's observation that Zakia Jafri's appeal was devoid of merits and deserved to be dismissed.PromotedListen to the latest songs, only on JioSaavn.comBringing the curtains down on the bid to reopen the probe, a bench headed by Justice A M Khanwilkar said the material collected during the investigation does not "give rise to strong or grave suspicion regarding hatching of larger criminal conspiracy at the highest level" for causing mass violence against Muslims.The bench, also comprising Justices Dinesh Maheshwari and C T Ravikumar, termed Zakia Jafri's plea devoid of merit. It spoke of "the devious stratagem to keep the pot boiling, obviously, for ulterior design" and noted that all those involved in "such abuse of process need to be in the dock and proceeded with in accordance with law".
PM Narendra Modi was the Chief Minister of Gujarat during the 2002 riots (File).New Delhi: An appeal against the exoneration of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a 2002 Gujarat riots case by the wife of a Congress MP killed in the violence is "devoid of merits" and filed "to keep the pot boiling", the Supreme Court said on Friday.Upholding the clearance issued to the then Chief Minister of the state by a Special Investigation Team or SIT, the top court dismissed the petition filed by Zakia Jafri, wife of Ehsan Jafri, who was among the 68 people killed in what came to be known as the Gulbarg Society massacre.The plea was filed "to keep the pot boiling, obviously, for ulterior design", the court said, in strong comments that, it added, were borrowed from arguments made by the SIT."All those involved in such abuse of process need to be in the dock and proceeded with in accordance with law," the judges said, surmising that the appeal was filed under "dictation of someone".They said petitioner's arguments were bordering on "undermining the integrity and sincerity" of SIT members and most of the content in the plea was "based on versions of others which have been found to be replete with falsehood".It also said that the submissions by Ms Jafri were "far-fetched and an attempt to undo and undermine the industry of the SIT in investigating the cases".The Gulbarg Society massacre was one of the worst incidents of violence in the riots that began after a train coach carrying pilgrims was burnt in Godhra, killing 59 people, a day ago.Ms Jafri, 84, had sought a fresh investigation into the communal riots, alleging a larger conspiracy involving politicians and the police.Supreme Court Justices AM Khanwilkar, Dinesh Maheshwari and CT Ravikumar had reserved the verdict last December.The massacre at Ahmedabad's Gulbarg Society - a cluster of 29 bungalows and 10 apartment buildings housing mostly Muslims - was among the 10 major Gujarat riot cases re-investigated by the special team appointed by the Supreme Court.Ehsan Jafri, a former Congress parliamentarian, was among 68 people dragged out, hacked and burnt by the rioters. The Congress leader's frantic phone calls to police officers and senior politicians for help went unanswered, Zakia Jafri had alleged.The Special Investigation Team had submitted its closure report in February 2012 - a decade after the riots - and exonerated Prime Minister Modi and 63 others, citing "no prosecutable evidence".PromotedListen to the latest songs, only on JioSaavn.comIn 2016, a special court in Ahmedabad convicted 24 attackers for the massacre that the court described as the "darkest day in the history of civil society." But the court, which also acquitted 36 people including a BJP corporator in this case, underlined that there was no larger conspiracy.Over 1,000 people, mostly Muslims, were killed in the three-day violence in Gujarat in 2002.
Appeal filed under the "dictation of someone", the Supreme Court saidNew Delhi: The Supreme Court rejected an appeal against exoneration of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a 2002 Gujarat riots case. The appeal by Zakia Jafri, wife of Congress MP Ehsan Jafri who was killed in the violence, was "devoid of merits", the court said Here are top five observations by the court:Quoting from the Special Investigation Team's arguments, the court said the plea was filed "to keep the pot boiling" for "ulterior design".All those involved in such abuse of process need to be in the dock and proceeded with in accordance with law, the court said.The appeal was filed under the "dictation of someone", the Supreme Court said in its verdict.The court said most of the content in the plea based on the versions of others and found to be "replete with falsehood".The court said the petitioner's arguments border on "undermining the integrity and sincerity" of the probe team's members and question the "wisdom" of Supreme Court. Comments
