Dehradun Dec 21 PTI Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami hit out at the Congress on Tuesday for calling General Bipin Rawat a streetside hooligan when he was alive and using his cut-outs at its rallies now for electoral gainsHow can we forget that the party that put up General Rawats big cut-outs at its rally in Dehradun had called him a streetside hooligan when he was alive The party should be ashamed of itself Dhami said addressing a programme organised by the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha BJYM the youth wing of the ruling BJP at Shrinagar in Pauri districtThe countrys first Chief of Defence Staff General Rawat who was killed along with his wife and 12 others in a tragic helicopter crash in Tamil Nadu recently was originally from a village in Pauri districtDhami said all the political parties which were not seen for four-and-a-half years have become visible with elections round the cornerThey are back just for votes They have nothing to do with the people of the state They just want to quench their thirst for power As far as youngsters are concerned they have only been misled by these parties in the past he saidTargeting Aam Aadmi Party AAP leader and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal for promising to give an unemployment allowance to youngsters who do not have jobs if voted to power in Uttarakhand Dhami said it was meant only to trap themWithout naming the Congress he said a similar ploy to woo young voters was adopted by the party in 2017 when it distributed job guarantee cards among youngsters in all the Assembly constituencies of the state but nothing came of itThe chief minister said the Congress may say whatever it wants to lure the voters but people cannot forget that a man who shouted anti-India slogans is now in the party People cannot forget that a leader of the party recently compared Hindus with the ISISClaiming that real steps for the development of Uttarakhand are being taken by the double-engine government Dhami said all departments have been asked to prepare a roadmap for the states progress over the next 10 years The Uttarakhand Assembly polls are due early next year PTI ALM RC

Srinagar Oct 24 PTI PDP president Mehbooba Mufti on Sunday charged that repression was the Centres only method to deal with the situation in Jammu and KashmirReacting to the remarks by Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat warning of further curbs in Kashmir to tackle the recent violence Mehbooba also said his statement contradicts the official narrative that all is well in the valleyEven after turning Kashmir into an open air prison Bipin Rawats statement comes as no surprise because repression is GOIs only method to deal with the situation in JK It also contradicts their official narrative that all is well here she alleged on TwitterWhile delivering the first Ravi Kant Singh Memorial Lecture in Assam on Saturday Rawat said the freedom of movement that people in Jammu Kashmir were starting to enjoy in recent times may be disrupted due to the current situation and urged for peoples cooperation in tackling the situationThe PDP chief wondered what more measures were left to be implemented after stringent harsh repressive measures like mass arrests suspension of internet at will and setting up new security bunkersAfter taking such stringent harsh repressive measures like mass arrests suspension of internet at will frisking people not sparing even kids seizing bikes plus two wheelers setting up new security bunkers all over what is left to do the former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister said PTI SSB MIJ DV DV

New Delhi Sep 20 PTI The Congress on Monday said it will fight Punjab elections under the leadership of Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi and PCC chief Navjot Singh Sidhu and both will be our faces The Congress went into damage control after it came under attack from various parties over the statement of its general secretary in-charge for Punjab Harish Rawat that the party would go to polls with Navjot Singh Sidhu as it face Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said the next Punjab assembly elections will be fought under the leadership of both Channi and Sidhu and attacked the BJP Akali Dal BSP and Aam Aadmi Party for insulting a Dalit chief minister He also questioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP leadership why they had not named any Dalit as their chief minister and why they and other leaders of BSP AAP and Akali Dal were undermining the young Congress Dalit leader Our faces will be Charanjit Singh Channi and Navjot Singh Sidhu as also ordinary Congress workers and leaders who will be supporting them If anybody says one or the other will be the face intentionally or otherwise it is being misinterpreted by the media he told reporters I want to tell all our friends in the media please you also do not grudge the young Dalit leader and the role assigned him as chief minister of Punjab He will be our face along with Navjot Singh Sidhu which is natural he said alleging that Rawats statement has been misinterpreted We urge the BJP Akali Dal BSP and AAP to stop insulting Dalits and spread lies about them Surjewala also said He alleged that the BJP SAD AAP and BSP have unwarrantedly shamelessly and regrettably attacked the candidature of Channi May I ask Prime Minister Narendra Modi that you have been in power for seven long years and in a dozen states have you ever appointed a Dalit as chief minister of BJP No he said adding that Channi is the only Dalit chief minister sworn in by the Congress party He claimed that the other two chief ministers of Congress are from backward classes in Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh where social justice has been ensured by the party We have a prime minister who only speaks and we have the leadership of Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi who deliver That is the principal difference We would urge Narendra Modi ji J P Nadda Sukhbir Singh Badal Arvind Kejriwal and Mayawati ji to not grudge the rightful due of a Dalits son who is today the chief minister of Punjab and instead of shamelessly criticising him they should hail his elevation the Congress leader said Various parties had attacked the Congress after Rawats remarks saying the grand old party is only doing tokenism It would have been better had Channi been appointed the chief minister earlier His appointment as CM a few months ahead of Punjab assembly elections looks like a poll gimmick BSP chief Mayawati said I also came to know from the media that the next assembly polls in Punjab would be contested under leadership of a non-Dalit This means that the Congress still does not fully trust Dalits she claimed The Congress also come under attack from within with its former PCC chief Sunil Jakhar questioning Rawat over his statement On the swearing-in day of Charnjit Channi as chief minister Rawats statement that elections will be fought under Sidhu is baffling Its likely to undermine CMs authority but also negate the very raison dtre of his selection for this position he tweeted Hours later Surjewala said Channi is the chief minister and Sidhu is the organisation head of the Congress in Punjab and the next elections will be fought under both of them He claimed that the Congress has carved out a new chapter in Indias history with the swearing in of the first Dalit chief minister of Punjab Its a matter of great pride for every young and old Congress worker and every poor and disadvantaged person and Dalit of India that this singular decision will fortify social justice foundations in this country Surjewala said The Congress leader said Rahul Gandhi has always stated that he believes the doors of echelons of power need to be opened for the poorest of the poor and they must lead by the front and not be bystanders in the gallery and that is what the Congress has proved A person from the Dalit community who rose from the most humble ranks did manual labour proudly with his father has today become the chief minister of Punjab he claimed This proves that the Congress party has space for everyone whoever you are wherever you come from the doors will always be open he said Surjewala also said the new chief minister and two deputy CMs have already sat down to take historical decisions These decisions include the Congress already waiving domestic electricity bills of the poor for up to 200 units Those living in small houses have been allowed the waiver of drinking water and sewerage bills he added In villages too water bills have been waived after power bills he said Our government will take historic decisions to ensure that social justice equality and equanimity between all classes of people is restored totally he claimed Surjewala also thanked Amarinder Singh saying he ably led the Congress government The magnanimity with which Singh came forward and congratulated and supported Channi proves his maturity as also establishes that we will continue to get his guidance and his experience in the days to come he saidPTI SKC AAR AAR

Chandigarh Sep 20 PTI Hours before the oath-taking ceremony of Charanjit Singh Channi as Punjab chief minister Congress leader Sunil Jakhar on Monday questioned AICC general secretary Harish Rawats reported statement that the upcoming state elections would be fought under the leadership of Punjab Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu Jakhar who is also the former Punjab Congress chief dubbed Rawats statement as baffling saying it is likely to undermine the authority of the chief minister On the swearing-in day of Sh Charnjitchanni as chief minister Mr Rawats statement that elections will be fought under Sidhu is baffling Its likely to undermine CMs authority but also negate the very raison dtre of his selection for this position he said in a tweet Channi was on Monday sworn in as chief minister of Punjab making him the first Dalit to hold the top post in the state Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa and O P Soni both outgoing ministers in the previous Amarinder Singh cabinet were also administered oath of office and secrecy by the Punjab governor They will be designated as deputy chief ministers Rawat had reportedly said that the Punjab Assembly polls next year will be fought under Sidhu Jakhar was one of the frontrunners for the post of Congress Legislative Party leader after Amarinder Singh was nudged into quitting ostensibly over hisfailure to fulfil the promises made by the party in the 2017 assembly polls However the Congress finally picked Channi for the post and it was learnt that Sidhu backed it Speaking to reporters Jakhar said Rawat who is a senior leader and has a lot of political experience could have avoided giving such a statement He Rawat had earlier made a statement that the 2022 elections will be fought under the leadership of Sonia ji and Rahul ji Later another statement was given by him that polls will be fought under Capt Sahabs Amarinder Singh leadership When Channi had not even taken oath such a statement should have been avoided Jakhar said adding such statements create doubt and show weakness said Jakhar He said senior Congress leader Randeep Singh Surjewala had on Monday stated that the partys face for the 2022 polls will be both Channi and Sidhu Jakhar however said he was happy that the party high command had handled the situation Replying to a question the Congress leader said he was surprised when he heard from the media that his name was also in contention for the post of CLP leader when he was not even a member of the Punjab Assembly Backing the partys choice Channi Jakhar said that the Congress high command and Rahul Gandhi had made the right decision Hitting out at the SAD president he said Sukhbir Singh Badal is now saying if his party comes to power he will make a Dalit deputy chief minister But when his government was in power he kept the post of deputy CM for himself Meanwhile reacting to Jakhars tweet BJP leader Amit Malviya termed it a huge insult to the Dalit community This is a huge insult to the entire Dalit community if Charanjit Singh Channi has been made the CM only to hold the seat for Navjot Singh Sidhu the chosen Gandhi family loyalist This completely undermines the Dalit empowerment narrative being peddled by the Congress Shame said Malviya in a tweet PTI CHSSUN VSD AAR AAR

New Delhi Sep 20 PTI The Congress on Monday said it will fight Punjab elections under the leadership of Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi and PCC chief Navjot Singh Sidhu and both will be faces of the party The Congress went into damage control after it came under attack from various parties over the statement of its general secretary in-charge for Punjab Harish Rawat that the party would go to polls with Navjot Singh Sidhu as it face Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said the next Punjab assembly elections will be fought under the leadership of both Channi and Sidhu and attacked the BJP Akali Dal BSP and Aam Aadmi Party for insulting a Dalit chief minister He also questioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP leadership why they had not named any Dalit as their chief minister and why they and other leaders of BSP AAP and Akali Dal were undermining the young Congress Dalit leader Our faces will be Charanjit Singh Channi and Navjot Singh Sidhu as also ordinary Congress workers and leaders who will be supporting them If anybody says one or the other will be the face intentionally or otherwise it is being misinterpreted by the media he told reporters I want to tell all our friends in the media please you also do not grudge the young Dalit leader and the role assigned him as chief minister of Punjab He will be our face along with Navjot Singh Sidhu which is natural he said alleging that Rawats statement has been misinterpreted We urge the BJP Akali Dal BSP and AAP to stop insulting Dalits and spread lies about them Surjewala also said He alleged that the BJP SAD AAP and BSP have unwarrantedly shamelessly and regrettably attacked the candidature of Channi May I ask Prime Minister Narendra Modi that you have been in power for seven long years and in a dozen states have you ever appointed a Dalit as chief minister of BJP No he said adding that Channi is the only Dalit chief minister sworn in by the Congress party PTI SKC AAR AAR

Chandigarh Sep 20 PTI Ahead of the oath-taking ceremony of Charanjit Singh Channi as Punjab chief minister Congress leader Sunil Jakhar on Monday questioned AICC general secretary Harish Rawats reported statement that the upcoming state elections would be fought under the leadership of Punjab Congress chief Navjot Singh SidhuJakhar who is also the former Punjab Congress chief dubbed Rawats statement as baffling saying it is likely to undermine the authority of the chief ministerOn the swearing-in day of Sh Charnjitchanni as Chief Minister Mr Rawatss statement that elections will be fought under Sidhu is baffling Its likely to undermine CMs authority but also negate the very raison dtre of his selection for this position said Jakhar in a tweet Channi is set to take oath at 11 am Rawat had reportedly said that the Punjab Assembly polls next year will be fought under SidhuJakhar was one of the frontrunners for the post of new Congress Legislative Party leader after Amarinder Singh was nudged into quitting ostensibly over his failure to fulfil the promises made by the party in the 2017 assembly pollsHowever the Congress finally picked Channi for the post and it was learnt that Sidhu backed itReacting to Jakhars tweet BJP leader Amit Malviya called it as huge insult to the Dalit communityThis is a huge insult to the entire Dalit community if Charanjit Singh Channi has been made the CM only to hold the seat for Navjot Singh Sidhu the chosen Gandhi family loyalist This completely undermines the Dalit empowerment narrative being peddled by the Congress Shame said Malviya in a tweet PTI CHS SUN VSD DV DV