Kerala's P C George merges party with BJP
New Delhi, Jan 31: Ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, Kerala Janapaksham (Secular) chief P C George merged his party with the BJP on Wednesday.
George along with his son Shaun and other Kerala Janapaksham (Secular) leaders joined the BJP here in the presence of the saffron party's in-charge for political affairs in Kerala Prakash Javadekar and other senior leaders.
"We are very delighted to welcome Kerala Janapaksham (Secular) leaders P C George, Shaun George and George Joseph," Javadekar said at a joint press conference at the BJP headquarters here.
George, BJP national secretary Anil Antony and Union minister V Muraleedharan were also present at the press conference.
Javadekar described George as "a fiery speaker and a great catholic diocese leader".
"We will win a minimum of five (Lok Sabha) seats in Kerala. That's the difference we are going to make in Kerala politics," the BJP leader said.
A big rally will be held in Kerala. The first meeting of BJP leaders, including those of the now-merged Kerala Janapaksham (Secular), will also be held in the state, Javadekar said.
"This is just the beginning. Much more will follow in the coming days," he added.
The BJP leader also attacked the CPI(M)-led LDF government in Kerala, saying it has lost its credibility due to crime and corruption in the state.
"This is not the 2019 (Lok Sabha) elections when people in Kerala believed that Rahul Gandhi would become the prime minister. Now you ask anybody in Kerala, everybody says Narendra Modi would be the prime minister," Javadekar said.
"That's a change. They (LDF) have lost their credibility... The UDF is confusion, contradictions and a rudderless combination," he said.
Speaking at the press conference, George said Kerala is witnessing an "agrarian crisis" under the LDF rule and farmers are committing suicides.
In such a situation, George said, he had no other choice but to join Prime Minister Narendra Modi to transform the state.
"The prime minister and the Union government's intervention is absolutely required to get the farmers out of the debt crisis. I have already requested the central government for support. And the central government has been very sympathetic, empathetic and supportive of our request," he said.
George asserted that the BJP will win at least five Lok Sabha seats in Kerala in the upcoming elections and emerge as a leading political player in the state.
"I also have no doubt that in the 2026 assembly polls (in Kerala), the BJP will be in a direct fight with both the CPI(M) and the Congress. In the coming years, the BJP will emerge as a leading political player in Kerala," he said.
Speaking at the press conference, BJP national secretary Anil Antony said the merger of the Kerala Janapaksham (Secular) with the BJP will contribute to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision to transform India into a developed country.
"Today, Kerala Janapaksham (Secular) led by P C George is merging with the BJP, showing full confidence in our Prime Minister Narendra Modi ji's vision to transform India into 'Viksit Bharat' by 2047," he said.
Welcoming George into the BJP fold, BJP national secretary Antony said, "The merging of Janapaksham today will be the start of a historic trajectory in Kerala where the BJP will grow more and more, and contribute towards the prime minister's mission to transform India into a developed country."
A seven-time MLA, George is "one of the stalwarts of Kerala politics", he said.
"He was also the chief whip of the UDF government in Kerala from 2011 to 2015 and is a very prominent member of the Roman Catholic community in Kerala," he added.
Union minister V Muraleedharan said the merger of Kerala Janapaksham (Secular) with the BJP shows that in Kerala, more and more people are getting convinced that a stable government that can develop the country can only be formed by the BJP under the leadership of Prime Minister Modi.
The merger, he said, has also exposed the "malicious propaganda" that the BJP is anti-minority.
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India votes in favour of UNGA resolution demanding immediate, permanent ceasefire in Gaza
United Nations, Dec 12: India voted in favour of a UN General Assembly resolution that demanded an immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire in Gaza and reiterated the demand for immediate and unconditional release of all hostages.
The UN General Assembly has overwhelmingly approved resolutions demanding an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and backing the UN agency for Palestinian refugees that Israel has moved to ban.
The 193-member General Assembly voted Wednesday at the 10th emergency special session to adopt the draft resolution ‘Demand for ceasefire in Gaza’, introduced by Indonesia.
India was among the 158 nations that voted in favour of the resolution while nine member states, including Israel and the US, voted against it. Among the 13 nations that abstained were Albania and Ukraine.
The resolution demanded an “immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire, to be respected by all parties, and further reiterates its demand for the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages.”
It demanded that the parties fully, unconditionally and without delay implement all the provisions of the Security Council resolution of June 2024 regarding an “immediate ceasefire, the release of hostages, the exchange of Palestinian prisoners, the return of the remains of hostages who have been killed, the return of Palestinian civilians to their homes and neighbourhoods in all areas of Gaza, including in the north, and the full withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza.”
The resolution demanded immediate access by the civilian population in the Gaza Strip to basic services and humanitarian assistance indispensable to its survival, while “rejecting any effort to starve Palestinians”.
It further demanded the facilitation of full, rapid, safe and unhindered entry of humanitarian assistance, at scale and under the coordination of the United Nations, to and throughout the Gaza Strip and its delivery to all Palestinian civilians who need it, including to civilians in besieged north Gaza, who are in urgent need of immediate humanitarian relief.
It also demanded that the parties fully comply with their obligations under international law in relation to persons they detain, including by releasing all those arbitrarily detained.
It called upon all parties to fully comply with international law, including international humanitarian law, notably with regard to the protection of civilians, especially women and children.
It reiterated its unwavering commitment to the vision of the two-state solution, with the Gaza Strip as part of the Palestinian State, and where two democratic States, Palestine and Israel, live side by side in peace within secure and recognized borders, consistent with international law and the relevant United Nations resolutions.
The resolution rejected any attempt at demographic or territorial change in the Gaza Strip, including any actions that reduce the territory of the Gaza Strip, and stresses the importance of unifying the Gaza Strip with the West Bank under the Palestinian Authority.
Last week, India voted in favour of a General Assembly resolution that called for the withdrawal of Israel from the Palestinian territory occupied since 1967, including East Jerusalem, and reiterated the call for achieving a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in the Middle East.
The draft resolution ‘Peaceful settlement of the question of Palestine’ tabled by Senegal was overwhelmingly adopted in the 193-member General Assembly Tuesday.
India was among the 157 nations that voted in favour, while eight Member States - Argentina, Hungary, Israel, Micronesia, Nauru, Palau, Papua New Guinea and the United States voted against it. Cameroon, Czechia, Ecuador, Georgia, Paraguay, Ukraine and Uruguay abstained.
