Mayawati accuses Adityanath of violating Election Commission ban on canvassing
Lucknow: BSP supremo Mayawati Thursday accused UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath of blatantly violating the 72-hr EC ban on canvassing and the poll body with turning a blind eye to the violations.
The former chief minister also claimed that the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi were "nervous and jittery" about their poll prospects.
Hitting out at Adityanath, Mayawati charged that the UP chief minister was deriving political mileage by visiting temples and having food outside the house of a Dalit.
In a tweet, Mayawati said, "By blatantly violating the ban imposed by the Election Commission, UP Chief Minister Yogi (Adityanath) is visiting temples in various cities and doing a drama of having food outside the house of a Dalit. He is deriving electoral mileage by broadcasting them on media, but the Election Commission is lenient (meharbaan) on him. Why?"
The EC on Monday imposed a 72-hour campaigning ban on Adityanath for making communal remarks at a recent election meeting in Meerut. The ban came into force from Tuesday morning.
Mayawati said, "If the Election Commission continues its leniency (meharbaani) and turns a blind eye, then it will be impossible to have this elections free and fair...The BJP leadership is hell bent on forcing itself (manmaani), as it had been doing till now."
The BSP chief also flayed the BJP leadership.
"Today, voting is being held for the second phase of elections, and the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi are nervous and jittery like the Congress was feeling in the last Lok Sabha elections. The real reason for this is the mindset, which is against the poor, labourers, farmers, Dalits, backwards and Muslims," she said.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Min. Priyank Kharge to expresses concern over implementation of VB-G Ram G
Bengaluru: Rural Development and Panchayati Raj Minister Priyank Kharge has expressed concern over the uncertainty surrounding the implementation of the proposed VB-G Ram G scheme, stating that the MNREGA programme, which has been a lifeline for rural India for nearly two decades, appears to be facing an uncertain future.
Speaking to media, Kharge said that as March 31 draws to a close, there is no clarity on the rollout of the new scheme from April 1. He pointed out that the central government has not yet issued the necessary guidelines for implementing the scheme for rural workers and villages.
He criticised the Centre for its lack of preparedness, stating that there is no clarity on fund allocation, no final parameters for classifying gram panchayats, and key processes such as social audits have not been defined.
Kharge said the situation comes at a critical time, as summer marks a peak period for rural employment demand, when many people depend heavily on wage employment for their livelihood.
He added that reports have emerged of delays in approvals and families not receiving work despite demand.
He further alleged that the Centre’s move to shift from a statutory employment guarantee to a rule-based allocation system is already showing negative consequences.
Kharge also raised concerns over provisions such as a mandatory 60-day halt during agricultural seasons, which he said would further limit employment opportunities for rural workers.
The BJP-led central government had claimed that the new scheme would transform rural India, but in reality it is turning out to be detrimental to people’s livelihoods, he said.
“The crisis in rural India due to the stalling of MNREGA is beginning to unfold. Given the Centre’s past record in handling such situations, there is growing concern over the impact on rural livelihoods,” Kharge said.
