Row Over Relocation Of Parliament's Gandhi, Ambedkar, Shivaji Statues

The members of the 18h Lok Sabha, when they take oath, will do so at a rather different looking Parliament complex. Not only the iconic statues of Mahatma Gandhi, Babasaheb Ambedkar and Chhatrapati Shivaji will no longer be found at their designated spots, the parliament security personnel at the complex will be replaced by the Central Industrial Security Forces. While the first change has raised eyebrows, especially in the Congress, the second has raised concerns about security.

The statues will be moved to a new spot towards the back of the parliament complex, called Prerna Sthal, the Lok Sabha Secretariat has said in a statement.

Announcing a plan to landscape the Parliament grounds, the Lok Sabha Secretariat, in a statement, said: "In the Parliament Complex, statues of great leaders and freedom fighters of the country were installed at different parts of the Complex. Due to their location at different places in the Parliament Complex, visitors were not able to view these statues conveniently. For this reason, all these statues are being respectfully installed in a grand Prerana Sthal in the Parliament House Complex itself."

"This Prerana Sthal is being developed in such a way that the visitors coming to visit the Parliament complex could easily see the statues of these great leaders and take inspiration from their lives and philosophy," the statement read.

Protests By Opposition

Newly elected MP from Amethi, KL Sharma, posted the photos of the removal and the denuded spots.

"The statues of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, Mahatma Gandhi and Babasaheb Ambedkar have been removed from their special places in front of the Parliament House. This is a very cheap and petty act," read a translation of his post in Hindi.

संसद भवन के सामने छत्रपति शिवाजी महाराज, महात्मा गांधी जी और बाबासाहेब अंबेडकर जी की मूर्तियों को उनके विशिष्ट स्थानों से हटा दिया गया है। यह बेहद घटिया और ओछी हरकत है।
# pic.twitter.com/QqAu7GPNu1

— Team Kishori Lal Sharma Amethi (@KLSharmaAmethi) June 6, 2024

The 16-ft tall bronze statue of Mahatma Gandhi had become iconic, with Opposition MPs choosing it as a protest spot for years.

Protesting against the move, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh, in a post on X, said, "Statues of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, Mahatma Gandhi, and Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar have just been removed from their places of prominence in front of the Parliament House. This is atrocious."

Senior Congress leader Pawan Khera alleged that the statues of Shivaji and Ambedkar were removed because Maharashtra did not vote for the BJP. As they did not get a clean sweep in Gujarat, they removed the statue of Mahatma Gandhi. "Just think, if they had been given 400 seats, would they have spared the Constitution?" read a rough translation of his Hindi post on X, formerly Twitter.

CPI's D Raja also condemned the move, calling it "arbitrary and unilateral". "All statues in the Parliament House are erected in the honour of individuals who significantly contributed to our national life," read his post on X.

Lok Sabha Secretariat Responds

The Lok Sabha Secretariat has pointed out that the Parliament House complex comes under the jurisdiction of the Lok Sabha Speaker and earlier also, statues were shifted inside the complex with the permission of the Speaker.

"It is clear that no statue of any great person has been removed from the Parliament House complex, rather they are being installed in an orderly and respectful manner inside the Parliament House complex," the statement read.

The Opposition has questioned the haste when a new Speaker is about to take charge.

Congress's Manickam Tagore, meanwhile said the move to replace parliament security personnel is  an "attack on parliament's autonomy" and called for the constitution of a joint security committee.

"Shah wants to control Parliament with CISF jawans. 450 parliamentary security personnel are being relieved of their duties during the elections. The first task of the new Speaker should be to constitute a joint security committee otherwise, we may see future incidents like Chandigarh airport," he added, pointing to the slapping of new MP Kangana Ranaut by a CISF constable at the Chandigarh airport earlier today.

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Rahul Gandhi Conspiring To Scare Domestic, Foreign Investors: BJP

The BJP on Thursday accused Congress leader Rahul Gandhi of conspiring to scare domestic and foreign investors, asserting that the stock market has begun rising as the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government is set to return to office for a third consecutive term.

Addressing a press conference after Mr Gandhi alleged a "biggest stock market scam" worth Rs 30 lakh crore and pointed fingers at Prime Minister Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah, Union Minister Piyush Goyal claimed that domestic investors in fact made money while the loss was suffered by foreign investors.

The BJP leader also dismissed as baseless Mr Gandhi's demand for a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) probe into the matter, saying he keeps making useless comments.

Mr Goyal said the Rs 30 lakh crore figure highlighted by Mr Gandhi was a notional amount and did not pertain to trading.

"He (Gandhi) does not understand. That is why people of India do not trust him," Mr Goyal said, citing the big rise in stock market under the BJP government to assert that retail and domestic investors benefitted the most.

"I think Rahul Gandhi should be concerned about the fear of investors as the market crashed when the Congress was doing better than expected. Now, people are confident that the Modi government is coming back, and the market has stabilised and is reclaiming its previous highs," he said.

The trading value was around Rs 6,840 crore, Mr Goyal said and added that when the Congress was seen gaining in seats on the day of the Lok Sabha poll result on June 4, then it fell.

The minister expressed confidence that the reforms envisioned by the government will continue at a time when the country is poised for a bright future. "We are delighted that our allies are progressive and support reforms," Mr Goyal said.

They know what is good for the people of India and that the Modi government has taken the country to new heights, he added.

Rahul Gandhi said stock markets surged after "fake" exit polls and then crashed the day votes for the Lok Sabha polls were counted on June 4.

"The common people of India lost Rs 30 lakh crore in the stock market on June 4...We demand a JPC investigation into this biggest-ever stock market scam," Mr Gandhi said.

Rebutting the allegations, Mr Goyal said Mr Gandhi was desperate after the opposition alliance failed in its bid for power and Modi is set to start his third term.

He is now hatching a conspiracy to scare domestic and foreign investors from putting their money in India when the prime minister is working to make the country the third largest global economy, Mr Goyal said.

When the exit polls were broadcast, it was foreign investors who bought expensive stocks while domestic investors sold. When the market crashed, it was the other way round, he claimed to assert that domestic investors made money.

It is in the nature of markets to go up and down due to various factors and one has to take a long-term view to see how it has performed, Mr Goyal said, noting that its valuation has crossed USD 5 trillion for the first time.

The market cap has now risen to Rs 415 lakh crore from Rs 67 lakh crore when the Congress-led UPA government demitted office in 2014, he said, adding that the valuation of listed public sector firms has gone up by four times.

The share of domestic investors in the market has gone up to 84 per cent from 79 per cent in 10 years and this shows that they are the ones who have benefitted the most under the BJP-led NDA government, he said.

The size of the mutual fund industry has surged to Rs 56 lakh crore from Rs 10 lakh crore in this period, Mr Goyal added. The Modi government is coming back and investors have trust in India's growth story, he said.

Questioned about the comments of Prime Minister Modi and Shah on the stock market movement, Mr Goyal said every party makes claims about its success and the Congress also did so. 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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Tension In Manipur's Jiribam After 59-Year-Old Man Killed By Militants

There is ethnic tension in Manipur's Jiribam district after the body of a 59-year-old was found today, the police said. The police said they suspect he was killed by militants.

Soibam Saratkumar Singh went missing while he was returning from his farm, the police said, adding the body had wounds inflicted by a sharp object.

Angered by the killing, locals set an abandoned structure on fire, the police said.

They marched to Jiribam police station and shouted slogans there, demanding the police to return their licenced guns that were taken away ahead of the Lok Sabha election, which were to be returned after the polls.

Jiribam - which has a diverse ethnic composition comprising Meiteis, Muslims, Nagas, Kukis, and non-Manipuris - had so far remained unaffected by the ethnic strife which has been raging in Manipur since May last year.

The ethnic conflict between valley-dominant Meitei community and the hills-dominant Kukis has led to the deaths of over 220 people and left thousands homeless.

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3 Get 20 Years In Jail For Kidnapping, Raping Minor In 2021 In Rajasthan

A POCSO court here sent three people to 20 years in jail for abducting, trafficking and raping a 15-year-old girl, officials said on Thursday.

The court further imposed a fine of Rs 2.25 lakh on the convicts Ashok alias Sukka (25), his wife Anita (27) and Ganwar Singh alias Ganwaria (20).

According to police, the incident occurred on July 21, 2021, when Ashok and Anita abducted the victim from a village in Kota while she was playing at her home. They tempted the victim with marriage proposals in future.

When the victim did not return home for a few days, her mother filed a complaint at the Railway Colony police station, Public Prosecutor, POCSO court Vijay Kachawa said.

Both Ashok and Anita had befriended the victim's family and even gave them Rs 5,000 for her father's treatment, Kachawa said.

The couple took the girl to their village in Ratlam in Madhya Pradesh where they sold her for Rs 50,000 to Ganwar Singh alias Ganwaria, who raped the girl, he said.

Acting on the victim's mother's complaint, the police traced the accused and arrested them on August 19, 2021, he said.

Based on the victim's statement, the police filed a case against three accused under the charges of abduction, conspiracy and rape of the Indian Penal Code and sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO), Kachawa said.

Statements of at least 18 witnesses were recorded during the trial, and 36 documents were produced before the court, he added.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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कांग्रेस कार्यालय पहुंची मुस्लिम महिलाएं, कहा- कब होंगे हमारे वादे पूरे

कांग्रेस के लखनऊ स्थित कार्यालय में बुधवार को अचानक बड़ी संख्या में मुस्लिम समुदाय की महिलाएं पहुंच गईं. उन्होंने कहा कि अब राहुल गांधी उनके वादों को पूरा करेंगे, वो चुनाव जीत गए हैं. एक नहीं, बल्कि दो-दो सीटों पर वो जीत का परचम लहराने में सफल रहे, जो कि हर तरह से प्रशंसनीय है.

कांग्रेस कार्यालय पहुंची जुबैदा नाम की एक महिला ने आईएएनएस से कहा, “अब तो कांग्रेस की सरकार बनने जा रही है. अब राहुल गांधी ने हमसे जो वादे किए हैं, उसे पूरा करेंगे. उन्होंने चुनाव में कहा था कि वो महिलाओं के खाते में प्रतिमाह 8500 रुपए डालेंगे. हम उनके इसी वादे को देखते हुए कार्यालय आए हैं. इस योजना का लाभ पाने के लिए हम जैसी कुछ अन्य महिलाएं एक फॉर्म भरकर कल सुबह तक भेज देंगे.“

जुबैदा ने कहा, “पहले तो मुझे कांग्रेस कार्यालय में जाने नहीं दिया जा रहा था, लेकिन बाद मैं भी जिद पर अड़ गई. इसके बाद मुझे आने दिया गया. वहीं, हमें बहुत खुशी है कि राहुल गांधी और अखिलेश यादव चुनाव जीत गए हैं.“

वहीं, कांग्रेस कार्यालय पहुंची एक अन्य महिला ने आईएएनएस से बातचीत में कहा, “राहुल गांधी हमारी मांगों को पूरा करेंगे. हमें पूरा विश्वास है कि जो वादे उन्होंने चुनाव प्रचार में किए थे, वो अब पूरा करेंगे.“

उधर, एक अन्य महिला ने आईएएनएस से बातचीत में कहा, “हम कांग्रेस कार्यालय गए, लेकिन हमें अंदर नहीं जाने दिया जा रहा है. हमें भ्रमित किया जा रहा है. कोई कह रहा है कि आप इतने बजे आओ, तो कोई कह रहा है कि आप इतने बजे आओ. हमें इस तरह से परेशान किया जा रहा है. कड़ी धूप में हम कांग्रेस कार्यालय के चक्कर काट रहे हैं, लेकिन हमें पूरा विश्वास है कि हमारी मांगों को पूरा किया जाएगा और जो वादे कांग्रेस की ओर से किए गए थे, उसे पूरा किया जाएगा.“

वहीं, कांग्रेस नेता सी पी राय ने आईएएनएस से बातचीत में इंडिया गठबंधन की बैठक पर भी अपनी बात रखी.

उन्होंने कहा, “जब चुनाव संपन्न होते हैं, तो जो भी गठबंधन या पार्टी चुनाव लड़ती है, वो आगे की रणनीति तैयार करने के लिए बैठक करती है. इस बार मुख्य रूप से दो गठबंधन चुनाव लड़े. एक बीजेपी के नेतृत्व में और दूसरा कांग्रेस के नेतृत्व में. दोनों ही गठबंधनों की आज बैठक है. आमतौर पर जब गठबंधन होता है, तो उसमें कई दल शामिल होते हैं. किसी भी नतीजे पर पहुंचने के लिए सभी की सहमति जरूरी होती है. ऐसी स्थिति में आप अकेले निर्णय नहीं ले सकते. आपको अपने साथी दलों के हितों का भी ध्यान रखना होता है. ऐसे में कई दफा स्थिति चुनौतीपूर्ण हो जाती है.“

उन्होंने आगे कहा, “निश्चित तौर पर हमने जब चुनाव लड़े तो आगे सरकार बनाने की दिशा में भी कदम उठाएंगे. चुनाव लड़ने से पहले हमने जनता के बीच कुछ वादे किए थे. ऐसी स्थिति में इन वादों को पूरा करना हमारी नैतिक जिम्मेदारी है.“

कांग्रेस प्रवक्ता ने कहा, “इस बीच, हमें खबर मिली है कि कुछ महिलाएं कांग्रेस दफ्तर पहुंच गई. उन्हें शायद किसी ने बता दिया कि सरकार बन गई है. लेकिन अभी तक सरकार बनी नहीं है. हम विश्वास दिलाते हैं कि जैसे ही हमारी सरकार बनेगी, हम महिलाओं से किए गए वादों को पूरा करेंगे और जनता के हित में कदम उठाएंगे. पार्टी की विश्वसनीयता है. लोगों को हम पर विश्वास है कि पार्टी जो भी निर्णय लेती है, उसे पूरा करके दम लेती है.“

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Ex-Chief Ministers, Actors Among 280 First-Term MPs In 18th Lok Sabha

Former Chief Ministers, film stars, political activists, and a former High Court judge are among the 280 first-term members of the Lok Sabha.

Uttar Pradesh, the largest state that sends 80 members to the Lok Sabha, elected 45 first-term members to the Lower House, which include actor Arun Govil, who played Lord Ram on TV, from Meerut, Congress leader Kishori Lal Sharma, who defeated BJP's Smriti Irani in Amethi, and Dalit rights activist Chandrashekhar Azad of the Azad Samaj Party from Nagina.

Maharashtra, where the BJP faced electoral reverses, elected 33 first-term Lok Sabha members, including school teacher Bhaskar Bhagre, fielded by Sharad Pawar's NCP from the tribal seat of Dindori. He defeated BJP leader Bharti Pawar.

Also among first-term members from Maharashtra are BJP's Piyush Goyal, elected from Mumbai North, Congress leader Balwant Wankhede, who defeated BJP's Navneet Rana in Amravati, BJP's Anup Dhotre, the son of former Union Minister Sanjay Dhotre, from Akola, and Independent member Vishal Patil from Sangli.

Former Chief Ministers Narayan Rane (Ratnagiri-Sindhudurg), Trivendra Singh Rawat (Haridwar), Manohar Lal (Karnal), Biplab Kumar Deb (Tripura West), Jitan Ram Manjhi (Gaya), Basavraj Bommai (Haveri), Jagdish Shettar (Belgaum), Charanjit Singh Channi (Jalandhar) are among the first-term members of the Lok Sabha.

Suresh Gopi (Thrissur) and Kangana Ranaut (Mandi) are the actors who will enter the Lok Sabha for the first time.

Rajya Sabha members Anil Desai (Shiv Sena UBT), Bhupendra Yadav, Dharmendra Pradhan, Mansukh Mandaviya, and Parshottam Rupala have also made their maiden entry into the Lok Sabha.

Members of the erstwhile royal families - Chhatrapati Shahu (Kolhapur), Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar (Mysore), and Kriti Devi Debbarman (Tripura East) - will enter Parliament for the first time.

Former Kolkata High Court judge Abhijit Gangopadhyay, who won the Talmuk Lok Sabha seat in Bengal, is also a first-time MP.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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BJP Nominee Rodmal Nagar Defeats Digvijaya Singh In Rajgarh

In a major upset, Congress veteran and former Madhya Pradesh chief minister Digvijaya Singh on Tuesday lost Lok Sabha elections from his traditional Rajgarh seat to the BJP by a margin of 1,46,089 votes.

BJP candidate and sitting MP Rodmal Nagar bagged 7,58,743 votes, while Singh, his nearest rival, got 6,12,654 votes, as per EC data.

Nagar won from Rajgarh for the third time in a row. He was the winner in 2014 and 2019 also.

Singh (77), who represented Rajgarh in the Lok Sabha in 1984 and 1991, contested from the seat after a long gap.

Later, his brother Laxman Singh won from Rajgarh four times on a Congress ticket and once from the BJP side.

The former CM belongs to the erstwhile Raghogarh princely state which is part of the Rajgarh Lok Sabha constituency. 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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