'BJP rewards hate': Opposition leaders slam ruling party over Bidhuri being given poll duty in Tonk
New Delhi (PTI): Opposition leaders have slammed the BJP over its Lok Sabha member Ramesh Bidhuri, who is in the eye of a storm for his derogatory comments against BSP MP Danish Ali, being given poll responsibility by the party in Rajasthan's Tonk district.
In a post on X, Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal said the BJP has "rewarded" Bidhuri for attacking Danish Ali with the "unspeakable words" in Parliament.
"BJP rewards 'hate'. Bidhuri rewarded for attacking Danish Ali (BSP) for the unspeakable words he used in the Special Session of Parliament. Made BJP in-charge of Tonk District in Rajasthan."
"Muslim population in Tonk 29.25 per cent. Symbolises 'hate' for political dividends," he said on Thursday.
In a post on X, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said last night, "Sabka saath, sabka vikas, sabka vishwas' yeh sab hai inka bakwaas."
TMC MP Mahua Moitra also slammed the BJP and said Bidhuri had been "rewarded" for his remarks against a Muslim MP. "How does a showcaused person be given a new role by BJP? Narendra Modi ji, is this your Sneha Yatra for minorities, your love outreach?" she said on X.
With the Gurjar community present in large numbers in the Tonk district, which has four assembly seats, including the one held by senior Congress leader Sachin Pilot, the BJP believes Bidhuri can help it swing the votes as he is also from the same caste.
Pilot is also from the Gurjar community.
Bidhuri's responsibility will be akin to the BJP's poll in-charge of the district, party sources said.
Bidhuri also posted on X that he attended a coordination meeting for the Tonk district held in Jaipur. Rajasthan BJP president C P Joshi chaired the meeting.
The BJP MP from South Delhi had been issued a show cause notice by the party after his derogatory words targeting Ali in Lok Sabha last week sparked massive outrage with the opposition demanding his suspension from the House.
Bidhuri's remarks targeting Ali during a discussion on the success of the Chandrayaan-3 lunar mission last Thursday sparked a furore, with opposition leaders calling for stringent action against the BJP MP.
Opposition parties have rallied around Ali and targeted the BJP on its MP's remarks. Several members of the Congress, TMC and NCP among others have written to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla seeking the strictest action against Bidhuri.
‘Sabka saath, sabka vikas, sabka vishwas’—yeh sab hai inka bakwaas https://t.co/SSOK9ohQ1R
— Jairam Ramesh (@Jairam_Ramesh) September 27, 2023
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Strict security measures in place in Mumbai for Messi's events at 2 venues Dec 14, say police
Mumbai (PTI): In view of Argentine superstar footballer Lionel Messi's visit to Mumbai on Sunday, the city police are implementing stringent security measures, like not allowing water bottles, metals, coins inside the stadiums and setting up watchtowers to keep an eye on the crowd, officials said.
The police also said taking extra care to avoid any stampede-like situation and to prevent recurrence of the chaotic situation that unfolded in Kolkata during Messi's visit on Saturday as thousands of fans protested inside the Salt Lake stadium here after failing to catch a clear glimpse of the football icon despite paying hefty sums for tickets.
Messi is expected to be present at the Cricket Club of India (Brabourne Stadium) in Mumbai on Sunday for a Padel GOAT Cup event followed by attending a celebrity football match. He is expected to proceed to the Wankhede Stadium for the GOAT India Tour main event around 5 pm.
"In view of Lionel Messi's visit to Mumbai, the police are geared up and have put in place a high level of security arrangements in and around the stadiums located in south Mumbai. Considering the chaos that prevailed in Kolkata and the security breach, we have deployed World Cup-level security arrangements at Brabourne and Wankhede stadiums," an official said.
Expecting heavy crowd near the stadiums during Messi's visit, the city police force has deployed more than 2,000 of its personnel near and around both the venues, he said.
As the Mumbai police have the experience of security 'bandobast' during the victory parade of ICC World Cup-winning Indian team and World Cup final match at the Wankhede Stadium, in which over one lakh cricket fans had gathered, we are prepared to handle a large crowd of fans, he said.
"We are trying to avoid the errors that occurred in the past," the official said.
There is no place to sneak inside the stadiums in Mumbai like the Kolkata stadium, according to him.
The police are also asking the organisers to provide all the required facilities to the fans inside the stadium, so that there will be no chaos, he said, adding the spectators have purchased tickets in the range of Rs 5,000 to 25,000. After paying so much of amount, any spectator expects proper services, while enjoying the event, he said.
The police are expecting 33,000 spectators at the Wankhede Stadium and over 4,000 at Brabourne Stadium. Besides this, more than 30,000 people are expected outside and around the stadiums just to have a glimpse of the football sensation, he said.
The organisers responsible for Messi's India visit recently came to Mumbai to discuss security arrangements. During the meeting, the Mumbai police asked them not to take the event lightly, according to the official.
After those requirements were fulfilled, the final security deployment was chalked out, he said.
Police has the standard procedure of the security arrangements inside the Wankhede Stadium, where people are barred from taking water bottles, metals objects, coins. Police are setting up watch towers near the stadiums and there will be traffic diversions, so that there is maximum space available to stand, according to the official.
Police are also appealing to the spectators to use public transport service for commuting and avoid personal vehicles to reach south Mumbai.
To avoid any stampede-like situation, police are also taking precautionary measures and will stop the fans some distance ahead of the stadium and public announcement systems will be used to guide the crowd. Barricades will be placed at various places to manage the crowd.
In case the crowd swells up beyond expectation, the police will divert people to other grounds and preparations in this regard underway, he said.
Additional police force has been deployed in south Mumbai to tackle any kind of situation, he said.
