Amit Shah Jharkhand CM, Hemant Soren Has Education Portfolio’: 7th Graders Stun State Minister

Source: news18.com

Jharkhand Minister for School Education and Literacy, Jagarnath Mahto had visited the school at Koiya village in Gola block of Ramgarh district on Wednesday and the incident went viral on social media and was reported in online portals.

Ramgarh (Jharkhand): The Jharkhand Minister for School Education and Literacy, Jagarnath Mahto was in for a shock when he was told by school children that Hemant Soren is the education minister of the state.

The students of class seven of the government school at Ramgarh, to whom he was speaking, had more for him in store.

When Mahto asked them who is the chief minister, they shot back : “Amit Shah”. Soren is the chief minister of the tribal state, while Shah is the union home minister.

Mahto had visited the school at Koiya village in Gola block of Ramgarh district on Wednesday and the incident went viral on social media and was reported in online portals.

The head mistress of the school Kalawati Soni said on Thursday that the students were apparently unaware of Mahto as he had taken charge just about 10 days ago. Soni said she was on leave when the minister visited the school and the students failed to give the correct answers.

The school has 90 teachers, one permanent teacher and three para-teachers, she added. Ramgarh Deputy Commissioner Sandeep Singh told PTI

that a probe has been ordered into the poor education skills of the government school.

He said that the district superintendent of education, Sushil Kumar would enquire into the incident and submit a report to the administration.

Mahato, who took oath as a minister on January 28 and got the portfolio the next day, has said that he will continue to make surprise visits to schools.

PM Modi, Amit Shah face cheating, dishonesty charges in Ranchi court over Rs 15 lakh poll promise: Report

Source: moneycontrol.com

According to the report, the complainant, HK Singh, filed a case against Prime Minister Modi and Shah in which he accused them of cheating people by allegedly promising in 2013-14 to credit Rs 15 lakh in every bank account if they come to power.

A court in Ranchi has started proceedings against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah who have been accused of cheating and dishonesty, according to a report by India Today. 

The report noted that the third accused in the case, which is scheduled to come up for hearing on March 2, is Union Minister Ramdas Athawale.

According to the report, the complainant, HK Singh, filed a case against Prime Minister Modi and Shah in which he accused them of cheating people by allegedly promising in 2013-14 to credit Rs 15 lakh in every bank account if they come to power.

The report noted Singh, an advocate with the state’s High Court, lodged the complaint under Sections 415 (cheating) and 420 (dishonesty) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) along with Section 123 (b) of the Representation of the People Act.

The report noted that Singh had earlier said that while the BJP had promised to bring in the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), which they did, the Rs 15 lakh promise was not fulfilled.

“Why was the promise on CAA delivered but the promise on crediting Rs 15 lakh in each person’s account, a promise made in BJP manifesto not honoured?” Singh asked. BJP’s manifesto, however, does not mention the promise.

Singh said that false promises made to seek votes amount to “fraud with people,” according to the Representation of People Act.”Even I feel duped and so do many others by the cunning deceit of BJP leaders. They cannot have double standards. If they can deliver their promise on CAA, then they should also deliver on the Rs 15 lakh promise,” Singh told the news channel.

Rs 15 lakh promise: PM Modi, Amit Shah face charges of cheating, dishonesty in Ranchi court

Source: indiatoday.in

The complainant HK Singh, an advocate, has filed a case against PM Modi and Amit Shah, accusing them of cheating people by promising to credit Rs 15 lakh in every person’s bank account if they come to power.

district court in Ranchi has started proceedings in a case where Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah have been accused of cheating and dishonesty. The third accused in this case is Union minister Ramdas Atawle.

The complainant HK Singh, an advocate at the state high court, has filed a case against PM Modi and Amit Shah, accusing them of cheating people by promising to credit Rs 15 lakh in every person’s bank account if they come to power.

The complaint was lodged under sections 415 (cheating) and 420 (dishonesty) of the Indian penal Code, alongwith section 123(b) of the Representation of the People Act.

The court proceedings in the case started today.

HK Singh said in 2019 Home Minister Amit Shah said the government introduced the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) because it was one of the main promises made by the BJP in its election manifesto for the 2019 Lok Sabha election.

“Why was the promise on CAA delivered but the promise on crediting Rs 15 lakh in each person’s account, a promise made in BJP manifesto, not honoured?” HK Singh asked.

He argued that the Representation of the People Act says false promise cannot be made to seek votes. “It amounts to fraud with the people,” HK Singh said.

The case will come up for hearing next on March 2.

However, HK Singh’s claim that the Rs 15 lakh promise was part of BJP’s manifesto for the 2014 Lok Sabha election is contrary to facts. The manifesto does not promise this.

Meanwhile, last Saturday, the court had asked HK Singh how this matter falls under Ranchi jurisdiction and why did he not file a case earlier considering that the alleged promise was made in 2013-14.

Speaking to India Today TV, HK Singh said, “Even I feel duped and so do many others by the cunning deceit of BJP leaders. They cannot have double standards. If they can deliver their promise on CAA, then they should also deliver on the Rs 15 lakh promise.”

Reacting to the developments, the Congress said people are fed-up with the lies told by the BJP. Congress spokesperson Alok Dubey said, “People are fed-up with the lies told by BJP leaders, including PM Modi. Now, people have started reacting and are expressing their anger against the fraud and baseless assurances given by the BJP.”

On the other hand, the BJP rubbished the allegations as a “publicity stunt”. BJP spokesperson Pratul Shahdeo said filing a case after six years is nothing but a “cheap publicity stunt”.

“What BJP leaders, including PM Modi and Amit Shah said, is in the public domain. They never promised that all account holders will get Rs 15 lakh. They (Opposition and the petitioner) will understand the meaning of BJP leaders’ words if they try to read between the lines,” Shahdeo said.

Amit Shah Ends Speculation Over Who Will Lead Bihar Poll Campaign

Source: ndtv.com

PATNA: Nitish Kumar will remain the Chief Minister of Bihar after the 2020 assembly election, which the BJP will fight under his leadership, the party’s national chief Amit Shah has said. “The Janata Dal (United) and the BJP will go to polls together and we will fight polls under the leadership of Nitish ji. This is absolutely clear,” the Union Home Minister said in an interview to News18 on Wednesday.

Nitish Kumar’s Janata Dal United and the BJP are in a coalition government in Bihar. Leaders from both sides have often aired passive aggressive views over who would lead the election battle formation in the eastern state. Amit Shah’s assertion is likely to put to rest any speculation over who will lead the alliance campaign.

Mr Shah admitted there were some differences over who would lead the campaign. But he added that in collation politics, differences are signs of a healthy relationship and there should be no “manbhed” (argument) on this.

Bihar’s Deputy Chief Minister from the BJP, Sushil Kumar Modi, has already said that the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) will contest under Nitish Kumar’s leadership. But until now, there was no official word from the BJP’s leadership.

Mr Shah’s comment has come as a big relief for all those working behind the scenes to ensure the alliance remains intact, especially after relentless attacks on Nitish Kumar by Union Minister Giriraj Singh, who criticised the Chief Minister almost every day after heavy rain led to unprecedented flooding in state capital Patna earlier this month.

When no BJP leader or MLA showed up for a Dussehra event in Patna’s Gandhi Maidan attended by Nitish Kumar, it was read as a sign of a widening rift between the allies.

Bihar BJP chief Sanjay Jaisawal has said Giriraj Singh’s comments cannot be seen as the party’s official line. “He (Mr Singh) speaks in his personal capacity. Only a statement by the party’s spokesperson should be treated as official,” Mr Jaisawal said.

The Bihar assembly election is due next year.

Mamata raises Assam NRC issue in a meeting with Amit Shah

Source: telegraphindia.com

West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday told Union home minister Amit Shah that genuine Indians belonging to Bengali, Bihari, Gorkha and Assamese communities were excluded from the NRC in Assam and sought his intervention to ameliorate their miseries.

Banerjee told this to Shah in her first meeting with the home minister, who assumed office about three months ago.

“I have come to meet the home minister to discuss about the NRC in Assam and told him that many genuine Indians were excluded from the list. I have requested him to do the needful so that they can be included in the NRC as they are in distress,” she told reporters after the meeting with Shah.

The chief minister said that among those who were excluded from the National Register of Citizens include many Bengali, Bihari, Gorkhas and even Assamese.

“I have requested him to examine their cases and resolve the issues,” she said.

The final NRC, a list of Assam’s residents published on August 31, excluded the names of 19 lakh people.

“The home minister has assured me that he would look into it,” she said.

Asked whether there was any discussion on the implementation of the NRC in West Bengal, Banerjee said no such discussion has taken place but it was her stated position that such an initiative was not required in her state.

“Even Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar said that the NRC was not required in his state,” she said.

The chief minister said she has come to New Delhi after she was given an appointment by Prime Minister Narendra Modi for a meeting.

“Meeting the Prime Minister and the home minister is a constitutional obligation. Besides, we have international border issues with Bangladesh and Bhutan and state borders with Bihar and Jharkhand. We also have the sensitive ‘chicken’s neck’ (corridor connecting northeastern states with the rest of the country). So meeting with the home minister is in that context necessarily,” she said.

The chief minister said she has met the prime minister on Wednesday and raised the issue of renaming the state.

Banerjee also invited Modi to inaugurate a coal block in the state. The coal block is the second largest in the world, she said.

Will make Jharkhand No. 1 state in country: Amit Shah

Source: indiatoday.in

Union home minister Amit Shah on Wednesday promised that the Bharatiya Janata Party governments at the Centre and in Jharkhand would work together to make the state the No. 1 state in the country. Shah said that since Narendra Modi came to power at the Centre, Naxalism has declined in the state and various welfare schemes have been successfully implemented in the state.

Shah was addressing a rally in Jharkhand’s Jamtara district. Jharkhand, along with Maharashtra and Haryana, is expected to go to the polls later this year. Shah was speaking after launching the BJP’s ‘Johar Jan Ashirwad Yatra’.

The yatra will crisscross Jharkhand’s 81 assembly constituencies ahead of the polls in the state.

Speaking at the rally, Amit Shah also Prime Minister Narendra Modi showed Pakistan its place by abrogating Article 370 and 35A and established that Jammu and Kashmir is an integral part of India.

Shah said Congress leader Rahul Gandhi should tell people of Maharashtra, Jharkhand and Haryana, when he goes to those election-bound states, whether he was with the decision to abrogate Article 370.

ATTACKS CONGRESS

“Removing Article 370, Modi ji showed Pakistan its place, and established that Kashmir is an integral part of India,” Shah said.

“Our stand has been to remove Article 370 ever since it had been there,” Shah said and asked “why the Congress felt a ‘stomach ache’ following its abrogation?”

Launching a scathing attack on the Congress, Amit Shah said the party had also opposed and sought evidence after the surgical strikes.

“They (Congress) should tell the people which direction they want to go,” he added.

Shah said even while being in the opposition, his party leaders had supported the government on important issues.

“Atal Bihari Vajpayee had supported former prime minister Indira Gandhi after winning the Bangladesh Liberation war.

‘CONGRESS DID NOT HEED JHARKHAND’S WISHES’

Amit Shah went on to question what the Congress did for the state and slammed the party for not heeding the decades-old demand to create a separate state. (Jharkhand was a part of Bihar until 2000).

Shah said that the Congress had not accepted Jharkhand people’s decades-old wishes for a separate state and that it was former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee who fulfilled the dreams.

“I don’t hesitate to say that Atal ji created Jharkhand and Prime Minister Narendra Modi ji nursed it towards development during the last five years,” Shah said.

“There is Modi government above [at the Centre] and Raghubar Das government below [in the state]. The double engine governments have changed Jharkhand, and the evidence is that the people of Jharkhand gave 12 of the 14 Lok Sabha seats to Modi government in the Lok Sabha elections,” Shah said.

“Naxalism was there, but now Jharkhand is headed towards [becoming] almost naxal-free and moving forward with developmental initiatives,” Shah said. “The double engine governments will make Jharkhand the number one state in the country.”

‘Hindustan Poorvoday’: Amit Shah to deliver roadmap for turning east into India’s growth engine

Source: hindustantimes.com

Home Minister Amit Shah, law minister Ravi Shankar Prasad, Jharkhand Chief Minister Raghuvar Das and Deputy Chief Minister of Bihar Sushil Kumar Modi along with other regional politicians and achievers will come together in Ranchi on Wednesday to dwell on a roadmap for transforming the east and making its states, including Jharkhand and Bihar, the new engines of Indian economy.

The one day brainstorming session, being organised under the banner of ‘Hindustan Poorvoday’, will also see these leaders exchange views on the eastern states’, particularly, mineral-rich Jharkhand’s present contributions to the Indian economy and its potential to increase it manifolds in the near future.

The event will be inaugurated by the Union Minister for Law and Justice, Communications and Electronics and Information Technology, Ravi Shankar Prasad at 10 am at the local Radison Blue hotel. He will present his views on the economic opportunities and challenges for Bihar and Jharkhand. Home Minister Amit Shah will make the valedictory address incorporating the growth roadmap for these states.

Jharkhand Chief Minister Raghuvar Das will throw light on the contributions made by the state in India’s overall development.

Jharkhand Congress chief Dr. Rameshwar Oraon and former Chief Minister and Jharkhand Mukti Morcha’s (JMM) Working President Hemant Soren will present his views on the need to protect the natural resources–waters, jungles and the land– of the state while pushing it along the developmental path. The tribal societies of the eastern states and their needs and challenges will also be discussed.

The daylong event will also see achievers from different walks of the society, including sports, talk about the eastern state’s appetite to throw up sporting talent, who regularly shine on the national and the international stage.

The event will also see several ordinary men from Jharkhand getting felicitated for their extraordinary deeds. The sons of the soil to be honoured during the event include Dilip Ravidas, head of a Panchayat in Jharkhand’s Hazaribagh district, whose efforts for water conservation won him praise by none other than Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his ‘Man ki Baat’ radio address.

Ravidas says prime minister’s recognition for his campaign for water conservation has energised his entire village where the government buildings, schools and healthcare centres have been drawn into water conservation efforts under the guidance of government officials.

Jharkhand’s Garwah resident Brajesh will be felicitated for scripting a success story out of horticulture against everyone’s advise. His techniques, to be patented soon, have received praise from agriculture scientists and fellow farmers alike. Rameshwar from Ormanjhi block in Ranchi was the leader of a group of villagers, who pooled their resources and labour to construct a check dam to collect water flowing downhill. Rameshwar will also be awarded during the event. National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (Nabard) recognised farmer Hema Devi, a resident of Deoghar district in Jharkhand, who will also be felicitated for adopting modern farming techniques and later teaching fellow women how to successfully transform their lives by forming cooperatives. Ravidas, Rameshwar, Hema Devi and Brajesh will be joined by several others who will be recognised at the event for inspiring entire communities with their enterprise and never say die spirit.

Parliament nod for central rule in J&K, key reservation bill

Source: hindustantimes.com

The government’s approach to managing strife in the state of Jammu and Kashmir will be guided by former prime minister, the late Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s approach of “Jamhooriyat (democracy), Insaniyat (humanity), and Kashmiriyat (the spirit of Kashmir)”, home minister Amit Shah said in the Rajya Sabha on Monday during a discussion on the state. At the end of the debate, the Upper House adopted a resolution to extend President’s Rule in J&K by six months, and passed a bill to ensure 3% reservations in jobs and education for people living near the International Border.

But the velvet glove of Vajpayee’s approach would also include an iron hand, Shah said in the Rajya Sabha, promising a tit-for-tat response to anyone trying to disrupt peace in the state. “They will be given a response in their language.”

In the course of the discussion, Shah added that assembly elections would be held in the state on the Election Commission’s advice and the government would not delay the polls “even by a day.”

During the debate, the leader of Opposition in the House Ghulam Nabi Azad said the government’s zero-tolerance policy didn’t seem to be working as attacks against security forces had spiralled during the last five years. “If you have zero tolerance, how come there have been 16 attacks including Pathankot, Nagrota and Uri,” he asked.

“When it comes to assembly elections, the government is hesitant. You want to run the government without accountability,” Azad added.

During his speech, Shah went on to elaborate on each aspect of his government’s policy regarding the state.

He spoke of the end of Sufi traditions and Kashmiri pandits being driven away from the state. “Were Sufi saints not a part of Kashmiriyat? Were Kashmiri Pandits not a part of Kashmiriyat? If we talk about Kashmiriyat today, we have to think of them too. A time will come when the Pandits and the Sufi saints will offer prayers alongside at the Kheer Bhawani temple,” he said.

He said the concept of Jamhooriyat was not limited to electing MLAs. “For 70 years, 40,000 people who could have become sarpanchs were sitting at home.

We have taken Jamhooriyat to the villages,” he said. He asked the Congress why panchayat and municipal elections were not held before and why democracy in the state be restricted to “just three families”.

Speaking about Insaniyat, he said that under President’s Rule, schools were restarted, bureaucrats ordered to go to villages to take schemes forward, and residents were provided with electricity, toilets and food.

“We want development in the Valley. The Valley is ours and we want people to prosper like the rest of India. But we will not tolerate any separatist movement and terrorism. Terrorists who do not want to join with India have no place in the government’s scheme of things. They will face severe action and difficulties,” he said. Unlike in the past, foreign and defence policies have been segregated keeping national security at the core, he said, while talking of the 2016 surgical strikes and the Balakot strikes. “We want peace with the world but there cannot be peace with those who do not respect our borders,” he said.

Responding to a question from some members on the government’s continued criticism of India’s first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru’s handling of the Kashmir situation, Shah asked why Nehru agreed to ceasefire when a third of Kashmir was with Pakistan, why India went to the United Nations after the instrument of accession was signed, and why a plebiscite was required. “Was it not a mistake? Will we not learn from our mistakes?” If the Kashmir problem has not been solved from 1947 to 2019, surely it is time to go for a new approach, he added.

Azad accused the government of using President’s Rule as a ploy to run the state from New Delhi. “Stop running the government from Delhi. That will be the biggest confidence-building measure,” he said.

Shah dismissed the allegations in his detailed, one-hour long reply to the five-hour discussion on two bills. “We have no drought of governments. We are there in 16 states. We have no desire to rule through the President’s Rule,” the minister said.

Responding to the criticism that if elections could be held for panchayats and Lok Sabha, why couldn’t they be held for the assembly, Shah said security forces had their reservations about being able to provide security to more than 1,000 contestants and had conveyed it to the Election Commission.

The Jammu and Kashmir Reservation (Amendment) Bill, 2019 will allow people living near the International Border to benefit from a 3% reservation that was so far available only to those living along the Line of Control and Line of Actual Control. Shah said this would benefit more than 350,000 people living in 435 villages scattered across the districts of Jammu, Kathua and Sambha.

Former chairman of the National Commission for Minorities and former divisional commissioner of Kashmir Wajahat Habibullah said there was no choice but to extend President’s Rule at this point. He said the people living close to the International Border faced the same vulnerabilities that those near LoC faced and the reservation bill was a good move.

MHA junior Ministers get homes in Lutyens’ Delhi

Source: economictimes.indiatimes.com

New Delhi: After Union home minister Amit Shah was allotted the late prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s Krishna Menon Marg residence in central Delhi, ministers of state Kishan G Reddy and Nityanand Rai, too, have been allocated bungalows in Lutyens’ Delhi.

While Reddy has been allotted 20 Tughlak Crescent Road, presently being occupied by former MoS Jayant Sinha, Rai has been allotted 4 Lodhi Estate where Trinamool Congress MP Dinesh Trivedi is staying, officials told ET.

However, it may take time before they move in because both Sinha and Trivedi have asked for some time to vacate the bungalows, officials said.

Shah is also yet to move into his new bungalow. He is currently staying at his 11Akbar Road and is expected to move after completion of renovation work.

Rai is said to be operating from his residence at MS Flats near RML Hospital while Reddy is staying at Telangana Bhavan.

The home minister had last week allocated all 23 divisions of the ministry except Intelligence Bureau, cabinet matters and issues related to president’s secretariat, to his two deputies, with Reddy getting bulk of the divisions including Jammu and Kashmir, North East and Left-Wing Extremism.

Rai was allocated centrestate division, Police-I that looks after transfer postings of IPS officers, and foreigners’ divisions which is responsible for FCRA licenses of NGOs, among others.

Rai was allocated centrestate division, Police-I that looks after transfer postings of IPS officers, and foreigners’ divisions which is responsible for FCRA licenses of NGOs, among others.

Explaining the rationale behind the allocation, a senior ministry official told ET, “Reddy is senior to Rai in the council of ministers.

This was the prime reason that he has been allocated the major divisions.

This was also the reasons why former MoS (home) Hansraj G Ahir was in-charge of LWE and Kashmir affairs while his colleague Kiren Rijiju had other divisions.”

Shah, who is on a two-day visit to Jammu and Kashmir, is expected to get a detailed presentation of each division of the ministry on his return, officials said. He and his two juniors will be informed about the work performed by each department at the presentation that will start on Friday with centre-state and disaster management divisions and will continue on Saturday, an official said.