Akhilesh releases SP manifesto; Mulayam, Shivpal give a miss

January 22, 2017

Lucknow, Jan 22: Ruling Samajwadi Party today released its manifesto for Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections promising a bunch of schemes for all round development of the state at a function which SP patron Mulayam Singh Yadav and his brother Shivpal gave a miss.

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With an eye on development, Akhilesh riding on the crest of "kaam bolta hai" (work speaks) slogan, announced schemes which prioritise development of the state.

The manifesto announced distribution of laptops, Kanya Vidya Dhan, Samajwadi Pension, laying of Purvanchal Expressway, and establishing Janeshwar Mishra model villages besides improving helplines for police and women.

He said the model villages in the name of Janeshwar Mishra would be a tribute to the Samajwadi leader on his death anniversary today.

The Chief Minister, in his new role as the Samajwadi Party national president, directed all candidates to prepare a road map for development of their respective Assembly constituencies.

A highlight of the manifesto was Samajwadi Kisan Kosh for farmers to purchase seeds and fertilisers, perhaps to match the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Bima Yojana.

As Mulayam and Shivpal, the warring uncle of Akhilesh, were conspicuous by their absence, senior SP leader Azam Khan rushed to the SP patriarch's bungalow to bring him to the event. But even then Mulayam did not grace the occasion where senior party leaders and Dimple Yadav, MP and wife of the chief minister were present.

In an impassioned appeal to the electorate to vote SP back to power, Akhilesh said, "We got support on 2012 manifesto, we also fulfilled promises made in it."

"The manifesto is a 'sankalp' (promise) to form future government. It's clear that we all want to form Samajwadi Party government. If you work for 5 years, you will get government of five years," he said.

The chief minister asked party workers to go to the masses and make them aware of the schemes implemented by his government during the past five years.

"A lot of work has been done in a big way. We have to work more in future. I tried for the past five years not to leave path of socialism and also ensure balanced development to improve rural economics," he said.

Akhilesh also ridiculed his political opponents, saying, "Some parties are there who have nothing to do."

He slammed BJP for its Lok Sabha poll promises and asked what happed to its 'Sab ka saath, sab ka vikas' slogan.

"People are desperately looking for those who had promised acche din," he said.
In a veiled attack on Prime Minsiter Narendra Modi, he said BJP has nothing to speak on development. "They sometimes give you 'jhadu' (broom) or ask you to perform yoga," he said.

He also took on BSP, claiming that the 'Patthar Wali Sarkar' has done nothing for UP except erecting stone statues of elephants, its poll symbol.

"If BSP comes to power, its government will install bigger elephant statues," he alleged.
The 32-page SP manifesto promises 24 hour power supply to villages and effective dial 100 so that police reaches within 10-15 minutes.

"In days to come, the government will move one step forward and ensure better connect with people. Samajwadi smartphone scheme is one effort," Akhilesh said, adding that already 1.40 crore registrations have been made for the same.

He said Samajawdi Party pension will benefit one crore people and Rs 1000 pension would be given to each one of them.

With an eye on the rural areas, he announced welfare schemes for labourers and added that poor women will be given pressure cookers.

The manifesto promised setting up of hostels for working women, mid-day meal for farm workers, free medical treatment to the poor and an end to 'inspector raj'.

It promised expansion of metro rail in Kanpur, Agra and Meerut. It also promised air ambulance at Lucknow, ambulance for animals, free treatment to those with Rs 1.5 lakh annual income and one litre ghee a month to improve the health of malnourished children.

Akhilesh exuded confidence that his party will sweep 300 of the 403 seats, up from 224 it had won in 2017.

Referring to his dream project, Lucknow-Agra expressway, he said it has reduced the travel time considerably.

"Those who have travelled know it the best," he said.

"If given chance, it (expressway) will reach Ghazipur and Ballia," he said.

The SP manifesto also promised setting up of 'mandi' (market) and skill develoment centres in rural areas to give a boost to the state's economy.

He said while SP was anxious for the state's development, BSP was preoccupied with bigger statues of elephants to surpass the huge statue of Janeshwar Mishra here or Shivaji statue in Maharashtra.

In an apparent reference to the ups and downs in the state politics, he turned philosophical and said, "Hame jaise jaise din dekhe the dekh liye, bahut kam samay mein...acche bure kharab sab dekh liye...

"Please tell me what is acche din...what is your definition of acchey din...many times attempts were made to vitiate the atmosphere in the state...trust me again and let us form government. Balanced development will be carried forward...," he said.

Earlier, addressing workers, party leader Ahmad Hasan termed BSP surpemo as "anti-Muslim", claiming that in her regime "there were no muslim DMs in any of 75 districts. Even an eligible Muslim officer was not made Chief Secretary."

"She had sought vote for Modi in Gujarat and you all should be aware of it," he said.
"In past five years, SP government has fulfilled all promises it made in its 2012 manifesto.

Akhilesh had faced challenges, both political and governance. But, we salute him for his initiatives. Everyone in the state trusts him," he said.

Hasan alleged that Mayawati had made a "record in corruption" and National Rural Health Mission scam alone was to the tune of over Rs 5,000 crore.

Party vice president Kironmay Nanda said this Assembly elections is crucial and SP will form government for the second time.

"There is no alternative to SP. In 2012, the state was backward and election was fought on the face of 'netaji' (Mulayam). We implemented all the schemes promised by us. UP will become Uttam Pradesh in our next regime," Nanda said.

New slogans like "Jiska UP, Uska Desh; Bachcha Bachcha Akhilesh" (Country belongs to that party which rules UP, it is Akhilesh all over).

Akhilesh's wife Dimple attended the manifesto release function for the first time and posed with him donning the bright red SP cap.

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March 16,2024

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New Delhi: The 2024 general election for 543 Lok Sabha seats will be held in seven phases from April 19, Chief Election Commissioner Rajeev Kumar said today, announcing the largest democratic exercise in the world. Results will be announced on June 4.

The seven phases: 
April 19
April 26
May 7
May 13
May 20
May 25
June 1

Simultaneous election for Lok Sabha and assembly will be held in four states -- Sikkim, Odisha, Arunachal Pradesh and Andhra.  

By-elections will also be held for 26 assembly seats across multiple states, including Bihar, Gujarat, Haryana, Jharkhand, Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Tamil Nadu.

Mr Kumar, announcing the dates, sent out a strong message on fake news on social media, saying political parties should ensure responsible social media behaviour -- "verify before you amplify".

"Fake news will be dealt with severely as per existent laws.. Section 79 (3)(B) of the IT Act empowers nodal officers in each state to remove unlawful content," he said.

The other strong message was on violation of model code in terms of hate speeches. "There should be issue-based campaign, no hate speeches, no speeches along caste or religious lines, no criticism of anyone's personal lives," he said.

The media must clarify when they carry political adverts, those cannot masquerade as news, he said. Individual messages regarding this would be sent to the candidates, he added.

The commission has employed 2,100 advisors to keep an eye on these issues and strong action will be taken regarding this, he said.

Voters above the age of 85 years and persons with disabilities, with 40 per cent disability can vote from home, Mr Kumar said. Around 82 lakh voter are above the age of 85, he said.

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News Network
March 27,2024

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New Delhi, Mar 27: The government has objected strongly to remarks by a US State Department spokesperson on Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's arrest last week in connection with the alleged liquor policy scam.

The External Affairs Ministry summoned Gloria Berbena, the US' Acting Deputy Chief of Mission, to a 40-minute meet at its office in Delhi on Wednesday afternoon. In a brief statement released shortly afterwards, the MEA warned of "unhealthy precedents and against "unwarranted aspersions".

"States are expected to be respectful of the sovereignty and internal affairs of others, and this responsibility is even more so in case of fellow democracies. It could otherwise end up setting unhealthy precedents," the External Affairs Ministry said.

"India's legal processes are based on an independent judiciary which is committed to objective and timely outcomes. Casting aspersions on that is unwarranted," the statement stressed.

On Tuesday the US State Department said it is monitoring reports of Mr Kejriwal's arrest, and called on New Delhi to ensure "a fair and timely legal process" for the jailed Aam Aadmi Party leader.

The US State Department's comments came, in turn, days after Germany's Foreign Office stressed that Mr Kejriwal, like any other Indian citizen facing charges, is entitled to a fair and impartial trial.

The Indian government reacted strongly to the comment, summoning the German envoy and labelling the Foreign Office spokesperson's remark "blatant interference in internal matters".

"We see such remarks as interfering in our judicial process and undermining the independence of our judiciary," the External Affairs Ministry said, "Biased assumptions are most unwarranted."

Asked about India's protest to Germany, the State Department spokesperson told Reuters, "We refer you to the German Foreign Ministry for comment on their discussions with the Indian government."

Earlier this month the Modi government also took exception to comments by its counterpart on the changes to the citizenship law, calling them out as "misplaced, misinformed, and unwarranted".

Arvind Kejriwal was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate last week in connection with the alleged liquor policy scam that has roiled his AAP and provoked furious protests from the opposition ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha election. Mr Kejriwal was this week sent to jail till March 28.

The Enforcement Directorate believes the now-scrapped liquor policy provided an impossibly high profit margin of 185 per cent for retailers and 12 per cent for wholesalers. Of the latter, six per cent - over ₹ 600 crore - were bribes and the money was allegedly used to fund the AAP's poll campaigns.

The ED has labelled the Chief Minister as a key conspirator in this case, but Mr Kejriwal and party colleagues arrested in this matter - ex-Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh, and former Health Minister Satyendar Jain - have all denied the charges.

The AAP and the opposition have hit out at the BJP-led central government for using central agencies, like the ED, to target rivals and critics before the general election. The AAP has criticised Mr Kejriwal's arrest on grounds it was timed to interfere with his plans to campaign for the party.

The BJP has dismissed claims it uses central agencies as described by the opposition.

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News Network
March 28,2024

New Delhi: After India summoned an American diplomat over their remarks on the arrest of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in the liquor policy case, the US reiterated on Wednesday its call for "fair, transparent, timely legal processes".

We continue to follow these actions closely, including the arrest of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, said US State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller while responding to questions on India summoning Gloria Berbena, the US Acting Deputy Chief of Mission in New Delhi.

The meeting at the foreign ministry's South Block office lasted nearly 40 minutes yesterday with India objecting strongly to the US remarks on the arrest of Mr Kejriwal.

Miller also responded to a question on the Congress party's frozen bank accounts, saying, "We are also aware of the Congress party's allegations that tax authorities have frozen some of their bank accounts in a manner that will make it challenging to effectively campaign in the upcoming elections."

He said the US encourages "fair, transparent and timely legal processes" for each of these issues.

"With respect to your first question, I'm not going to talk about any private diplomatic conversations, but of course, what we have said publicly is what I just said from here, that we encourage fair, transparent, timely legal processes. We don't think anyone should object to that," he said.

Mr Kejriwal was arrested last week by the Enforcement Directorate (ED), the third Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader after Manish Sisodia and Sanjay Singh to be taken into custody in connection with the alleged liquor policy scam.

The US State Department on Tuesday said it is monitoring reports of Mr Kejriwal's arrest and called on New Delhi to ensure "a fair and timely legal process" for the jailed Chief Minister.

India objected to it and warned of "unhealthy precedents".

"States are expected to be respectful of the sovereignty and internal affairs of others, and this responsibility is even more so in case of fellow democracies. It could otherwise end up setting unhealthy precedents," the foreign ministry said.

"India's legal processes are based on an independent judiciary which is committed to objective and timely outcomes. Casting aspersions on that is unwarranted," the ministry stressed.

The US remarks came days after Germany's Foreign Office stressed that Mr Kejriwal is entitled to a fair and impartial trial. The Indian government had reacted strongly and summoned the German envoy, labelling their remark "blatant interference in internal matters".

The excise policy was introduced to bring an overhaul to the liquor business in Delhi, but was scrapped after Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena ordered a probe into the alleged irregularities in the policy. The ED believes the bribe money from the policy was allegedly used for funding the AAP's election campaigns. It has also called Mr Kejriwal a "conspirator" in the case.

His arrest just ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha election has also prompted furious protests from the opposition camp.

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