Mayawati questions Rahul Gandhi's silence on Waqf Bill during Parliament debate
Lucknow, Apr 12 (PTI): Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati on Saturday criticised Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi for not speaking on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill during a long debate in Parliament.
The former Uttar Pradesh chief minister said "it is natural for Muslims to feel considerably angry and for INDIA bloc partners to be agitated on the issue".
"Despite the opposition denouncing the Waqf (Amendment) Bill and dubbing it as a case of flouting the Constitution like the CAA, is the decision of the LoP in Lok Sabha to not speak on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill in the House despite the fact that there was an extensive debate on the issue justified?" she said in her post on X in Hindi.
Mayawati said that "in any case, the Congress and the BJP are equally guilty of virtually depriving the Dalits of welfare, government jobs, education by virtually making the reservation rights ineffective and redundant".
"It is important that the religious minorities realise the need to escape from the deception of these parties," she added.
The BSP chief said the "Bahujans have fared poorly in all aspects" due to "such tactics of these parties" even as the BJP has the right to take the law in their hands.
"The issue of privatisation in power and other sectors is also worrisome and the government must discharge its constitutional responsibility towards people's welfare in all honesty," she added.
The BSP chief had earlier on Thursday asked the Centre to reconsider the provisions in the new Waqf law and suspend it for the time being.
Mayawati noted that the recently passed Act's provision of including non-Muslims in the Waqf Board prima facie does not appear good.
The Centre on Tuesday notified the Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025, which got the assent of President Droupadi Murmu on April 5 after its passage from Parliament following heated debates in both houses.
The bill was passed in the Rajya Sabha with 128 members voting in favour and 95 opposing it.
It was cleared by the Lok Sabha with 288 members supporting it and 232 against it.
1. वक्फ संशोधन बिल पर लोकसभा में हुई लम्बी चर्चा में नेता प्रतिपक्ष द्वारा कुछ नहीं बोलना अर्थात सीएए की तरह संविधान उल्लंघन का मामला होने के विपक्ष के आरोप के बावजूद इनका चुप्पी साधे रहना क्या उचित? इसे लेकर मुस्लिम समाज में आक्रोश व इनके इण्डिया गठबंधन में भी बेचैनी स्वाभाविक।
— Mayawati (@Mayawati) April 12, 2025
2. वैसे भी देश में बहुजनों के हित, कल्याण एवं सरकारी नौकरी व शिक्षा आदि में इन वर्गों के आरक्षण के अधिकार को निष्प्रभावी व निष्क्रिय बनाकर इन्हें वंचित बनाए रखने के मामले में कांग्रेस, भाजपा आदि ये पार्टियाँ बराबर की दोषी। धार्मिक अल्पसंख्यकों को भी इनके छलावा से बचना जरूरी।
— Mayawati (@Mayawati) April 12, 2025
3. इनके ऐसे रवैयों के कारण उत्तर प्रदेश में भी बहुजनों की स्थिति हर मामले में काफी बदहाल व त्रस्त जबकि भाजपाइयों को कानून हाथ में लेने की छूट। साथ ही, बिजली व अन्य सरकारी विभागों में बढ़ते हुए निजीकरण से हालात चिन्तनीय। सरकार जनकल्याण का संवैधानिक दायित्व सही से निभाए।
— Mayawati (@Mayawati) April 12, 2025
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Maharashtra sets up state vaccination task force to strengthen immunisation programme
Mumbai (PTI): The Maharashtra government has set up a State Vaccination Task Force to strengthen the regular immunisation programme and review the progress of related campaigns, a health department official said on Monday.
The State Vaccination Task Force will comprise at least 29 members and will be headed by the administrative head of the health department, he informed.
The government has also constituted separate district-level and municipal vaccination task forces to improve implementation and address challenges at the grassroots level, he said.
Municipal task forces, chaired by respective civic commissioners, have been constituted in view of the vast urban population in Maharashtra and the role of civic bodies in implementing different health programmes.
The district-level task forces will function under the chairmanship of collectors.
"Complete immunisation of children at the appropriate age is an extremely simple, cost-effective and highly effective measure to reduce child mortality and the prevalence of diseases among kids. Immunisation is a powerful tool for reducing illness in children," maintained the official.
To ensure full vaccination of all children, the state government implements various campaigns from time to time as per the central government guidelines, he pointed out.
"Active participation and cooperation of other relevant government departments are essential (in making these campaigns successful)," according to the official.
The state-level body will review the regular immunisation programme, associated campaigns and vaccine-preventable diseases in detail. It will also conduct focused assessments of high-risk districts and municipal corporations, including vacancies at district, municipal and sub-district levels, availability of cold chain equipment, resource gaps and training requirements, he noted.
The state task force will review allocation and utilisation of funds for immunisation and ensure timely action by officers concerned based on reports from district and municipal task forces and state-level monitoring mechanisms, the official said.
It will also ensure active coordination and participation of other government departments in immunisation drives, while district and municipal task forces will carry out similar functions at their respective levels, the official added.
