Rumours of RLD joining NDA: BJP knows how to break parties, alleges Akhilesh Yadav
Lucknow (PTI): Amid speculation about RLD chief Jayant Chaudhary joining hands with the BJP, Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav on Thursday said the BJP knows how to break parties and when and whom to "buy". He also accused the ruling party of misusing central agencies like ED, CBI and Income-tax.
"BJP knows when to take whom. It also knows how to cheat. In Chandigarh you saw how dishonesty took place. BJP also knows when to buy whom. It has become the largest party not just like that," Akhilesh Yadav told reporters in Varanasi.
"BJP knows when and what to do. It knows when and where ED and CBI are to be sent and to conduct Income-tax raids and also when to silence which journalist," he said.
"BJP knows how to break parties," Akhilesh Yadav added.
Asked about the alleged growing proximity between RLD and BJP, Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak told reporters in Lucknow, "There are always possibilities in politics and BJP is a party working with dedication towards Bharat Mata. It is with the people supporting the all-round development of Uttar Pradesh. We heartily welcome everyone."
Congress Legislature Party leader Aradhana Mishra said, "See, this discussion is going on in the media. As far as INDIA block is concerned, everything is fine here. There is no cause for concern."
Akhilesh Yadav had on Wednesday said he hoped that Jayant Chaudhary will not weaken the struggle going on for the "khush-haali' (prosperity) of Uttar Pradesh.
"The BJP is doing the work of creating confusion. He (Jayant) is not going anywhere. He will remain with the INDIA bloc with full strength and will do the work of defeating the BJP," SP leader Shivpal Yadav had told reporters.
The RLD and the SP announced their alliance for the Lok Sabha polls on January 19 with the former stating that the latter will leave seven seats in western Uttar Pradesh for its nominees.
The SP president and the RLD chief announced the tie-up on social media for the general elections later this year.
The RLD's core vote bank is the Jat population. The Lok Sabha constituencies where there is a sizeable Jat population are Muzaffarnagar, Kairana, Bijnor, Mathura, Baghpat, Amroha and Meerut. These could be the seats on which the RLD is likely to contest.
Both the parties had contested the 2022 assembly elections in an alliance as well in which the SP had won 111 seats while the RLD bagged eight seats.
In the 2019 Lok Sabha polls also, the RLD was part of the SP-BSP alliance. The RLD had got Mathura, Baghpat and Muzaffarnagar seats but it lost on all the three seats while the SP and the BSP had won five seats and 10 seats respectively.
Though the RLD did not have enough strength to send Chaudhary to the Rajya Sabha, the SP supported him in his election. An RLD spokesperson, when asked on the issue of possibilities of joining the BJP, preferred not to comment.
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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.
