Target all Lok Sabha seats in 2019: Amit Shah to Bengal BJP
Kolkata, June 27: Bharatiya Janata Party President Amit Shah on Wednesday asked the party's West Bengal leadership to strive for victory in 100 per cent Lok Sabha seats in the state in the coming 2019 general election, a state BJP leader said here.
Shah, on a two day tour of the state, has also asked the state leaders not to compromise with Bengal's ruling Trinamool Congress on any front.
"Shah has asked us to fight for victory in all 42 Lok Sabha seats here. He asked us to target big for the 2019 elections, so that we come up with a good result.
"He also said the party leadership here should take the fight to Trinamool Congress," said a senior state BJP leader present at the party's election management team meeting.
State BJP chief Dilip Ghosh, BJP MP and Union Minister Babul Supriyo, party's national secretary Rahul Sinha, state women wing President Locket Chatterjee were among those present at the meeting.
The saffron outfit had previously set a target of 22 Lok Sabha seats from Bengal for next year's general election.
Shah, who arrived in the city on Wednesday afternoon, is scheduled to hold meetings with Bengal BJP's election committee, social media cell and core committee and would also address a section of the state's intellectuals during the day.
"Shah's visit to Bengal has triggered an earthquake in the Trinamool Congress. They are trying to hold a public meeting in Purulia district within three days of Shah's visit there.
"They are in such a bad shape right now that their activists pulled down many of our hoardings welcoming Amit Shahji in the Kolkata airport area. Such activities by TMC prove that BJP President's visit is making them shiver," BJP National Secretary Rahul Sinha told reporters here.
"We are sure that Shah's visit and activities here would hugely benefit the party," he added.
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Despite Modi's Saudi visit, uncertainty persists for 42,500 Hajj pilgrims
New Delhi: Uncertainty looms large over the fate of 42,500 Indian Hajj pilgrims registered with private tour operators, as procedural lapses prevented the completion of formalities before the closure of Saudi Arabia's Hajj portal.
Even as hopes were pinned on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent visit to Saudi Arabia for a resolution, the issue reportedly remained unaddressed, especially after his trip was cut short due to the Pahalgam terror attack.
Private tour operators allege that the central government failed to inform them about the February deadline for completing Hajj travel procedures. However, the government blames the operators for not adhering to required protocols in time.
Saudi Arabia had recently announced an additional quota of 10,000 Hajj slots, reopening the Nusukh portal on Thursday. But tour operators claim that technical issues have stalled the uploading process. The portal is set to close by May 5, leaving very little time. Reportedly, fewer than 500 pilgrims from Kerala may benefit from this new quota.
Out of the 1.75 lakh Hajj slots allotted to India under the India-Saudi agreement, 30%—approximately 52,500—were designated for private operators. It is this quota that is now in jeopardy.
An estimated 11,000 pilgrims from Kerala had registered through private operators, some even switching from the government-run Hajj Committee in hopes of better services. Many of them have already paid up to Rs 6 lakh, either as an advance or in full. Operators claim that these payments were remitted to the central authorities.
