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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CCPA issues notices to 13 e-commerce players for illegal sale of walkie talkies
New Delhi, May 9 (PTI): Government watchdog CCPA has issued notices to 13 e-commerce players like Amazon and Flipkart for illegal sale of walkie-talkie devices on their platforms, which could raise security concerns at a time of military conflict between India and Pakistan.
In an official statement on Friday, the government said the Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) has issued 13 notices to leading digital marketplaces against the illegal listing and sale of walkie-talkies on e-commerce platforms.
These platforms are: Amazon, Flipkart, Meesho, OLX, TradeIndia, Facebook, Indiamart, VardaanMart, Jiomart, Krishnamart, Chimiya, Talk Pro Walie Talkie and MaskMan toys.
The crackdown focuses on the sale of walkie-talkies without proper frequency disclosure, licensing information, or Equipment Type Approval (ETA), constituting a violation of the Consumer Protection Act, 2019.
Earlier, Union Food and Consumer Minister Pralhad Joshi in a social media post said: "The sale of non-compliant wireless devices not only breaches statutory obligations but may also pose significant risks to national security operations."
These violations contravene multiple legal frameworks, including the Consumer Protection Act, Indian Telegraph Act, and Wireless Telegraphy Act, he said.
In its preliminary analysis, CCPA has found 467 listings of walkie-talkies on Amazon, 314 on Flipkart, 489 on Meesho, and 423 on TradeIndia, indicating the widespread scale of the issue.
The regulator has sought information regarding the name and contact details of each seller, product URLs and listing IDs of the walkie-talkie devices, details of frequency specifications and and the number of units sold per listing from January 2023 to date.
"The illegal sale of walkie-talkies is a matter of public safety concern. We have found an alarming volume of listings of these devices on e-commerce websites," CCPA Chief Commissioner Nidhi Khare told PTI.
The guidelines will be drafted soon in view of the rampant non-adherence to existing legal provisions by e-commerce entities, she said.
The minister said the CCPA will issue formal guidelines under Section 18(2)(l) of the Consumer Protection Act, 2019, aimed at strengthening compliance and consumer safeguards in digital marketplaces.
Sellers have been directed to adhere strictly to all applicable regulatory standards to uphold consumer rights and prevent unlawful trade practices, he added.
