Victims of atrocities suffer crushing defeat in UP as Cong hits rock bottom

News Network
March 10, 2022

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An intense campaign, huge crowds, attractive slogans and charismatic leadership. Yet the Congress has hit rock bottom in Uttar Pradesh, putting a question mark on Priyanka Gandhi Vadra's leadership abilities.

The party is likely to end up with just two seats, compared to the seven it won in 2017.

The party has faced drubbing in its one-time bastions -- Rae Bareli and Amethi -- where the party has not won even a single seat.

When Priyanka announced 40 per cent reservation for women in tickets, many political pundits thought it would be a game-changer for the Congress.

However, the party turned this into a non-serious issue when it gave away tickets to victims of atrocities. The move earned accolades for the party, albeit temporarily, but none of the 'victims' could enlist public support and votes.

The battle for votes is strikingly different from a battle for emotions and this election has proved it.

Priyanka, when she opted for victims as candidates, was probably trying to replicate the success story of Phoolan Devi in the nineties.

Phoolan, who was a victim of gang-rape, was also charged with the massacre of 21 Thakurs in Behmai.

The then Samajwadi Party president Mulayam Singh Yadav's decision to field Phoolan for the Lok Sabha elections created more controversy than commendation but Phoolan did go on to become MP.

Priyanka fielded Asha Singh, mother of the 2017 Unnao rape survivor. Former BJP MLA, Kuldeep Singh Sengar, who was convicted in the case in 2019, enjoys considerable influence in Unnao and even has sympathy since many believe he was wrongly convicted.

A four-term MLA, Sengar's family had strongly opposed the ticket to Asha Singh who now lives in Delhi with her daughter.

"We have none in the family. I am fighting this election to get justice for my brother-in-law, and for all the victims of rape," she had told reporters when she got the ticket.

Asha Singh turned her campaign into a personal battle rather than a political one and she has lost the polls.

Another player of the Congress victim card is Sadaf Jafar, who became the face of the anti-Citizen (Amendment) agitation in the state after she was kicked in her stomach. She contested the Lucknow central seat and lost.

The Congress fielded Ritu Singh from the Mohammadi seat in Lakhimpur. Ritu Singh hit the headlines when her sari was pulled off by the police personnel during the panchayat polls last year.

The leader of ASHA workers in state Poonam Pandey -- who was allegedly assaulted by men in khaki when she tried to meet Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath in Shahjahanpur to voice the problems faced by the ASHAs in state -- was fielded from Shahjahanpur.

Both Ritu Singh and Poonam Pandey lost without even putting up a decent fight.

Another victim candidate is Umbha's tribal activist, Ram Raj Gond, who fought for the victims of the massacre in Obra in east Uttar Pradesh.

According to a senior party leader, "The experiment failed because these victims had not been trained to fight political battles. NGOs can help you fight for justice and get headlines but they cannot make you win elections. If Priyanka wanted to give 40 per cent tickets to women, she should have started preparing these women candidates, at least, a year ago."

Another party functionary admitted that when tickets were being announced, the focus was to ensure 40 per cent representation to women and not on the quality of candidates.

The dismal performance of the Congress under Priyanka Gandhi Vadra's leadership is now bound to impact her future as a leader in the Congress.

The party, in her tenure, has already expelled several leaders while an even larger number has left the Congress, blaming the leadership -- rather lack of it.

Its vote share has been on a steady decline. It was at about 6.25 per cent in the 2017 Assembly polls and has slipped to 2.4 per cent in this election.

The state of affairs in the party can be assessed for the fact that state party president Ajay Kumar Lallu has faced a humiliating defeat from the Tamkuhiraj seat where he trailed behind the BJP and SP candidates. 

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News Network
November 22,2024

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Bengaluru, Nov 22: For the second day running, the Karnataka BJP on Friday staged a statewide protest condemning the government’s alleged move to notify land of farmers as Waqf property.

The BJP staged a protest before the offices of Deputy Commissioners at district headquarters.

The BJP leaders are vehemently demanding that the state government cancel a 1974 Gazette notification in this regard.

The agitators are also demanding scrapping of the Waqf Board and the resignation of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Minister for Waqf and Housing Zameer Ahmad Khan.

The BJP MLAs, MLCs, MPs gathered in the premises of Freedom Park and staged a protest under the leadership of Leader of Opposition R. Ashoka and slammed the state government.

MLA T.S. Srivatsa led the protest in Mysuru and hundreds of party workers and farmers staged the protest under the leadership of former MP Pratap Simha in Kodagu.

Former MP Sumalatha Ambareesh led the agitation in Mandya.

This was the first time that Sumalatha took part in the party’s programme after the Lok Sabha elections.

State President B.Y. Vijayendra claimed, “The Congress government in Karnataka is issuing notices to farmers claiming the ownership of their lands to the Waqf Board and pushing them on the streets overnight.”

In the first week of December, three teams formed by the BJP will travel across the state and record the grievances of farmers.

“The state government is attempting to snatch away the lands belonging to temples as well,” Vijayendra alleged and added that the teams would comprise all senior leaders of the BJP.

Meanwhile, the police have taken Sri Ram Sena chief Pramod Muthalik into custody while staging a protest march to the office of Zameer Ahmad Khan in Bengaluru.

Muthalik along with Hindutva activists was planning to lay siege to Zameer’s office over the Waqf row.

The police stopped Muthalik and requested him to submit the memorandum by reaching the minister’s office in a vehicle. However, Muthalik refused to go with the police and continued his footmarch. The police took him into custody following arguments.

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News Network
November 10,2024

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Mangaluru: A tragic accident took place on Saturday at Chembugudde near Thokkottu, claiming the life of a 47-year-old woman after a tanker lorry ran over her. The victim, identified as Rahmat H Rashid, was riding pillion with her husband, Abdul Rashid G, on their scooter. 

The couple was traveling from Yenepoya Hospital to Bajpe when the scooter skidded on the poorly maintained road. Rahmat fell onto the road and was fatally struck by a tanker lorry that was coming from behind. Despite being rushed to the hospital, doctors declared her dead upon arrival.

The incident prompted a swift response from the DYFI Ullal Taluk Committee, which staged a protest on Saturday night, condemning the unsafe condition of the road. Nithin Kuthar, president of the committee, criticized MLA and Legislative Assembly Speaker UT Khader for failing to ensure safe infrastructure, despite touting the road as toll-free. 

Kuthar demanded immediate repairs, warning that the committee would march to the MLA’s office with black flags if the road is not fixed within a week.

Former DYFI State President Sunil Kumar Bajal also voiced frustration over the deteriorating condition of Thokkottu market, highlighting the struggles people face while crossing roads riddled with dangerous potholes. In response to public outcry, temporary repairs were made to the road at Chembugudde on Sunday, though locals remain wary and demand a more permanent solution. 

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News Network
November 14,2024

Bengaluru: Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on Thursday backed Chief Minister Siddaramaiah over his claim that the BJP had offered Rs 50 crore each to 50 Congress MLAs in an attempt to "topple" the state government.

Addressing reporters here, Shivakumar, also the Congress state president, said, “The BJP indeed lured 50 Congress MLAs with Rs 50 crore each.”

He defended Siddaramaiah’s statement and said the Congress MLAs were briefed about the BJP’s alleged 'Operation Lotus', a term used to describe the BJP's attempts to destabilise ruling governments through horse-trading.

“Some of our MLAs informed the Chief Minister about this matter, and he, in turn, shared it with the media,” Shivakumar said.

At an event in Mysuru, Siddaramaiah reiterated the claim that "none of the Congress MLAs had accepted the offer".

He also accused the BJP of filing false cases against him in a bid to "remove him and overthrow his government".

The BJP has yet to respond to the allegations.

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