Veteran RSS leader, former Maharashtra assembly speaker Haribhau Bagde new Rajasthan Guv
Mumbai (PTI): Veteran Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh leader and former Maharashtra assembly speaker Haribhau Bagde has been appointed the governor of Rajasthan.
Affectionately called Nana, he is well known for his passion for farming and is widely respected for a stellar political journey despite coming from a humble background in the state's Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, formerly Aurangabad.
"Prime Minister Narendra Modi called me yesterday informing me that I would have to go out of Maharashtra. He also asked me to not reveal it to anyone," he told reporters while speaking about his new gubernatorial assignment.
"I have been associated with the RSS since I was 12-13 and completed its three-year course. Till 1980 I was with the Jana Sangh. I like taking up challenges. I may have been chosen for this post because of my work in the party for so may years," he added.
Bagde said his colleague Devendra Fadnavis, who is currently Maharashtra deputy chief minister, made him speaker of the assembly.
"I have never asked for any post. The state leadership of the party may have suggested my name for governorship. I will try to do full justice to the new assignment," he said.
Incidentally, Bagde was accused by the opposition of not listening to their views while he was speaker.
After the MVA government was formed, when Congress leader Nana Patole became assembly speaker, some MLAs made veiled remarks against Bagde.
The BJP leader, while addressing the house, recounted that vending milk on a two-wheeler in cold mornings in his formative years led to hearing loss in the left ear.
Bagde (79) became MLA for the first time in 1985 and represented Phulambri for five terms. He became minster for employment guarantee scheme when the Shiv Sena-BJP came to power in 1995, and in 2014 was made assembly speaker after Fadnavis became chief minister.
He said he was the first to receive formal education in his family, which was involved in social work, adding that he wanted to take up a job but his RSS mentor told him to get involved in farming.
Farming became a lifelong passion for Bagde, who has named his house Phualmbri Krushi Yog.
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BJP blaming Iran-Israel war for everything, says Akhilesh; questions foreign policy
Lucknow (PTI): Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav on Friday alleged that the BJP was blaming the Iran-Israel conflict for a range of domestic issues and said such claims were an attempt to hide policy failures.
Responding to a question on the impact of the West Asia situation on industries in Kanpur during a press conference here, Yadav said that the responsibility for the condition of industries lies with the BJP government.
"These people may now even say that the Ganga is not getting cleaned because of the war in West Asia," the former UP chief minister remarked.
He said the government was diverting attention from farmers' issues and bringing up unrelated matters.
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Referring to fertiliser shortages, he said that farmers had to stand in long queues and fertilisers were not available even earlier, and "now such shortages could be attributed to the Iran-Israel conflict".
He added that this was a failure of government policy and accused the BJP of shifting blame.
Yadav also said that potato farmers were not getting fair prices and alleged that the government might attribute this as well to the ongoing conflict.
On a question related to foreign policy and India's ties with the United States, Yadav said he would not like to comment in detail as his knowledge on the subject was limited, but noted that the influence of the US was visible in many areas.
"If one studies past speeches of leaders, including those from the opposition, after Independence, it would be clear what kind of foreign policy India should have pursued and how it has evolved over time," the leader of the third largest party in Lok Sabha noted.
Yadav also referred to discussions around foreign funding to NGOs and their possible influence on policies, but said these were "contentious issues" on which he would not like to comment further at present.
"Our immediate focus is on ensuring respect for PDA (Backward classes, Dalits and minorities), establishing the rule of social justice and removing the corrupt BJP from government," he said.
On a question related to claims about late night voting during polls in Andhra Pradesh in 2024 coming to light now, Yadav said that concerns had been raised about voting continuing late into the night in some instances.
"Our stance is clear on this matter. In several progressive and developed countries such as the United States, Germany, Japan and England, voting is done through ballots despite their advanced technological capabilities.
"In Germany, the use of electronic voting machines has even been considered unconstitutional," he said, and questioned the continued reliance on EVMs and VVPAT systems in India.
Yadav reiterated his party's stand in favour of returning to ballot voting, saying it would at least allow poorer voters to visibly express their choice.
"The poor cannot vent out their anguish against the government by just pressing the button of the EVM. Using the ballot stamp, they can properly vent out their anger," he said in a lighter vein.
On a separate question regarding student politics and demands for the revival of student unions in universities, Yadav said that if the Samajwadi Party forms the government in Uttar Pradesh, it would send delegations of students from universities in the state to reputed global institutions such as the University of Oxford and the University of Cambridge.
"These delegations would observe student union systems and share their experiences, and students from those institutions would also be invited to Lucknow for conferences to exchange ideas," he added.
