Modi conspiring with Gujarat Police to harass me: Pravin Togadia

News Network

January 18, 2018

Vishwa Hindu Parishad international president Pravin Togadia, who had extended complete support to Narendra Modi during 2002 Gujarat genocide, has now accused the latter of of conspiring with the Ahmedabad Crime Branch to harass the former and his supporters!

“J K Bhatt (Ahmedabad Joint Commissioner, Crime Branch) has begun hatching a conspiracy against me and harassing our nationalist workers at the behest of political bosses in Delhia. In the last 15 days, how many times has Bhatt spoken with the PM (Modi)? Their call details must be made public,” Togadia told reporters in Ahmedabad after his discharge from a private hospital in the evening.

Togadia, who was once known to be close to Modi, was referring to Bhatt’s press conference on Tuesdaywhere he presented police investigation details to show that the VHP leader’s story - that he had fallen unconscious and was admitted to a private hospital -- was all made-up.

The VHP leader had gone “missing” on Monday and emerged from a private hospital some 10 hours later in a reportedly unconscious state as his sugar levels fell drastically.

Togadia had claimed that a team of the Rajasthan Police had come for him in a shut 10-year-old case, though there was no instruction from chief minister Vasundhara Raje or state Home Minister Gulabchand Kataria for this.

He had claimed there was a conspiracy to kill him and this was hatched jointly by the Crime Branch and the Rajasthan Police. “I have received communication from Rajasthan that the case in which I was supposed to be arrested was withdrawn in 2015. Then under whose instructions and who had come to arrest me? It appears Bhatt is acting under influence of political bosses in Delhi,” he said.

Togadia, who went on to call Modi his “old friend”, urged him not to take steps that would lead to killing of democracy. “Is this a crime branch or conspiracy branch? I have called my lawyer and shall initiate legal action against Crime Branch,” he said.

“This Crime Branch is also releasing selective videos to television channels to sully my image. I want to tell the country that similar video of Sanjay Joshi in 2005 was made here. I shall reveal the names at an appropriate time.” He was referring to the leak of a video of his whereabouts on Monday showing him in fine fettle.

Bhatt of the Crime Branch has stated that Togadia was hale and hearty when he called in an ambulance van to admit him in the private hospital and was not missing at all. Bhatt on Tuesday presented to the media a blow-by-blow account of where the VHP leader went during the day and how he managed to get himself admitted in a private hospital though nothing had happened to him.

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Over 58 lakh names dropped from draft voter list in Bengal ahead of polls

News Network

December 16,2025

The deletion of over 58 lakh names from West Bengal’s draft electoral rolls following a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) has sparked widespread concern and is likely to deepen political tensions in the poll-bound state.

According to the Election Commission, the revision exercise has identified 24 lakh voters as deceased, 19 lakh as relocated, 12 lakh as missing, and 1.3 lakh as duplicate entries. The draft list, published after the completion of the first phase of SIR, aims to remove errors and duplication from the electoral rolls.

However, the scale of deletions has raised fears that a large number of eligible voters may have been wrongly excluded. The Election Commission has said that individuals whose names are missing can file objections and seek corrections. The final voter list is scheduled to be published in February next year, after which the Assembly election announcement is expected. Notably, the last Special Intensive Revision in Bengal was conducted in 2002.

The development has intensified the political row over the SIR process. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and her Trinamool Congress have strongly opposed the exercise, accusing the Centre and the Election Commission of attempting to disenfranchise lakhs of voters ahead of the elections.

Addressing a rally in Krishnanagar earlier this month, Banerjee urged people to protest if their names were removed from the voter list, alleging intimidation during elections and warning of serious consequences if voting rights were taken away.

The BJP, meanwhile, has defended the revision and accused the Trinamool Congress of politicising the issue to protect what it claims is an illegal voter base. Leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari alleged that the ruling party fears losing power due to the removal of deceased, fake, and illegal voters.

The controversy comes amid earlier allegations by the Trinamool Congress that excessive work pressure during the SIR led to the deaths by suicide of some Booth Level Officers (BLOs), for which the party blamed the Election Commission. With the draft list now out, another round of political confrontation appears imminent.

As objections begin to be filed, the focus will be on whether the correction mechanism is accessible, transparent, and timely—critical factors in ensuring that no eligible voter is denied their democratic right ahead of a crucial election.

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