Trinamool Congress nominates Saket Gokhale to Rajya Sabha; All you need to know
New Delhi: The Trinamool Congress (TMC) has announced its list of candidates for the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections in West Bengal, and among them is Saket Gokhale, a prominent figure in the party. However, his nomination has stirred controversy due to his past activities and legal issues.
Saket Gokhale, an Indian Right to Information (RTI) activist and spokesperson of the TMC, joined the party in 2021. He has also worked as a correspondent for esteemed publications such as the Financial Times and the Hindustan Times, gaining recognition for his activism and involvement in various social and political issues. Gokhale has on various occasions made groundbreaking revelations through his RTIs.
However, Gokhale's profile is not without controversy. In December 2022, he was arrested over a tweet in which he allegedly posted misinformation about the 2022 Morbi bridge collapse. After obtaining bail from a metropolitan court in Ahmedabad, he was re-arrested on the same charges within a few hours. Ultimately, he was released on bail on December 10. In January 2023, Gokhale faced further legal trouble when he was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on allegations of money laundering.
Gokhale's nomination comes alongside other TMC candidates, including prominent party members Derek O'Brien, Sukhendu Sekhar Ray, and Dola Sen. O'Brien, serving as the TMC's leader in the Rajya Sabha since 2011, brings his vast experience to the table. Ray, who was first elected to the Upper House in 2012, holds the position of deputy chief whip. Sen, a seasoned leader and trade unionist, became an MP in 2017.
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Cong govt ended ‘darkness’ in 11 months of rule in T’gana: CM Revanth Reddy rebuts PM Modi's remark
Hyderabad (PTI): During the last 11 months, the Congress government in Telangana has reversed an air of gloom and despair under the previous BRS regime and ended the "darkness", Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy said on Saturday.
He was responding to a post by Prime Minister Narendra Modi that under Congress rule developmental trajectory and fiscal health is turning from bad to worse in Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka and Telangana.
“I am happy to clarify several misconceptions and factual errors in your statements about my state and our government," Reddy said in his post.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi Friday in a series of posts said the Congress stands "badly exposed" in front of people for promising to them what the party knows it will never be able to deliver.
“Every promise made by us to people is a sacred commitment for us. In the last 11 months, we have reversed an air of gloom & despair under BRS, and ended the darkness. Like a morning sun, Telangana is now Rising,” Reddy said in the post addressed to Modi.
Within two days of taking charge, the Telangana government fulfilled its first and second promise - free bus travel for women across all government buses, and a healthcare and hospitalisation cover of 10 lakhs under Rajiv Aarogyasree, the CM pointed out.
Even before completion of first year of rule, the Congress government has implemented India's largest ever, state-level farmer loan waiver of Rs 18,000 crore covering over 22 lakh farmers, he said responding to PM’s comments that in Telangana, farmers are awaiting the (loan) waiver they were promised.
Women get free electricity, with no domestic power charge for their homes up to 200 units, Reddy noted.
The CM also claimed that his government has held the largest recruitment drive and is regularly holding exams of all levels and provided jobs to over 50,000 eligible youth, a record “unmatched by any BJP state government.”
The CM said the government is rejuvenating River Musi, which was allegedly neglected by the previous government and protecting lakes and other precious water bodies, encroached upon and destroyed wantonly with abandon in the last 10 years.
