Upset leader quits BJP, hands resignation letter to office ‘Chowkidar’
LUCKNOW: A BJP lawmaker in Uttar Pradesh, not chosen as a candidate for next month's national election, handed over his resignation to the guard, or chowkidar, of the BJP office in Lucknow. The gesture is loaded, at the height of the BJP's "Main Bhi Chowkidar" campaign.
Anshul Verma, 44, won the 2014 election from the Hardoi seat, around 100 km from state capital Lucknow, despite carrying the inconvenient tag of an "outsider".
This time, the BJP refused to name him for the seat, instead choosing Jai Prakash Rawat. Anshul Verma has now joined the Samajwadi Party.
Jai Prakash Rawat was a BJP parliamentarian twice from this seat in the 1990s. Then he joined the Samajwadi Party and won from a different seat in 2004. He returned to the BJP in 2018.
Sources in the BJP say Anshul Verma was seen to be inaccessible to party workers and the people of his constituency.
The former BJP leader denies this. "Vikaas Kiya hai vikaas karenge. Anshul they Anshul hi rahenge ...chowkidaar na kahenge (I worked for development. I will remain Anshul, I won't call myself chowkidaar)," Mr Verma told reporters in a reference to the chowkidar campaign for which BJP leaders changed their Twitter accounts to add the prefix Chowkidar. Prime Minister Narendra Modi was the first to do so; the campaign is meant to strike back at Rahul Gandhi and the Congress over their campaign alleging corruption in the Rafale jet deal with the slogan "Chowkidar Chor Hai (the guard is a thief)".
BJP's Hardoi MP Anshul Verma handed his resignation to Chowkidaar at BJP office. He is confused after so much Chowkidaars in BJP but he chooses Asli Chowkidaar... pic.twitter.com/z35nM2BSOc
— Prashant Kanojia (@PJkanojia) March 27, 2019
Mr Verma asked the media to film him as he wrote out his resignation letter to BJP chief Amit Shah.
"It was because of me that the party won from Hardoi in 2014, after a long gap of 21 years," Mr Verma wrote in his resignation letter.
"Today it seems the most responsible person is the chowkidar. So I thought, why not hand over the resignation letter to a real chowkidar instead of giving it to those who pretend to be so," Mr Verma said.
The Samajwadi Party has already announced a heavyweight candidate from Hardoi but may be willing the accommodate Mr Verma elsewhere.
courtesy: ndtv.com
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.
India misses 2025 TB elimination target; cases stand at 185 per 100,000 population
New Delhi: India reported an estimated 2.7 million tuberculosis cases in 2025 which translates into an incidence of 185 cases per 100,000 population, according to the latest official update on the disease burden.
The figure is more than four times the elimination benchmark set under the National Strategic Plan for Tuberculosis. The plan had aimed to bring down incidence to 44 cases per 100,000 population and mortality to three per 100,000 by 2025. The target was announced in March 2017 and was set five years ahead of the global End TB goals and the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
Data indicate that TB notifications have increased by 13 per cent compared to pre-Covid levels, as IndiaSpend reported in July 2025. Public health experts have said higher notification does not necessarily reflect a rise in incidence, but indicate improved case detection. Authorities have stepped up efforts to improve reporting and plug gaps in diagnosis and treatment, under the National Tuberculosis Elimination Programme (NTEP).
According to a 2019 study published in PLOS Medicine, the most substantial gap occurs during the testing stage, with nearly half of those with incident tuberculosis not receiving diagnostic tests. Experts say stigma, restricted availability to molecular testing, and dependence on sputum microscopy continue to impede early detection.
According to official data, 19.3 million smear microscopy tests were performed in 2023, compared to 6.83 million molecular tests using the CBNAAT/GeneXpert and Truenat platforms, indicating that smear-based diagnosis will continue to be used. While doctors report inconsistent implementation across regions, legislation mandates 100% molecular testing for suspected tuberculosis patients.
Health officials point to the increase of diagnostic infrastructure, which includes approximately 10,000 Nucleic Acid Amplification Test equipment and over 25,000 microscopy centers across the country. Eexperts identify operational difficulties such as specimen transportation, machine maintenance, supplier chains, and unequal distribution of skilled staff.
Under the TB-Mukt Bharat Abhiyan, the government has expanded active case-finding in high-risk areas and identified 1.58 lakh vulnerable villages and urban wards using an AI-based mapping tool. Under which the latest campaign document states that of the 2.73 million cases reported in 2025, 35 per cent were asymptomatic.
Specialists warn that up to half of microbiologically diagnosed pulmonary tuberculosis patients may not show characteristic symptoms, contributing to continuous community transmission. To increase early diagnosis of drug resistance, it is advised that chest X-rays and molecular testing be used more frequently.
Specialists warn that up to half of microbiologically diagnosed pulmonary tuberculosis patients may not show characteristic symptoms, contributing to continuous community transmission. To increase early diagnosis of drug resistance, it is advised that chest X-rays and molecular testing be used more frequently.
The government increased financial aid for Tuberculosis patients under the Nikshay Poshan Yojana to ₹1,000 per month, as the disease is mostly linked with malnutrition and poor living conditions and those with a BMI less than 18.5 are given energy-dense nutritional supplements for the first two months of therapy.
