Politics, religion, and blame-games take centre-stage as India enters sixth phase of polling
Hello dear readers!
As we proceed towards the final lap of the biggest democratic festival of the world, Lok Sabha elections 2024, political drama in the country has not failed to keep us engaged throughout the week.
The country has already witnessed five phases of polling while the sixth is under way, and with just one more phase to go, all eyes are glued on June 4, when we finally get to know who gets the ‘throne’.
Among other major political developments this week, we saw parties holding rallies in different states and blame-game among leaders that went on in full swing. Politics over women's safety also made headlines with major development alongside.
So, brace yourselves as we dive into all that happened over the course of the week.
The infinite loop of religion, politics and elections
With poll campaigns in full swing across all states where elections are still pending, we have often come across parties slamming each other on the lines of religion and delivering controversial statements.
Acting upon this, the Election Commission of India has sent letters to BJP president J P Nadda and Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge. In its letter to the saffron party, the EC advised its star campaigners not to make speeches along 'religious/communal lines' and to refrain from giving out statements that may 'divide the society'.
It also asked the Congress' star campaigners not to give 'false impression' of abolishing or selling the Constitution and to detest making speeches which cater to 'mutual hatred or cause tension' between religious or linguistic communities or 'potentially divisive statements' with regards to the socio-economic composition of the armed forces.
The Blame-game banter
PM Modi was recently addressing an election rally in Jharkhand’s Jamshedpur where he lashed out at the Congress party stating, "The language used by the Congress ‘shehzada’ will make any industrialist think 50 times before investing in states ruled by the party... The 'shehzada' is using language spoken by Maoists and is extorting money through innovative methods.”
Meanwhile, after completion of the fifth phase of polling, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, in an election rally, claimed that there is a storm of change in the nation and people have stood up to protest the Constitution and democracy.
However, continuing the ever so BJP-Congress catfight, Union Home Minister Amit Shah taking a sharp jibe at the grand old party said that Rahul Gandhi will have to take out "Congress Dhundo Yatra" after June 4, as the party would not even fetch 40 seats in the ongoing LS polls.
Hot Delhi summers alongside heated politics
Amid the hot summers in Delhi, its political ground also got heated up over Rajya Sabha MP and NCW chief Swati Maliwal's claim of being assaulted by Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s aide Bibhav Kumar at the CM's official residence. The Delhi court has sent Bibhav Kumar to judicial custody till May 28
Aam Aadmi Party leader Atishi blatantly said that Swati Maliwal has become a part of the "conspiracy" against Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal as a case against her is near conclusion.
On the other hand, Union minister Nirmala Sitharaman questioned the silence of Delhi Chief minister Arvind Kejriwal over Maliwal’s assault case. Meanwhile the Delhi BJP accused AAP leaders of circulating 'edited' videos to tarnish the image of Swati Maliwal, their own party MP.
In yet another political development in the national capital, Arvind Kejriwal slammed BJP saying that the ruling party has launched ‘Operation Jhadu' to "crush" the Aam Aadmi Party which lately is posing as a challenge to the saffron camp across the nation.
Hassan sexual abuse case: Wait for Prajwal Revanna’s return to India continues
Hassan MP Prajwal Revanna has been absconding ever since the sexual abuse case against him has come to light. JD(S) supremo H D Deve Gowda, who happens to be Prajwal’s grandfather, said in an open letter that the latter should stop testing his patience and return to India immediately and surrender to the police in the sleaze videos case. The JD(S) supremo also stated that his letter was not an appeal but a warning.
Asking why his diplomatic passport should not be cancelled, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has sent a show-cause notice to Prajwal Revanna. This comes after Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and the Karntaka Home Secretary wrote letters to PM Modi and the Ministry of External Affairs, respectively, requesting them to cancel Prajwal's passport.
Bengal Politics never ceases to surprise
The Calcutta High Court has struck down the OBC status of several classes in West Bengal, stating that the reservations for these classes in services and posts in the state are illegal since 2010. Meanwhile, West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee, claiming that she will not accept the order, said that her government will move to a higher court challenging the Calcutta HC order.
Amid the twists and turns regarding West Bengal’s Sandehkhali case, CM Mamata said that she was heartbroken over the plight of women in the region. She also asserted that the BJP should not have played with the dignity of women in the trouble-torn area as the "saffron camp's conspiracy now stands exposed".
Premises of the Ramakrishna Mission in West Bengal’s Jalpaiguri district was recently vandalised, and monks other employees were asked to leave the place at gunpoint.
Mamata gave out a statement praising the works of Ramakrishna Mission or Bharat Sevashram Sangha. She had earlier alleged some monks of the two monastic orders were working 'under instructions of the BJP'.
The monks later took out a rally in protest of the CM’s remarks. Bharat Sevashram’s Kartik Maharaj also sent her a legal notice in this regard.
Reacting to this incident, Prime Minister Narendra Modi took a sharp hit at the Trinamool Congress and CM Mamata Banerjee saying that the CM made such comments because she is under pressure from Muslim radicals. Mamata later said that the saffron party was trying to falsely implicate her over the entire incident.
Further political turmoil in Bengal included another event where the BJP resorted to large-scale protests after a woman was killed and her son was injured in a political clash in Nandigram in the Purba Medinipur district. The Bharatiya Janata Party claimed that both of them were supporters of the party and were attacked by TMC goons.
Mallikarjun Kharge scoffed at West Bengal Congress chief Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury for questioning Mamata Banerjee's loyalty to the I.N.D.I.A. bloc. As a retaliation to this, several posters and hoardings of Mallikarjun Kharge were defaced with ink in Bengal.
In other news…
The BJP filed a plea in the Supreme Court against the Calcutta HC directing it to not publish any kind of advertisements targeting the Trinamool Congress that are derogatory in nature during the ongoing polls.
SC refused to entertain ex Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren’s plea in a money laundering case related to alleged land scam in Ranchi. The apex court’s bench said, "We cannot consider a plea by the man whose conduct is with blemish."
In Pune, 17-year-old minor killed two people with his luxury car and ever since the incident has gained much political attention. Reacting to this Congress leader Rahul Gandhi took a dig at PM Modi and said, “Narendra Modi is creating two Indias - where even justice is dependent on wealth”. Maharashtra Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis further reacted to this saying that a heinous crime like this should not be politicised.
The hoax bomb-threat episodes continue even this week. The North Block, which houses the home ministry office, a luxury hotel in Bengaluru and Delhi's Lady Shri Ram and Sri Venkateswara colleges received bomb threats.
From around the world…
Bangladesh MP Anwarul Azim Anar, who went missing in Kolkata on May 13, was found murdered and his body was found mutilated, minced and cut into several pieces inside a flat in New Town, the police claimed.
Iran’s president Ebrahim Raisi and his foreign minister died in a helicopter crash near the Azerbaijan border. The crash comes at a time of growing dissent within Iran over an array of political, social and economic crises.
UK prime minister Rishi Sunak put an end to all speculations regarding elections by announcing that the country will go to polls on July 4. Sunak added that the Parliament would be dissolved soon after he formally informs King Charles III of the election timeline.
Former US Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley said that she would vote for her ex-opponent and boss Donald Trump in the upcoming US elections. Haley finally broke her silence on the matter since she exited the Republican presidential primary more than two months ago.
That's all for this week folks! We promise to be back again next week with more political drama and all other major takeaways from India and around the world.
Exit Stage Left,
DH Newsletters Team