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Congress exploits Vajpayee’s name to take on Chhattisgarh CM

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By Sujeet Kumar
Rajnandgaon (Chhattisgarh), Nov 11 (IANS) The Congress, out of power in Chhattisgarh since 2003, is exploiting the name of BJP’s iconic leader and former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee to take on Chief Minister Raman Singh on his home turf Rajnandgaon that goes to the polls on Monday.

Raman Singh, the longest serving Chief Minister of the BJP, is locked in a direct fight with his former mentor Karuna Shukla, niece of the late Vajpayee. The 68-year-old Shukla, a former BJP Lok Sabha MP, ended her 32-year-long association with the BJP in 2014 and joined the Congress.

The down-to-earth Shukla is known to have a clean image and she had rejected the BJP’s repeated efforts in the recent past to shed her anger against the saffron party. The Congress cleverly fielded her against the Bharatiya Janata Party’s most popular face in Chhattisgarh, Raman Singh, to deny him a walkover.

“Voters in Rajnandgaon are in a dilemma as they have great affection and regard for Raman Singh but Shukla is a simple and sober woman and most importantly she is seeking votes in the name of late Vajpayeeji rather than the Congress or Rahul Gandhi,” says Tejindar Bhatia, who owns a grocery shop at Gurunanak Chowk in the heart of Rajnandgaon town.

A mobile telephone shop owner, Raju Sahu admitted that Raman Singh would win because of his “deep bonding and strong connect” over the years with voters while Shukla is a “parachute candidate” who had been used by the Congress to scare the BJP.

The Congress camp is also encouraged by the huge turnout of locals at a roadshow carried out by Congress President Rahul Gandhi on November 9 in Rajnandgaon town with Shukla and state Congress chief Bhupesh Baghel.

Sensing that there is a fight on Raman Singh’s home turf, BJP President Amit Shah staged a road show in Rajnandgaon town hours before campaigning ended on Saturday.

The BJP show of strength was dubbed one of the biggest election road shows in Chhattisgarh and Shah advised voters to ensure Raman Singh wins by not less than 70,000 votes difference.

“You need to double the victory margin this time for Raman Singh. In 2013 he won by a little over 35,000 votes difference, this time the margin should be above 70,000,” Shah told voters in the presence of Raman Singh.

Chhattisgarh has 90 Assembly seats. In the first phase, polling will be held for 18 seats — 12 in Bastar and six in Rajnandgaon district. The second and final phase of polling in the mineral-rich state is scheduled on November 20.

The results will be declared on December 11.

–IANS
sujeet/mr

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Dr. Abhishek Verma Dedicates a Shelter in Memory of His Mother, Veena Verma, at KGMU; Inaugurated by Daughter Nicolle Verma

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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.

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