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Talks on, no decision yet on seat sharing: Kushwaha (Lead)
New Delhi, Oct 30 (IANS) Amidst reports that his party was offered two seats to contest in the Lok Sabha polls in Bihar, Union Minister Upendra Kushwaha announced his party RLSP’s first list of 66 candidates for the Assembly elections in Madhya Pradesh, a move which is seen as a pressure tactic to bargain for more seats in Bihar.
After a meeting with BJP leader Bhupendra Yadav, who is incharge of Bihar, Kushwaha ruled out any rift within the NDA over seat sharing in Bihar for the 2019 Lok Sabha polls and said that discussions were on as his party the RLSP wanted a “respectable agreement”.
Sources in the RLSP camp told IANS that Kushwaha was not happy with the offer and would not compromise on its demand for not less than three seats.
However, he ruled out breaking his party’s alliance with the NDA and said he met Yadav to convey his party’s stand on seat sharing.
“The meeting with Yadav was positive. However, we cannot disclose our demand as the seat sharing talks are still going on,” he told reporters at a hurriedly called press conference at his residence here.
The Junior HRD Minister in the Narendra Modi government denied reports of his resignation and said he would meet BJP chief Amit Shah in the next few days.
“If needed, we will even speak to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. We want respectable agreement on the issue at any cost,” he said.
A few days ago, the BJP and the Janata Dal-United had announced that they will contest an equal number of seats.
While announcing the seat-sharing formula, Shah had said that when a new friend (JD-U) has joined the alliance, the number of seats for each will come down.
To this, Kushwaha asked why the RLSP was ignored in power sharing when the JD-U came into the NDA fold and formed the government in Bihar last year.
“We will have to share the losses because of JD-U. However, why were we not given share in the profit when JD-U came to the NDA,” said Kushwaha.
He said he will hold talks with NDA ally Lok Janshakti Party chief Ram Vilas Paswan on seat-sharing and called JD-U President and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar his “elder brother”.
On contesting separately in Madhya Pradesh, he said the party was free to do so as the party was not in alliance with anyone in the state.
On the BJP and JD-U announcement that they will contest an equal number of seats in Bihar in the Lok Sabha polls last week, Kushwaha met Bihar opposition leader Tejashwi Yadav, setting off speculation that he was not happy with the developments. In all, Bihar has 40 Lok Sabha seats.
Asked about it, Kushwaha said: “It was just a coincidence.”
Of the 40 Lok Sabha seats, the BJP had won 22 out of the 30 it contested while the LJP won 6 out of the seven it contested and the RLSP all the 3 it contested as part of the NDA alliance. The JD-U had bagged only two seats.
–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.