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Can Nitish be pivot of Oppn unity in 2024?

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Nitish-Kumar

 Nitish could emerge as the pointsman in the opposition unity if a non-Gandhi is propped up for a joint opposition. The Bihar coup is directly linked with Nitish Kumar’s smartly crafted national ambition without mentioning it from his side, but letting speculation around.

Bihar has 40 Lok Sabha MPs and the joint opposition could get a majority of seats which may also impact the Uttar Pradesh politics. Nitish is a prominent OBC Kurmi, and the community can impact the BJP prospects as they have been key to BJP’s success in Uttar Pradesh. If a Kurmi OBC is propped up then with Yadavas a joint force could be formed to take on the BJP with the help of minorities.

Though the NDA won majorly from Bihar during the Lok Sabha polls in Bihar in 2019, Nitish Kumar’s withering away from the BJP could impact the new political formation.

While Kumar may be silently working for a bigger leap to the Centre, there are others also in the race. Sharad Pawar is one among them. However, the happenings in Maharashtra where his idea of MVA fell out of power, has affected his political pace.

The Congress leaders do not want to comment on the 2024 situation. But they insist that any formulation will be led by the Congress, which is the biggest block in terms of numbers in the Lower House, and the Congress will lead any coalition that will be like the UPA.

Mamata Banerjee too is a contender for the space, but the BJP is trying hard to limit her to West Bengal only, which could hamper her game. She does not have a mass appeal in the Hindi heartland and does not belong to OBC either.

Any division in OBC only can stop BJP in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, which has a combined strength of 120 MPs, and the BJP is quite strong in the region.

Political analysts say that arithmetically it may seem to be good, but the ‘Hindu’ politics is tilted towards the BJP.

The BJP, despite stiff opposition, got a sizeable number of OBC votes and saying that the OBC will shift towards the opposition is very early to predict, say analysts.

Though BJP has rejected this contention, Sushil Modi claimed that Nitish Kumar is aiming to become the Prime Ministerial candidate for the opposition in the 2024 Lok Sabha election and challenge Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The Bihar leader said, “he can’t challenge Narendra Modi. He does not have the capacity to challenge him.”

“For Nitish Kumar, becoming a Prime Minister is a distant dream. BJP will come with a thumping majority in the 2024 Lok Sabha election and Narendra Modi will become the Prime Minister for the third time,” Sushil Modi said.

BJP Rajya Sabha member and his former Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi termed his allegations against the BJP as “lies”.

“Nitish Kumar levelled serious allegations on BJP that the latter was involved in breaking his party. This is an absolute lie which Nitish Kumar and his party’s national President Lalan Singh are claiming. BJP was not involved in breaking the JD(U),” Modi said in his tweet.

He also denied Nitish Kumar’s allegation that the BJP made then JD(U) leader R.C.P. Singh Union Minister without his approval.

“This is also a lie. It was Nitish Kumar who gave the approval to R.C.P. Singh to become a minister in the Narendra Modi government,” Sushil Modi said, alleging that Nitish Kumar was searching for excuses to exit the NDA, and hence, “he took the help of lies and levelled false allegations against the BJP”.

Mumbai Press Exclusive News

Navneet Rana meets Sunitra Pawar… Is BJP preparing to send Navneet to Rajya Sabha from NCP quota, NCP senior leaders are angry

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Sunita Navneet

Mumbai : BJP leader Naveen Rana’s meeting with Nationalist Congress Party president Sunitra Pawar has sparked fresh debate in political circles. There are speculations that the meeting was held to deliberate on the Rajya Sabha seat that fell vacant after Sunitra Pawar resigned as an MP. After Vikram Kakde, who is outside the party, was nominated for the Pune Local Authority constituency of the Legislative Council, preparations are being made to send Naveen Rana, who has now joined the BJP, to the Rajya Sabha, a debate that has angered several senior leaders in the NCP.

Rajya Sabha seat: Chhagan Bhujbal is interested Senior party leader Chhagan Bhujbal is interested in this Rajya Sabha seat. However, after the discussion of Navneet Rana’s name started, an open discussion has started that the influence of MP Partha Pawar’s group on the decision-making process in the party has increased. It is also being said that Praful Patel is not very active in the party after his name was removed from the post of National Executive President. It is also being said that Sunil Tatkre is also angry and the number of angry leaders in the party is increasing. The last date for filing nominations for this Rajya Sabha seat is June 8, so various leaders in the party have started lobbying for this seat and efforts to get nomination are going on rapidly. After all, the focus of political circles is on who will give the party a candidate.

Navneet Rana, who was elected as an independent candidate with the support of the Nationalist Congress Party in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, joined the BJP in 2024. However, there are talks about her political revival after her defeat in the Lok Sabha elections. It is also said that she has recently contacted some senior BJP leaders. However, it is known that she was advised to contact them because the vacant Rajya Sabha seat is in the NCP quota. It is believed that she met Sunita Pawar only after that.

Elections have been announced for 24 vacant Rajya Sabha seats and by-elections. This includes 4-4 from Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat and Karnataka, 3-3 from Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, 2 from Jharkhand and one each from Manipur, Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh and Mizoram. Apart from this, by-elections for one seat each from Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu will also be held on the same day. Voting will be held on June 18 and the results will be announced on the same day. Meanwhile, there is an important development. It is being told that former MP Naveen Rana is trying to get the Rajya Sabha nomination. The Rajya Sabha nomination from the Nationalist Congress Party quota will be announced soon. For this, Naveen Rana met Sunita Pawar and Partha Pawar on Wednesday. Yesterday, Naveen Rana and Ravi Rana also met Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. Therefore, it is being said that an attempt is being made to nominate Navneet Rana on the NCP quota seat. However, will Navneet Rana give up his quota seat for the NCP? This is also a question. So, will this meeting result in Navneet Rana being nominated in place of Sunitra Pawar? This will become clear in the coming days.

Rajya Sabha Seat: Amul Matkari’s social media post is under discussion, Amul Matkari has posted in this regard and said that the vacant Rajya Sabha seat of Smt. Sunitra Vahini belongs only to NCP! No one else should claim this and put up a front. The name of the NCP party is “Ajit Dada”. Therefore, the decision taken by Smt. will be final. This party is a party that is under the sway of Ajit Dada. That’s all for now.

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Crime

CBI court sentences firm partner to three years RI in Rs 4 crore bank fraud case

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Chandigarh, June 5: A Special CBI Court in Mohali, Punjab, has convicted and sentenced Samir Dua, a partner of M/s G.D. Ispat Udyog, Mandi Gobindgarh, to three years of rigorous imprisonment (RI) along with a fine of Rs 15,000 in connection with a multi-crore bank fraud case, an official statement said on Friday.

The sentence was pronounced on June 4, following the conclusion of trial proceedings in the case investigated by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

According to the CBI, the case was registered against Dalip Dua and Samir Dua, partners of M/s G.D. Ispat Udyog, along with other accused, for allegedly entering into a criminal conspiracy to defraud Indian Overseas Bank’s Mandi Gobindgarh branch in Punjab.

The investigation revealed that the accused had fraudulently secured a cash credit limit of Rs 4 crore from the bank by submitting false and fabricated information and documents.

The loan facility was allegedly obtained through misrepresentation, causing a wrongful loss to the bank and corresponding unlawful gain to the accused, the agency said.

Following a detailed investigation, the CBI filed a charge sheet against the accused persons before the competent court. During the trial, the prosecution presented evidence establishing the fraudulent nature of the transactions and the conspiracy behind obtaining the credit facility.

After examining the evidence and hearing the arguments, the Special CBI Court found Samir Dua guilty and sentenced him to three years of rigorous imprisonment. The court also imposed a monetary penalty of Rs 15,000.

Proceedings against co-accused Dalip Dua were abated due to his death during the pendency of the case.

The conviction marks the culmination of the CBI’s investigation into the bank fraud, underscoring the agency’s efforts to prosecute financial crimes and hold those responsible for defrauding public sector banks accountable.

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National News

Rahul Gandhi, Kharge condole loss of lives in Malviya Nagar blaze; ask Cong workers to extend help

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New Delhi, June 3: Congress leaders, including party President Mallikarjun Kharge, Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition (LoP) Rahul Gandhi and party MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, on Wednesday, expressed grief over the 20 lives lost in the tragic Delhi fire, calling the tragedy “extremely heartbreaking”. They also appealed to Congress leaders and workers to extend every possible help and support to the victims injured in the blaze and the families of the deceased.

At least 20 people were killed, and dozens were injured after a massive fire broke out at the multi-storied Lemon Green Restaurant in Malviya Nagar on Wednesday morning, officials said.

So far, 37 people were rescued and taken to the hospital, while a search for others is underway, officials added.

Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge said he was “deeply saddened” by the news.

“My heartfelt condolences to the families who lost their loved ones and prayers for the speedy recovery of the injured,” he said in a post on X.

He urged the Delhi government and authorities to provide adequate and timely compensation, “including prompt medical care to the victims”.

“I urge Congress workers to extend every possible help and support to the victims in this difficult time,” he added.

LoP Rahul Gandhi called the incident “extremely heartbreaking.”

Taking to X, he said: “I express my deepest condolences to all the bereaved families. I urge all Congress workers to contribute in every possible way to the relief and rescue operations.”

“I hope for the swift recovery of the injured,” Rahul Gandhi mentioned.

Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra echoed: “The news of the deaths of a large number of people and injuries to nearly three dozen or more due to a fire in a hotel in Malviya Nagar, Delhi, is extremely heartbreaking.”

“May God grant peace to the departed souls. My deepest condolences to the bereaved families. I pray for the swift recovery of the injured,” she wrote in a post on X.

She, too, appealed to Congress leaders and workers to extend their support to the affected people as much as possible.

Senior officials from Delhi Police, Delhi Fire Services and rescue services are present at the scene of the tragedy and were monitoring the situation.

Upon receiving information, ten fire tenders were immediately dispatched to the scene. The fire was soon brought under control. However, the damage was extensive.

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