Mayawati raises concerns over 'foreign influence' in Indian elections
Lucknow: Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati on Monday raised concerns over alleged foreign interference in Indian elections, citing reports that USD 21 million was allegedly sent by an US agency under the pretext of increasing voter participation.
"The news from America is quite shocking as a massive amount of USD 21 million has reportedly been provided in the name of increasing voter participation in India. The people of the country must remain cautious and question whether this is an interference in free and fair elections, and if so, who has been benefiting from it," she said in a press note issued by the party here on Monday.
Her reaction came after the US Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) led by billionaire Elon Musk announced a series of expenditure cuts, including USD 21 million allocated for "voter turnout in India." The DOGE in a post on X on Saturday announced cancelling many programmes costing hundreds of millions of taxpayers' dollars. The department said, "US taxpayer dollars were going to be spent on the following items, all (of) which have been cancelled..."
The list included USD 486 million in grants to the Consortium for Elections and Political Process Strengthening including USD 21 million for "voter turnout in India".
In the press note issued by the party on Monday, the BSP chief also said the "overwhelming dominance of the BJP and AAP under government protection" made conditions unfavourable for her party in the Delhi elections.
"BSP members fought with full strength in the Delhi elections, just like they did in Haryana. However, due to the strong political maneuvering and deceptive promises of the opposing parties, as well as the overwhelming dominance of BJP and AAP under government protection, BSP could not achieve the expected results," she said.
Despite the disappointing results in the Delhi polls where her party could not win a single seat, Mayawati urged BSP workers not to feel discouraged and remain committed to their cause, emphasising the party's ideological foundation and historical successes.
She said the "BSP has always been a party of struggle" and has achieved significant political milestones through its dedication to the principles of B R Ambedkar.
"Everyone must remember that BSP is an Ambedkarite party that has gained many political and electoral successes through struggle. Particularly in Uttar Pradesh, during its four terms in government, the BSP has worked extensively for the dignity, self-respect, and economic liberation of the Bahujan community.
"Due to this, caste-based, capitalist, and communal forces have continuously conspired against the BSP and its leadership, using every possible tactic including political manipulation, financial coercion, and false propaganda to weaken the party. However, we must not be disheartened but continue working tirelessly towards achieving power through the right to vote, as envisioned by Dr B R Ambedkar," she asserted.
The BSP drew a blank in the Delhi polls held earlier this month.
The BJP won a comfortable majority (48 seats) in the elections to the 70-member assembly, ousting the Aam Aadmi Party from power after a decade.
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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.
