Industrialist Naveen Jindal joins BJP, to contest from Kurukshetra; Ranjit Chautala from Hisar
New Delhi/Chandigarh (PTI): Industrialist and former Congress MP Naveen Jindal and Independent MLA from Haryana Ranjit Chautala joined the BJP on Sunday and were named as the party's candidates from Kurukshetra and Hisar Lok Sabha seats respectively in the state.
Chautala, 78, is a minister in the BJP-led Haryana government. He is former deputy prime minister Devi Lal's son and the brother of Indian National Lok Dal chief and former Haryana chief minister Om Prakash Chautala.
Jindal, who represented the Kurukshetra constituency in Lok Sabha from 2004-14 as a Congress MP, quit the opposition party on Sunday, and said he wants to contribute to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's agenda of 'Viksit Bharat'.
He joined the BJP at its Delhi headquarters in the presence of its general secretary Vinod Tawde.
Jindal, who lost from Kurukshetra in 2014, speaking to reporters in Delhi, said the country has progressed under Modi's leadership in the last 10 years and many historic steps such as the abrogation of Article 370 have been taken.
The dream of having a Ram temple in Ayodhya has also been realised, he told reporters.
Tawde said Jindal's presence in the party will help the government's agenda of boosting the country's economy and prosperity. He noted that the Jindal Steel chairperson has a keen interest in sports and education as well.
"Like Naveen Jindal has joined (BJP) here (in Delhi), Ranjit Chautala ji, who is a minister in the Haryana government and an Independent MLA, has also joined the BJP. We welcome these two new members in the BJP fold," Tawde told reporters.
In a post on X in Hindi, Jindal said, "I represented Congress Party in Parliament as MP from Kurukshetra for 10 years. I thank the Congress leadership and the then Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh. Today I am resigning from the primary membership of the Congress party."
Ranjit Chautala joined the BJP in Sirsa in the presence of former MP Ashok Tanwar and other leaders at an event in Sirsa, the party leaders said.
Speaking to PTI after he joined the BJP, Ranjit Chautala said the country is making great progress under the visionary leadership of Prime Minister Modi.
"We will work hard to ensure that BJP wins all the 10 seats from Haryana," Ranjit Chautala, who is an MLA from Rania segment in Sirsa district, said.
Asked if he will resign from the membership of the state assembly as the BJP has fielded him from the Hisar Lok Sabha seat, Chautala said he will take a call on this soon.
Congress leader Jairam Ramesh took a swipe at the BJP soon after Naveen Jindal joined the ruling party and said this had to happen "when you need a giant-size washing machine".
"When you need a giant-size washing machine, this had to happen. And after making ZERO contributions to the party in the last 10 years, saying I am resigning from it is a big joke," Ramesh said in a post on X.
Tanwar, a former Haryana Congress president, recently switched from the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) to the BJP and has been fielded from Sirsa.
Shortly after the BJP announced the names of four more candidates from Haryana, including Jindal and Ranjit Chautala, Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini posted in Hindi on X, "I can say with full confidence that we will win 10 out of 10 Lok Sabha seats in Haryana and we will achieve the goal set by the Honourable Prime Minister of making India a developed nation by 2047."
The BJP has now announced the names of all the 10 candidates from Haryana.
In another post on X, Saini, while welcoming Ranjit Chautala into the party fold, said, "You joining the BJP will definitely strengthen the party and it will benefit from your political experiences."
On Jindal's joining, the Haryana chief minister said, "Famous industrialist of the country, former MP of Kurukshetra and experienced leader who fought for the right of every Indian to hoist the tricolour @MPNaveenJindal welcome to the BJP family."
In September 2023, Ranjit Chautala, while talking to PTI, had said he was not averse to contesting the 2024 Lok Sabha elections and might take the step if the BJP offered him a ticket. "Politics is the art of the possible," Ranjit Chautala had then said.
He had said he was the first to offer unconditional support to the BJP after it fell short of a majority.
In 2019, the Jannayak Janata Party (JJP), founded by Dushyant Chautala and his father Ajay Chautala, and independents extended support to the BJP after which it formed the government in Haryana. The alliance fell apart earlier this month.
Ajay Chautala is Om Prakash Chautala's son.
In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP won all the 10 seats in Haryana.
Last year, Union Home Minister Amit Shah along with the then chief minister M L Khattar and other leaders visited the Sirsa residence of Ranjit Singh Chautala.
When you need a giant-size washing machine, this had to happen. And after making ZERO contributions to the party in the last ten years, saying I am resigning from it is a big joke.https://t.co/yjNO1cl1ME pic.twitter.com/1E9R0mIaJC
— Jairam Ramesh (@Jairam_Ramesh) March 24, 2024
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Modi govt's 'calibrated erosion' of EC's integrity: Kharge on election rule
New Delhi (PTI): Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Sunday hit out at the government for tweaking an election rule to prevent public inspection of certain electronic documents, alleging it is part of the Modi government's "systematic conspiracy" to destroy the institutional integrity of the Election Commission.
Kharge also said the Modi government's "calibrated erosion" of the ECI's integrity is a frontal attack on the Constitution and democracy.
The government has tweaked an election rule to prevent public inspection of certain electronic documents such as CCTV camera and webcasting footage as well as video recordings of candidates to prevent their misuse.
Based on the recommendation of the Election Commission of India (ECI), the Union law ministry on Friday amended Rule 93(2)(a) of the Conduct of Election Rules, 1961, to restrict the type of "papers" or documents open to public inspection.
Reacting to the development, Kharge said, "Modi government's audacious amendment in the Conduct of Election Rules is another assault in its systematic conspiracy to destroy the institutional integrity of the Election Commission of India." "Earlier, they had removed the Chief Justice of India from the Selection panel which appoints Election Commissioners, and now they have resorted to stonewall electoral information, even after a High Court order," he said in a post on X.
Everytime the Congress party wrote to the ECI, regarding specific poll irregularities such as voter deletions and lack of transparency in EVMs, the ECI has responded in a condescending tone and chosen not to even acknowledge certain serious complaints, Kharge said.
"This again proves that the ECI, even though it is a quasi-judicial body, is not behaving independently," he said.
"The Modi government's calibrated erosion of ECI's integrity is a frontal attack on the Constitution and Democracy and we will take every step to safeguard them," Kharge said.
Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh had said the party would legally challenge the amendment.
Lok Sabha MP and Congress general secretary (organisation) KC Venugopal said the poll panel had chosen opacity and a pro-government attitude in its dealings thus far.
According to Rule 93, all "papers" related to elections shall be open to public inspection.
The amendment inserts "as specified in these rules" after "papers".
Law ministry and ECI officials separately explained that a court case was the "trigger" behind the amendment.
While documents such as nomination forms, appointment of election agents, results and election account statements are mentioned in the Conduct of Election Rules, electronic documents such as CCTV camera footage, webcasting footage and video recording of candidates during the Model Code of Conduct period are not covered.
"CCTV coverage, webcasting of polling stations are not carried out under Conduct of Election Rules but are the result of steps taken by the ECI to ensure a level playing field," a former ECI official explained.
