JD(U) leader Prashant Kishor meets Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray
Mumbai, Feb 5: At a time when the fate of the electoral tie-up between the BJP and the Shiv Sena is hanging in balance, political strategist and JD (U) leader Prashant Kishor Tuesday visited Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray, and expressed a wish to join hands ahead of the Lok Sabha polls.
Both the Sena and the JD(U), which is headed by Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, are members of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA).
The Sena, which is part of the Central and Maharashtra governments, has been at loggerheads with the BJP.
Kishor is credited with conceptualising and implementing innovative strategies like 'chai pe charcha' with Narendra Modi, who was the BJP's prime ministerial nominee at that time, that are said to have contributed to the BJP's stupendous victory in the 2014 elections.
He is currently the vice president of the JD (U).
"As part of NDA, we look forward to joining forces with you in Maharashtra to help secure victory in upcoming Lok Sabha elections & beyond. @nitishkumar," Kishor tweeted while tagging JD(U) president Nitish Kumar.
Kishor re-tweeted Shiv Sena youth wing president Aditya Thackeray's tweet welcoming him at their residence "Matoshree" in suburban Bandra.
"Thank you for your warm hospitality Uddhav ji and @AUThackeray," he tweeted.
Earlier this afternoon, Aditya tweeted: "Today Uddhav Thackeray ji and I had a special visitor over lunch. Some great talks @PrashantKishor ji".
The Thackeray junior also tweeted photos of Kishor meeting his "hosts".
A close aide of Uddhav Thackeray said no senior BJP leader had visited the residence of the Sena chief since 2014 except BJP chief Amit Shah, and held talks about the alliance between the two parties.
Sena leaders refused to divulge details of the meeting between Uddhav and Kishore.
After falling out with PM Modi, Kishor worked with Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar for the 2015 assembly elections campaign. He was reportedly instrumental in bringing Nitish and his arch rival RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav to take on the BJP during the polls.
Kishor was later roped in by the Congress for the assembly elections held in Punjab and Uttar Pradesh in 2017.
While the Congress returned to power in Punjab, it fared badly in Uttar Pradesh.
Several Congress leaders like Randeep Surjewala had hailed Kishor for the Punjab outcome.
In Maharashtra, future of electoral alliance between the Sena and the BJP is under cloud with the Uddhav Thackeray-led party giving mixed signals about its willingness to contest Lok Sabha polls with the BJP by its side.
Both the parties had contested the 2014 general elections in an alliance, but went solo in the assembly elections held in October that year.
Sena on January 24 last year announced to contest all the forthcoming elections on its own strength.
The party has been criticising the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on a range of issues in the party mouthpiece "Saamana".
Meanwhile, Sena leadership held meetings with its Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha MPs as well as with MLAs and MLCs Tuesday.
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.
Cong slams Modi govt as 'anti-worker', calls for review of new Labour code
New Delhi (PTI): The Congress on Friday accused the Modi government of being "anti-worker" and demanded that the new labour code be reviewed, MGNREGA be revived as well as a national minimum wage of Rs 400 per day be established.
On International Labour Day, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge took a swipe at the government and said unemployment in India today is a direct consequence of the 'Hum Do, Hamare Do' policies.
"Driven by the 'Hum Do, Hamare Do' policy, the Modi government implemented an anti-worker Labour Code. As a result, unrest has erupted everywhere - be it in Noida, at the IOCL facility in Panipat, Adani's factory in Raikheda, NTPC Patratu, or the Samsung factory in Sriperumbudur," Kharge said in a post in Hindi on X.
Instead of ensuring job security, this Code promotes policies such as contract labour and 'Hire & Fire' practices, Kharge said and called for a review of the new Labour Code.
The Modi government has effectively dismantled MGNREGA by forcibly pushing legislation through Parliament, he alleged.
"Mr. Modi has shifted 40% of the wage burden onto the State governments. State governments are unable to bear this financial strain and will eventually be forced to stop providing work," he claimed.
The Modi government has compelled workers into a state of unemployment and pushed them towards 'gig work', Kharge said.
Currently, 69% of the workforce is working for wages below the statutory minimum wage, he said.
The Modi government has engineered a crisis of stagnant wages, Kharge alleged.
"When adjusted for inflation, the wages of the majority of India's workers have grown by less than 1% annually over the last decade (from 2014-15 to 2022-23)," he said.
The Modi government has created a massive unemployment crisis among the educated workforce, specifically, among graduates, Kharge claimed and added that jobs have been eliminated through the sale of Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs).
"The government has refused to fill approximately 30 lakh vacant government positions. Furthermore, the government's policy blunders have led to the decimation of Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs)," the Congress chief said.
The Congress reiterates its five demands for India's workers including revival of MGNREGA and its expansion to urban areas, Kharge said.
He said a national minimum wage of Rs 400 per day should be established, with MNREGA included within its scope.
Kharged demanded that a 'Right to Health' law must be enacted, providing Universal Health Coverage of up to Rs 25 lakh for laborers and workers.
"'Life Insurance and Accident Insurance' coverage must be provided for all unorganized workers. Preventing the contractualization of employment must be made a core priority of the government, and the new Labour Codes must be reviewed," Kharge asserted.
