Former Gujarat chief minister Suresh Mehta quit the Bharatiya Janata Party on Saturday after several decades of association with the party.
Former Union minister Yashwant Sinha on Saturday announced a nationwide 'yatra' (tour) to protest against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, the National Register of Citizens and the National Population Register. The yatra will start at Mumbai's Apollo Bunder on January 9, pass through Maharashtra, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Harayana and Delhi and cover a distance of over 3,000 km, Yashwant Sinha said. It will culminate at the Raj Ghat in Delhi on January 30, Mahatma Gandhi's death anniversary.
An immediate solution to stem mounting dissidence within the Bharatiya Janata Party in Gujarat appeared unlikely as party chief Rajnath Singh held a key meeting with a senior state leader opposed to Chief Minister Narendra Modi.
Around 20 senior leaders of the Gujarat Bharatiya Janata Party gathered in Gandhinagar on Thursday to openly form a strategy to combat Chief Minister Narendra Modi.
"If India has some concerns over the Gwadar port, it may be discussed. However, we cannot stop our progress due to concerns from any quarters," said Admiral Muhammad Afzal Tahir. Last month, Indian Navy chief Admiral Sureesh Mehta had said that the Gwadar port has serious strategic implications for India.
Talking about 'Chinese designs on the Indian Ocean,' Naval cMehta said China had a strategy called `String of Pearls,' as per which it seeks to set up bases and outposts across the globe, strategically located along its energy lines, to monitor and saefeguard energy flows. "Each pearl in the string is a link in a chain of the Chinese maritime presence," he said. "Among other locations, the string moves northwards up to the Gwadar deep sea port on Pakistan's Makran coast.
A day after Naval Chief Admiral Suresh Mehta made some harsh comments against Russia, Foreign Secretary Shivshankar Menon on Tuesday said relations with Moscow were excellent and any issue between the two countries can be sorted out. "We have excellent relations with Russia. If there are any issues, we can sort them out," Menon told reporters in New Delhi
He is likely to speak on economic issues, particularly the impact of GST and demonetisation.
Jaitley, who is on a two-day visit to the state, held meetings with party leaders here to form election strategy, BJP sources added.
The rebel group was represented by former chief minister Suresh Mehta, Member of Parliament Vallabh Kathiria and suspended legislator Gordhan Zadafia, sources in the rebel group said. From the Congress, three senior leaders, Vyalar Ravi, Prithviraj Chauhan and B K Hariprasad were present in the meeting, sources further said.
During his Russian visit from March 13-19, Admiral Mehta, also the Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee, is also expected to discuss the vital issues of cooperation with his Russian counterpart Admiral Vladimir Vysotsky and fly the MiG-29KUB fighter developed for deployment on Gorshkov carrier after its induction as INS Vikramaditya some time in 2012. The issues of seagoing trials of Admiral Gorshkov by the Russian Navy prior to its delivery will also be taken up.
Former Gujarat chief minister Suresh Mehta, who is already camping in New Delhi, is expected to meet BJP president Rajnath Singh on Wednesday morning.
The Congress on Friday said that it has received official proposals from Bharatiya Janata Party dissidents in Gujarat, including former chief minister Suresh Mehta and 15 MLAs, who want to join the party. The Congress leadership in the state will take a decision in a couple of days. "We will hold discussions with the BJP dissidents within the next two days and work out a formula and modus operandi," Union Minister and senior Congress leader Shankersinh Vaghela said.
"There is no democracy in BJP at present. Modi is fascist, for whom the high command adopts another standard. Even senior BJP leader L K Advani has changed; he reacts and acts differently. Hence, there is very little reason for me to continue in the BJP," former chief minister Suresh Mehta said.
In an exclusive interview, former Gujarat chief minister Suresh Mehta said, "In the coming election, we will go to people under the umbrella of Sardar Patel Utkarsh Samiti and campaign against the Modi government."
During his three-day visit, the first by an Indian Naval Chief, Admiral Mehta met top brass of the UAE armed forces and discussed "collaborative cooperation and energy security", officials said on Thursday.
BJP veteran Suresh Mehta says he won't contest polls in next polls
The defiance by the young turks has perturbed the state BJP leadership. The only thing they are saying at present is that they are taking note of the actions of the dissidence.
Gujaratis, the community that boasts of the largest number of investors in the stock market, are witnessing extraordinary financial turmoil with many families going bankrupt overnight, literally.
The Sethusamudram Shipping Canal Project, aimed at deepening the waters in Palk Straits, is a 'viable' one but will not be useful for the navigation of the big ships, Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Suresh Mehta said in Chennai on Tuesday.
"Two to three rounds of talks have been held between the two agencies on drawing up a document which is acceptable to both sides", Director General of Coast Guard, Vice Admiral Suresh Mehta.
They are not happy with the CM's style of functioning.
He said his 'Rashtra Manch', a political action group, would start a movement against the policies of the Centre.
Zakia Jafri's lawyer on Friday alleged before a court here that Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi had conspired to instigate Vishwa Hindu Parishad workers and other members of Hindu community after the Godhra train burning incident in 2002.
Zakia Jafri, widow of former Congress Member of Parliament Ehsan Jafri, on Tuesday approached the Gujarat high court challenging the Ahmedabad metropolitan court order upholding SIT's clean chit to Gujarat Chief minister Narendra Modi and others in connection with the 2002 riots case.
Bharatiya Janata Party leader Narendra Modi on Tuesday said the upcoming general elections will be a "magnificent event" that would not be fought on the basis of number of seats alone but the connect between party leaders and the electorate.
The spread of Modism is in reality spread of a personality cult and not a political ideology, says Vidyut Joshi.
In an online chat with readers, overseas consultant NNS Chandra shares career advice.
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