Vajpayee said Gandhi had given the impression that reservation would be made on economic criteria and not on the basis of caste or class, while Congress-I state governments were going ahead with extending reservation to new classes.
Feb 22, 2025 14:59 IST First published on: Feb 22, 2025 at 06:45 IST
BJP president Atal Bihari Vajpayee asked the Prime Minister to clearly spell out his party’s stand on Haryana’s proposal for the merger of Himachal Pradesh and on reservation. Speaking to reporters Vajpayee said Rajiv Gandhi should categorically declare that the Centre would not discriminate against non-Congress-I ruled states. Vajpayee said Gandhi had given the impression that reservation would be made on economic criteria and not on the basis of caste or class, while Congress-I state governments were going ahead with extending reservation to new classes.
PM’s New Residence
Rajiv Gandhi, SCHEDULED to shift his residence from 1 Safdarjung Road to Race Course Road in the next few weeks, will move house yet again in around 18 months. Plans for a new Prime Minister’s residential complex likely to be constructed on Willingdon Crescent, near the President’s Bodyguard Parade Ground, are being drawn up. To be spread over an area of 1,00,000 square feet, it is estimated to cost around Rs 2 crore. The renovation of the interim residence on Race Course Road (numbers 5 and 7), which is almost complete, has cost the exchequer around Rs 25 lakh, officials estimate.
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Bihar Elections
The Election Commission is determined to hold the assembly elections in Bihar on March 2 and 5 as scheduled, notwithstanding the indefinite strike launched by the state government’s non-gazetted employees . The secretary to the Commission, R P Bhalla, said he was confident of holding the poll as scheduled, if necessary with the help of staff from outside Bihar. Asked to comment on a press report that said elections may be postponed because of the strike, Bhalla pointed out that the Commission could ask the President or a governor to make available the staff needed by the regional election commissioner.
