NEWS

Bengal BJP chief Dilip Ghosh, at his first meeting with the party’s national president JP Nadda since the assembly polls, complained against a section of senior party leaders shooting their mouths off in public. Ghosh told Nadda that such remarks were “confusing” the BJP’s “old and disciplined soldiers.”

“Some are passing comments in public without a thought. I believe they are venting their frustration. They should have placed their views in the party forum,” the state BJP president said.

Senior RSS functionary Arun Kumar has been appointed as the new pointsperson between the BJP and its ideological fountainhead RSS. Kumar replaced RSS leader Krishna Gopal, who had been looking after the job since October 2014, months after the Narendra Modi government came to power.

The decision was taken during the Akhil Bharatiya Prat Pracharak Baithak – a meeting of all state leaders and top brass of the RSS – organised at Chitrakoot in MP between July 9 and 11.

Kumar, who had been handling publicity for the organisation nationally, was elevated as joint general secretary in the RSS in March when Dattatreya Hosabale replaced Suresh Bhaiyaji Joshi as the organisation's general secretary.

Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia took to Twitter on Monday to raise the issue of shortage of Covid vaccines in the capital city. He wrote, "Vaccines have run out in Delhi again. The central government gives vaccines for a day or two and then we have to keep the centres closed for several days."

He went on to ask, "What is the Centre's constraint? Why is our country's vaccination programme faltering even after so many days?"

At the beginning of this month, a number of states including West Bengal, Delhi, Gujarat, Jharkhand, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu flagged vaccine shortages. This comes after Prime Minister Modi announced centralising of the nation's vaccination programme in June.

Appealing to citizens to get vaccinated at the earliest and not believe in rumours, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday called upon party workers in rural areas to ensure that not a single person remains without being vaccinated in their villages. Shah was inaugurating or laying foundation stone of various developmental projects in Gandhinagar Lok Sabha constituency and attended two public programmes in Bopal and Sanand areas of Ahmedabad.

In Bopal, Shah said, “A comprehensive vaccination campaign has been launched in Gujarat under the leadership of Chief Minister Vijay Rupani and Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel, making Gujarat the first in the country in per million of vaccinations. In Ahmedabad, 86 per cent residents above 45 years of age have been vaccinated, while in the 18-44 years of age group, 32 per cent have been vaccinated. I appeal to all to get vaccinated as soon as possible. Do not believe in any rumour. All those remaining 14 per cent and 70 per cent youth as well as those remaining with the second dose should get vaccinated. Only then we will be successful in fighting against coronavirus.”