My Opinion

The state government in Maharashtra has caught the ire of the people. Instead of concentrating on issues pertaining to the welfare of the state, the government appears to engage itself in frivolous issues like the beef ban or the meat ban or imposing gag orders.

It is no secret that in Bihar dynastic politics is but an extension of caste politics. No wonder politicians make it big by distributing tickets amongst their own family members thereby ensuring their grip over people of their own caste.

Traditionally caste has always played a major role in Bihar elections and this year too it is no different. What emerges from the India TV-C Voter opinion poll is that Nitish Kumar has the advantage of the Muslim and Yadav votes thanks to Lalu but the question remains how much votes would JDU’s contestants actually garner on their own. On the other hand Manjhi and Paswan will ensure that majority of the Dalit votes go to NDA. However what will finally impact the poll picture is the manner in which tickets are to be distributed amongst contestants – who gets what, who gets how much, which caste gets what and which caste gets how much – this equation will determine the poll outcome on practically every seat in this closely contested elections.

Saudi Arabia should actually recall its accused diplomat since neither can he be questioned or arrested, nor can his house be searched even if he commits a crime, thanks to the diplomatic immunity enjoyed by him!

Till some time back the Hurriyat had got isolated. Infact the people of Jammu & Kashmir had snubbed them when the Hurriyat had given a clarion call to boycott the elections. Now with J&K Chief Minister giving them some importance, there has been a sudden resurgence in the Hurriyat. And with the Centre having raised the issue of separatists being invited by Pakistan but also having called off talks, the Hurriyat now seem to have gained some legitimacy, the negative consequences of which would have to be faced by the people of Kashmir

17% of the population in Bihar are Muslims. As opposed to the Lok Sabha elections, the RJD alliance is likely to garner majority of the muslim votes in this election thanks to the MY factor or the Muslim-Yadav vote bank

Whether it is PM Narendra Modi or the Bihar CM Nitish Kumar, both have said that they would contest the Bihar elections on developmental issues however one cannot deny that Bihar is known for caste politics and for years caste has been the main plank over which elections have been fought. It is caste that actually determines the mandate.

Akhilesh Yadav is often scolded by Mulayam Singh in front of everyone on stage. Sometimes his uncle teaches him various ways to take bribe. There is one govt and 5 uncles.

Maharashtra’s new govt was wanting to shift Mumbai’s former top cop Rakesh Maria for some time now. But as he was promoted today, media and his critics connected this move with the Sheena Bora case. That is why, the state govt had to announce that Mr Maria will lead the probe in the case. Although the team investigating Indrani Mukherjea was also transferred, they will continue to report to Rakesh Maria.

Staging an alliance for polls is easy but when it comes to seat sharing, there will be differences. When Nitish cuts the seat to accomadate Lalu’s candidates, there will be differences. In the same way when Amit Shah cuts seats of Manjhi and Kushwaha to accomodate Paswan’s candidates, there will be differences.

Mulayam Singh is right to say that Nitish Kumar came to power with the help of BJP and now how can he call himself secular? But Nitish Kumar is also right to say that Mulayam decided to form a party with him just some days back. Was Nitish secular then?

Meat ban or beef ban, BJP should avoid banning such items. This will lead have negative implications. Controversies will arise for no reason. People should be allowed to eat whatever they want and if the govt thinks that banning meat or beef will stop people from consuming it, then it is highly mistaken.