My Opinion

Nothing can be more shameful than perhaps patients dying at a government hospital in Darbhanga due to lack of oxygen. It just lays bare the hollow claims of development made by political parties and their leaders.

Minister Rajendra Rathore has rubbished allegations of any mine scam in the state. He said the matter is already in Court. On technical grounds perhaps there is no foul play but questions are bound to be raised when mines have been allocated on a “first come first serve” basis – a norm that was adopted at the last minute contrary to the central rules of auction.

According to the India TV-C Voter Opinion Poll, one thing is clear about the elections in Bihar that Caste is the most important factor and every party is well aware how each caste will cast its vote. Even tickets have been distributed keeping the caste factor in mind. BJP is likely to get the Mahadalit votes, while the grand alliance could garner the Muslim & EBC votes. However this time there is a sizeable section of the young and the first time voters and almost every political leader is of the opinion that this section of the voters are not swayed by caste issues, rather they seem to be influenced by PM Modi’s charisma. If this is indeed true then outcome of the Bihar Polls could turn out to be quite contrary to all Opinion Poll surveys

The economic package announced by the Gujarat government will not only help the economically backward across all castes, it would also help tone down the ongoing Patidar agitation. This announcement has even had an impact on the Prime Minister’s visit to New York where a section of the Patel Community has decided to call off their agitation and instead welcome Mr Modi

The Gujarat Anti Terror Bill has finally been cleared by Central government and has been sent to the President for his consent. In the past the then Chief Minister of Gujarat Narendra Modi and the then Governor Kamal Beniwal were often at loggerheads over the controversial bill and it was twice returned by the UPA government.

Punjab has always been plagued by the menace of drugs. The entire young generation is at a high risk. The state Akali government is well aware that this issue could snowball into a major embarrassment for them and could even affect their poll performances in the future. However it is often not easy to stem the rot since there is a sizeable nexus between the drug peddlers and political leaders. The Opposition has alleged that the list of accused which the CBI has given to Interpol does not feature those who have clandestine links with the ruling political establishment.

Last year Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had raised the issue of Kashmir at the UN General Assembly but none of the big nations supported him. This year again he will raise the issue. There is no doubt that Pakistan’s foreign policy is primarily governed by Army and the ISI and Nawaz Sharif has no option but tow their line. He cannot afford to commit the same mistake in New York – a mistake that forced him to incur their wrath when he failed to raise the Kashmir issue at the Ufa Summit.

The stampede at Mecca is a very unfortunate incident. Infact more than one lakh Indians are currently on a Haj pilgrimage and naturally their families here at home are worried. We hope they are fine and pray for their safe return. Lakhs of Haj pilgrims visit Mecca from all over the world every year and ironically nearly every year there is some untoward incident. During the ritual of ‘stoning the devil’ hordes of people assemble together and the pushing & jostling triggers even a minor incident into a massive tragedy. Saddest part is that many a lives have been lost in such stampedes which have occurred several times in Mecca but the authorities are yet to undertake preventive measures.

It appears that PM Modi is going to those places where no Indian PM has visited for a while. California in the US and Ireland are such examples..it is worth admitting that engaging with such countries will only help India’s ties with them but will also help us become a stronger nation.

Other than caste, there are two more issues ruling the roost in the Bihar polls. One is dynastic politics and other opportunistic politics. Not only have family members got preference, many ‘bahubali’ or influential & powerful leaders have also got tickets and yet every political party professes to be fair and promises to abolish such means!

Hardik Patel is clearly exhibiting a lack of experience.Sometimes he talks of reservation and sometimes he says reservation should be discontinued. Sometimes he appears in public meetings and then there are moments he goes into hiding…at times he talks of police harassment and at times says police have kidnapped him!

In order to protect the Ganga from pollution, the High Court has banned the immersion of idols made of toxic materials. The seers who wanted to immerse Lord Ganesha’s idol had assured that the idols were eco-friendly, non toxic and made of clay and the police should have considered their demands. Besides, neither did they possess any weapons nor damage any property. They were there to protest peacefully. The administration should have engaged with them instead of resorting to violence against them.