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WB panchayat polls: SC reserves order on BJP’s plea (Lead)
New Delhi, April 6 (IANS) The Supreme Court on Friday reserved its order on a BJP’s plea seeking that its candidate for the West Bengal panchayat elections be allowed to file their nomination papers and re-scheduling of the election.
A bench of Justice R.K. Agrawal and Justice Abhay Manohar Sapre reserved the order for April 9 as the BJP sought the deployment of paramilitary forces alleging that its candidates were being denied the nomination papers by the Block Development Officers (BDOs) and were being targeted by the state’s ruling Trinamool Congress.
The BDOs have been designated Assistant Panchayat Electoral Registration Officer for giving and accepting the nomination papers.
At the outset of the hearing, the bench asked the BJP to approach the Calcutta High Court.
The top court was moved by the West Bengal unit of BJP through its General Secretary Pratap Banerjee.
However, senior counsel Mukul Rohatgi appearing for the party told the court that they have approached the top court because of the two-month-old strike by the lawyers in the High Court.
Describing West Bengal a “troubled state”, he told the bench that if the state government was unable to discharge its constitutional responsibility, then the Centre must step in and uphold the Constitution.
He noted that there were some parts of West Bengal where BJP candidates were not able to file their nomination papers and urged the court to direct online filing of the nomination papers.
Senior counsel Abhishek Manu Singhvi, appearing for West Bengal government, opposed it on procedural grounds and requirement of a candidate personally appearing before the returning his nomination papers.
Appearing for the Central government, Additional Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, referring to the situation, said three major political parties in the State – the BJP, Congress and the CPI-M – were asking for central forces and the Centre will discharge its constitutional obligation.
Singhvi said the BJP was doing all this for the sake of “splash in media” and cited the areas of West Bengal where BJP had filed more nomination papers than the ruling Trinamool.
Agreeing with Rohatgi that there were troubles in the state, he said the question was who was fomenting it.
“There is trouble in the state. The question is who is fomenting the trouble. You (BJP) have no presence in the state. You are fomenting the trouble and asking for central forces,” Singhvi said responding the BJP’s arguments.
He said that without approaching the State Election Commission and the High Court, the BJP has parachuted to the Supreme Court and this was only for the media splash.
–IANS
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Dr. Abhishek Verma Dedicates a Shelter in Memory of His Mother, Veena Verma, at KGMU; Inaugurated by Daughter Nicolle Verma
World-renowned business tycoon Dr. Abhishek Verma has supported Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission. In memory of his mother, Late Veena Verma, who was a 3 term Rajya Sabha MP.
Dr. Verma dedicated a state-of-the-art free permanent shelter for the attendants of patients at KGMU Medical University, Lucknow, under the aegis of Vijay Shree Foundation. His daughter, Nicolle Verma, inaugurated the shelter.
During the event, Foodman Vishal Singh honored Nicolle Verma by presenting her with a memento. Mrs. Nidhi Sharma and Avantika Yadav, associated with the organization, welcomed her with garlands. Following this, Nicolle Verma distributed essential items to the attendants and also handed out fruits. She became emotional remembering her grandmother on her birth anniversary.
On this occasion, she also inaugurated the “Veena Verma Sevalaya” in memory of her grandmother, Veena Verma, to serve the attendants. She expressed, “I feel proud that my family is engaged in nation-building as well as social service. Today, in collaboration with Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh Ji, I feel immensely proud to dedicate this shelter for the poor, helpless, and needy attendants of patients battling serious illnesses like cancer. I am honored to be associated with the Hunger-Free World Mission for humanity.”
Inspired by the continuous humanitarian service provided by Vijay Shree Foundation over the past 17 years, Nicolle Verma donated 10 lakh rupees to support the cause. The purpose of this donation is to ensure that services continue for the needy attendants of patients suffering from severe illnesses in hospitals, as facilitated by Foodman Vishal Singh.
It is noteworthy that Dr. Abhishek Verma’s family has a legacy of public and philanthropic service. They are helping millions to carry forward the values and service work of their parents. On the occasion of his mother’s birth anniversary, Dr. Abhishek Verma dedicated this state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College to serve the attendants of patients through the Vijay Shree Foundation.
Supporting Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission, Dr. Abhishek Verma assured that he would continually support keeping this flame of humanity alive. He also promised to assist in providing medicines to the helpless patients.
Continuing her grandmother’s legacy of service, Nicolle Verma personally served food to the needy patients and attendants. She said, “It is our good fortune to have received the joy of doing this noble work today through Foodman Vishal Singh. I have taken another step forward in carrying my family’s values and cooperation by joining hands with the Vijay Shree Foundation. My father taught me to serve and help the needy, and I feel happy when I bring a smile to someone’s face.”
On the birth anniversary of the late Veena Verma, the event organizer, Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh, said, “We feel proud and happy that Dr. Abhishek Verma, a globally renowned business tycoon, has extended his support to uplift our country from the hunger index. Today, on his mother’s birth anniversary, he inaugurated a state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College, which will always be helpful for the needy attendants of patients. It is a pleasure for me and the organization to receive the affection of Mr. Verma.”
The event was attended by General Manager Verma Family Office Hemant Garg, Sonu Rajput, and the organization’s volunteers, including Sandeep Singh, Parmeshwar Ji, Prashant Rao Gautam, Balram Singh, Ramesh Chaudhary, Suman, Jeetu, Anil, Suraj, Vinay, Manish Bhadauria, Manas Mehrotra, Vivek, Apurv, Happy, and others.