Nitish, Tejashwi and PK : Game on in Bihar
Filing of nomination papers began for the first phase of Bihar assembly elections to 121 seats on Friday. Seat-sharing in both the NDA and Mahagathbandhan is yet to be finalized.
BJP leaders claim, LJP-R leader Chirag Paswan has been persuaded to accept between 24 to 26 seats. Paswan had been demanding 43 seats. According to reports, NDA’s seat-sharing formula has been almost finalized and it may be announced next week.
In RJD-led Mahagathbandhan, RJD is trying hard to persuade Congress to contest lesser number of seats. The top development of the day was RJD chief Tejashwi Yadav’s announcement to give at least one government job to each family in Bihar. Tejashwi Yadav said, within 20 days of forming his government, a legislation will be enacted and within 20 months, government jobs will be given to each family.
Asked how his government would arrange jobs and salaries for the new employees, Tejashwi Yadav said, there is no need to worry, the roadmap is ready and we are waiting for the election results.
Nobody should be surprised over Tejashwi’s promise to give government job to each family. Such promises are made at the time of elections, but BJP has raised the query as to how each member from 2.7 crore families can be given govt jobs?
Presently, the main focus of all parties is on selecting the right candidates. BJP leaders are trying their best to persuade Chirag Paswan to scale down his demand. In the last elections, Chirag Paswan caused big losses to Nitish Kumar, because of which BJP won more seats compared to Janata Dal(U). BJP will ensure it will not allow this to be repeated this time.
In Mahagathbandhan, Tejashwi Yadav is facing a tough time persuading Congress to scale down its demand for seats. In the last elections, Congress could win only 19 seats despite contesting 70, and this resulted in a big loss for Tejashwi’s alliance.
Jan Suraaj Party founder Prashant Kishor is exuding quiet confidence. On Thursday, his party announced names of 51 candidates. It consists of singers, mathematicians, and family members of late Karpoori Thakur and R.C.P. Singh. PK’s candidates are different from the traditional candidates and his party may gain some advantage.
Mayawati is not a spent force in UP
On Late Kanshi Ram’s death anniversary, Bahujan Samaj Party supremo Mayawati addressed a big rally at Kanshi Ram Park in Lucknow to display her organisational strength.
Surprisingly, Mayawati praised UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath for taking care of the maintenance of several monuments of Dalit leaders. Mayawati said, she had built monuments to Kanshi Ram and Babasaheb Ambedkar and set rules under which money collected as entry free to Dalit monuments should be used for their maintenance.
She alleged, when Akhilesh Yadav became CM, most of the money that was collected from entry fee was spent on other heads elsewhere. Mayawati said, she wrote a letter to Yogi after which the BJP government improved the maintenance of all these monuments.
Mayawati indirectly hinted that her nephew Akash Anand would inherit her political legacy. The huge turnout of supporters at Mayawati’s rally clearly shows she has a solid support base.
For the last several years, Mayawati had taken her supporters for granted. She used to move out of her residence on very few occasions. She only used to go to press conferences, read out her statements and return. On her political succession issue, she made several flip-flops about her nephew. The result was, BSP lost most of the elections.
It now appears that Mayawati has prepared a sound strategy to revitalize the party. The manner in which she attacked Akhilesh Yadav and Congress on Thursday, clearly reminds one of vintage Mayawati.
Today, her party may be having only one MLA, but BSP has a big support base which was nurtured by Late Kanshi Ram after much toil. Mayawati cannot be ignored any more in UP politics.
Shehbaz and Munir: Did they betray the Muslim world
Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and army chief Asim Munir are now facing trouble after supporting Donald Trump’s Gaza peace plan.
In Lahore on Wednesday night, police had to fire on crowds and dozens were killed. Islamic clerics in Pakistan have raised a banner of revolt against Shehbaz and Munir for supporting Trump’s Gaza plan.
The chief of fundamentalist outfit Tehreek-e-Labbaiq Pakistan (TLP) Maulana Saad Rizvi gave a call to gherao the US embassy in Islamabad on Friday after prayers.
On Wednesday night, police surrounded the Lahore HQ of TLP and tried to arrest Maulana Saad Rizvi. There were clashes and police had to resort to firing.
The people of Pakistan have now realized that both Asim Munir and Shehbaz Sharif have clearly surrendered to Donald Trump in their bid to run their business. Pakistan had always been a staunch supporter of a free Palestine and the anger of the common people is now visible on the streets.
The Shehbaz-Munir duo even went to the extent of nominating Donald Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize, but it was awarded to a Venezuelan opposition leader by the Nobel Peace Prize Committee on Friday.
Trump had been claiming that he stopped seven wars across the globe and deserved the Nobel Peace Prize. The question is: Why is Trump so eager to get the Nobel Peace Prize?
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Battle For Bihar : Change Or Continuity?
With the Bihar assembly election schedule announced, the stage is set for a multi-polar contest on November 6 and 11, and the results will be out on November 14.
RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav said, people of Bihar want change and November 14 will mark the end of two decades of Nitish Kumar’s rule.
BJP leaders claim, Modi magic will again work wonders in Bihar, while allies Jitan Ram Manjhi and Upendra Kushwaha promised they would stand with NDA.
Both the BJP-led NDA and RJD-led Mahagathbandhan are yet to work out seat sharing among their constituents. RJD’s ally Congress is yet to publicly accept Tejashwi Yadav as its chief ministerial face. Congress wants to contest 70 seats this time, but Tejashwi is unwilling.
Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and his Janata Dal(United) is working on a focused strategy with ally BJP. They are focussing on direct benefit schemes for women, unemployed youths and other sections of society. Two hours before the Model Code of Conduct came into force, Nitish Kumar transferred Rs 10,000 each into the accounts of 21 lakh women in Bihar.
Ten days before the poll schedule was announced, Nitish’s govt transferred Rs 10,000 each to the accounts of 75 lakh women. On October 3, another 25 lakh women got Rs 10,000 each. In all, 1.21 crore women have got money in their accounts by now. Nitish Kumar has promised to give free electricity to poor families in his next tenure.
Summing up, Nitish Kumar has emerged as a big factor in Bihar elections. He was being made the butt of jokes when opposition leaders alleged that he is suffering from frequent amnesia, unable to recognize people and fumbles when he speaks.
But in the last few weeks, looking at the manner in which Nitish announced new schemes and sent direct money transfer to the accounts of women, who can say that Nitish Kumar is unable to run a government?
Nitish Kumar’s biggest advantage is, he has the powerful BJP with him. BJP’s problem is, it has no leader of stature in Bihar, whom it can project, but BJP relies on Modi’s magic : his image and his achievements. That is the biggest strength of BJP.
On the other hand, RJD only has the face of Tejashwi Yadav and the solid voter vase of Yadavs and Muslims. But for the first time, in an assembly election, Lalu Yadav’s family appears to be divided. This is going to harm RJD.
For Tejashwi, AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi is a big headache. In the last assembly elections, Owaisi had inflicted heavy losses on RJD in the Muslim-dominated Simanchal region.
Another new player in Bihar elections is Prashant Kishor with his Jan Suraaj party. His chances can be compared to a closed fist. For the last three years, Prashant Kishor had been touring villages and towns of Bihar. No other leader in Bihar had done so much toil as Prashant Kishor did.
Prashant Kishor, with his background as a political strategist working for different parties, knows how to contest elections. He has no past baggage with him.
If the electorate in Bihar casts its vote based on merit instead of caste, Prashant Kishor can turn the tables on others. All other parties are now fearing Prashant Kishor. Nobody knows who will win.
Modi’s war against infiltrators
In one of his strongest attacks on RJD and Congress in Bihar, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday told a rally in Purnea that both these parties are trying to protect infiltrators, but his government would not allow this to happen.
Modi said: “Today, from this land of Purnea, I want to explain one thing to these people clearly. RJD and Congress people, listen to me with open ears. Whoever is an infiltrator will have to go. It is the firm responsibility of the NDA to stop infiltration.”
Modi chose Purnea because it has a Muslim population of more than 40 per cent and is considered a bastion of RJD-Congress-led Mahagathbandhan. He inaugurated and laid the foundation of projects relating to railway, irrigation, airport and power to the tune of Rs 40,000 crore. The crowd waited for the PM for nearly three hours as Modi was late in reaching Purnea from Kolkata.
Modi alleged that during RJD rule, the ‘Hand’(Congress symbol) in connivance with ‘Lantern’(RJD symbol) was looting the public exchequer and benefiting “dynastic parties”.
Purnea is the region where the maximum number of names of voters has been deleted during the recently held SIR (Special Intensive Revision) of electoral rolls by the Election Commission.
By launching new Vande Bharat and Amrit Bharat trains from Purnea and by opening the new terminal of Purnea airport, Modi has ensured electoral advantage for his party in the forthcoming Bihar elections.
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, at the rally, read out the full list of public welfare schemes implemented and asked people to stand up in ovation for Modi.
On the other hand, RJD and Congress seem to be contented patting those who hurled abuses at Modi’s late mother. They have been describing Nitish Kumar as a weak chief minister. Nitish Kumar replied back in his own style.
Purnea MP Pappu Yadav, who was present at the rally, thanked PM Modi for the new airport and new trains. It is now up to the Congress and RJD to ask Pappu Yadav why he praised Prime Minister Modi publicly at the rally.
How Team India rubbed salt into Pakistan’s wounds
Pakistan got a rap on its knuckles on Tuesday when the International Cricket Council rejected its demand to remove Andy Pycroft from the Asia Cup match referee panel for allowing Indian players not to shake hands with Pakistanis during the Sunday match.
Pakistan Cricket Board had threatened to walk out of the tournament, but, according to latest reports, it has decided not to boycott.
It was a double whammy for Pakistan, when it was defeated by Team India easily by a margin of seven wickets and soon after the victory, Indian players walked back to the pavilion without doing the traditional handshake with Pakistani players.
Also, after the toss, Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav did not shake hands with Pakistani skipper Salman Ali Agha.
Yadav dedicated it to the Indian Army jawans who taught Pakistan a lesson during Operation Sindoor and also to the victims of Pahalgam who were killed in cold blood by Pakistani terrorists.
PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi, who is also Pakistan’s Home Minister and chairman of Asian Cricket Council, alleged that India violated the ICC Code of Conduct by refusing to shake hands with rival players. He suspended the PCB international cricket director Usman Wahla for delay in lodging the complaint against India.
Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav said, some matters are more important than sportsman spirit and cricketing courtesy, like the Pahalgam massacre. He justified his team’s stand in not shaking hands with the rival players.
Yadav said, “we are Indians first and the entire team stands with the families of terror victims and we dedicate our win to our armed forces.”
Former Pakistani players like Tanveer Ahmed, Moin Khan and Shoaib Akhtar chafed at India for refusing to shake hands. Tanvir Ahmed and Moin Khan said, PCB officials should now refuse to shake hands with BCCI counterparts. Shoaib Akhtar said, Pakistani players stand with their army and it would be better if such matters are kept away from the playground.
Union Minister Kiren Rijiju said, India has already decided not to play bilateral matches with Pakistan, but at international tournaments, it is not India which decides whom to play against. “What our players did was a correct reflection of the sentiments of our nation”, the minister said.
Let me put matters in perspective. One, India should not have played the match against Pakistan. Now that Pakistan has been defeated, public anger has somewhat softened, but Pakistan has this habit of crying after every defeat, whether on the cricket pitch or in the theatre of war.
It would have been better if Pakistan had confined itself to express sadness over its defeat. Instead, it is crying hoarse over why Indians did not shake hands with its players. Had our players shook hands with their counterparts, Pakistan would have hollered, why Indians did not hug us.
Pakistan’s team should be more worried over why its batters and bowlers failed. But they are crying why the doors of the Indian dressing room was kept shut. The doors were shut the day Pakistani cricketers supported those terrorists who killed our innocent people in cold blood.
I would like to praise Suryakumar Yadav for dedicating this win to our army and to the victims of Pahalgam.
Vantara : A Triumph of Justice, Victory for the Voiceless
The Supreme Court on Monday gave a clean chit to Reliance Foundation’s animal rescue and rehabilitation centre, Vantara. A bench of Justice Pankaj Mithal and Justice P B Varale cleared Vantara of all charges relating to smuggling, money laundering and violation of statutory laws in sourcing animals.
The apex court said, no court or administrative forum in the country will henceforth entertain any complaint or proceedings on these allegations in future.
The court order was based on a special investigation team (SIT) report prepared by former Supreme Court judge J. Chelameswar along with three other members, former Chief Justice of Uttarakhand High Court Raghavendra Chauhan, former Mumbal police commissioner Hemant Nagrale and former IRS officer Anish Gupta.
In a press statement, Vantara has described the apex court order as a triumph of justice.
Supreme Court was right when it ordered setting up of an SIT to investigate all allegations against Vantara, being run by Anant Ambani. The head of the SIT was former Justice Chelameshwar, about whom nobody can say that he is pro-government. Nobody can now say that Prime Minister Narendra Modi saved Ambani in this matter.
The point to note is that Anant Ambani built a world class facility for rescue and rehabilitation of sick and invalid animals in a natural environment.
Anant Ambani could have invested this money in building hotels or casinos or in any other business and could have earned millions of rupees. But he devoted his time, money and mind to save animals and birds by providing them proper care in a natural environment.
These voiceless animals will never be able to say ‘Thank You’ to him, but their eyes will surely light up with gratitude and love.
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AI Video of PM and his mom : A shameful act
Bihar Congress posted a 36-second AI-generated video on X in which characters resembling Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his late mother Heeraben were shown with the caption “Maa appears in sahab’s dreams”.
This has triggered a sharp outcry with a BJP worker filing a police complaint in Delhi. BJP and its allies Janata Dal-U and LJP condemned this act and describing it as shameful.
Congress leader Pawan Khere said, no disrespect WAS shown towards the prime minister or his mother. “What is their objection? Just because a mother is trying to educate her son to do something right, where is the disrespect? This is neither disrespectful to the mother, whom we respect dearly, nor to the son,” Khera said.
BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad said: “Making memes of our prime minister’s late mother, that too of such a cheap standard, is shameful. BJP will make it a big issue across the country.”
When abuses were hurled at Modi’s late mother from a Congress-RJD platform in Darbhanga, the Congress leaders, at that time, said, they did not know who hurled the abuse. One could have given benefit of doubt to the Congress. But this video has appeared on an official handle of Bihar Congress. It is clear that Congress has put its seal of approval to the earlier act when Modi’s mother was abused.
Congress has used the name of Modi’s mother for political benefit, and that too officially to target the Prime Minister.
Such an act is shameful. To post an Ai-generated video of a woman who never spoke about politics and is no more alive to defend herself, is indicative of the falling level of Bihar politics. RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav has maintained silence on this, but his mannerism clearly shows he did not like this act by state Congress media cell.
Gen-Z must help in restoring peace in Nepal
In fast-paced developments, former Chief Justice of Nepal Sushila Karki on Friday night took oath as interim Prime Minister, the Parliament was dissolved and March 5 next year has been set as the date for fresh parliamentary elections. Clearly, six months’ time has been given to the interim government.
For the retired chief justice, bringing peace will be a tough job given the level of violence and arson that took place in Kathmandu during the last five days. Presently, the army is in control throughout the country and soldiers are guarding all important installations including the President’s House.
Kathmandu has turned into a ghost city with most of the people preferring tol live indoors. The visuals of arson and destruction are really shocking. When people indulge in arson, violence and anarchy, when Parliament and the Prime Minister’s residence are reduced to ashes, nothing seems to have left.
Neither the Constitution, nor democracy nor a semblance of law and order. Thousands came out on the streets and burnt everything. Democracy is now under the boots of the army and whatever the army decides, will be done. Leaders who were elected by the people have fled and gone underground. People whom the army will select will now run the country.
Weapons and uniforms of policemen were looted by mobs during anarchy. Thousands of prisoners fled from jails, and several of them are now moving around wearing police uniform. It is difficult to differentiate between a policeman and a criminal.
Those who launched the so-called civil agiation are denying that they had supported arson and violence. The question is: Who carried out arson and violence? Who looted the weapons? Who will ensure that the prisoners are sent back to jails?
The accountability lies with those who launched the Gen-Z agitation against corruption and unseated the Prime Minister and his government. It is now the responsibility of this group to bring back Nepal on track.
Grotesque beheading of an Indian in the US
The grotesque beheading of an Indian national by an American employee in Dallas, Texas is sickening and worrying. The ghastly act was done in the presence of the victim’s wife and son. The murderer used a machete to behead his employer, kicked his severed head and threw it in a dustbin.
The Indian employer Chandramouli Nagamallaiah, who was beheaded, was innocent. This is an inhuman act. He was ruthlessly beheaded by a man who was a historysheeter and a certified criminal.
The man who killed President Trump’s close ally Charlie Kirk was a 22-year-old youth. Tyler Robinson is a resident of Utah. Police have seized the high powered bolt action rifle to kill Kirk. Open gun culture in the US is a worrying trend. Trump had been blaming illegal immigrants for the rise in crimes, but in reality, no action has been taken on the ground, otherwise such heinous crimes would not have taken place.
Abusing Modi’s mother : A shame that could have been avoided
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in a speech filled with tears and emotion, said on Tuesday that his mother was abused during the Congress-RJD rally in Bihar and this act has insulted every mother and sister of the country.
Addressing nearly 20 lakh women through video conferencing while launching the Bihar Rajya Jeevika Nidhi Saakh Sahkari Sangh, Modi reminisced about his late mother Hiraben.
Modi said in an emotional voice: “My mother used to work even when she was sick. She saved every paisa to buy clothes for us. There are crores of such hardworking mothers. In India, a mother is placed on a pedestal higher than that of a goddess… The abuses that were hurled at my mother from a Congress-RJD stage was not just for her, but for crores of mothers and sisters. Princes born in rich families with a golden or silver spoon in their mouth, will never understand the sufferings of a poor mother and her son’s struggles. …I want to tell the people of Bihar, Modi may forgive this insult, but the land of Bihar and India will never tolerate such an insult to a mother”.
Soon after the PM’s speech, protests were held in different parts of the country and the NDA gave a call for Bihar Bandh on November 4.
The emotional touch with which Modi spoke displayed the immense hurt that was caused to him by Congress workers who shouted filthy abuse in Darbhanga. Congress and RJD leaders in Bihar are now on the defensive.
The hurt caused to Narendra Modi is understandable. Any son will feel hurt if he hears people abusing one’s mother. Modi’s mother Hiraben passed away three years ago. She was never in politics. She did not hurt anybody. Was she abused only because her son is the Prime Minister?
Had Rahul Gandhi and Tejashwi Yadav condemned this act by their supporters on that very day itself, heavens would not have fallen. They continued with their yatra. Had they expressed regret, it wouldn’t have snowballed into a big issue.
Probably the two leaders have large-sized egos. Soon after the incident, a Congress leader described it as a conspiracy, another leader said it was the work of an ordinary party worker. Soon after, other leaders indulged in whataboutery listing out the times when who abused whom.
In politics, there is no place for filthy abuses. It must be condemned. To indulge in whataboutery by alleging who had abused whom in the past, Congress leaders cannot say they have got the licence to abuse. The people of India do not approve filthy language. Politically, Tejashwi Yadav may have to face loss because of this. He will have to pay the price for insulting a departed mother.
Who will hear the cries of Gurugram ?
Flood situation has worsened in Punjab after heavy discharge of water from Bhakra and Pong dams, with the state government declaring flood as a state calamity. Flood in Punjab has claimed 30 lives and had caused distress to over 3.5 lakh people.
In Haryana, Yamuna, Ghagghar and other rivers are in spate and several hundred villages have been inundated. Crops on several lakh hectares of land have been damaged.
The Millenium City of Gurugram faced waterlogging in most parts of the city after incessant rains for the past three days. Long traffic jams were witnessed on Monday and Tuesday because of waterlogged roads at Rajiv Chowk, Hero Honda Chowk, Iffco Chowk and Khirki Daula toll plaza.
Thousands of people living in posh multi-storeyed apartments and gated enclaves have remained locked inside their homes. They are unable to move out. Employees working in top multinational companies have been asked to work from home.
Techies vent out their anger through memes and stinging remarks on social media saying the city that contributes millions of crores as revenue to the government is now at a standstill. Local governance has almost completely failed. People who bought posh apartments for several crores of rupees are being forced to live the life of an insect.
What is the fault of the residents of Gurugram? Why do they have to wait in several kilometer long traffic jams for hours because of waterlogging?
Is it their fault that they contribute more than Rs 1 lakh crore as tax to the exchequer? Is it their fault that Haryana collects 45 pc of its GST from Gurugram alone, and Haryana’s GST collection is almost five times that of Punjab?
Is it the fault of Gurugram residents that they contribute 27 pc of Haryana’s revenue as excise? Residents of Gurugram pay crores in road tax, toll fee and all other taxes and yet their roads become rivers when its rains continuously. Those living in apartments worth Rs 50 crore are unable to move out of their homes.
Gurugram is the home for several top multinational companies where people from big cities of the world come and work. What is the message that is being sought to be conveyed to the rest of the world?
Who is bringing a bad name to Gurugram? Such waterlogging and traffic snarls have not taken place once. It has become an annual feature.
Who will change this situation? Who will take care of the residents of Gurugram? There are no answers to these questions.
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Boycotting Bihar polls : Lalu will never allow this extreme step
For the first time, the Election Commission replied to allegations being made about the special intensive revision of electoral rolls in Bihar. The Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar said, “Should bogus votes be allowed in violation of the Constitution?..Should the Commission be swayed by attacks (by the opposition), and allow bogus votes to be cast in the name of electors who are deceased, permanently shifted, enrolled at two or more places…Some beginning had to be made from somewhere and this special intensive revision will be carried in all states in a phased manner.”
In Bihar, nearly 99 per cent of the total electors have been covered by this special intensive revision exercise, and over 91.3 per cent forms have been received and digitised.
On Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s allegation that there was “vote theft” in Maharashtra and Karnataka, the Election Commission described it as “baseless and an afterthought”.
The EC said: “It is highly unfortunate that rather than filing an election petition as per law, or if filed, awaiting verdict of high court, he has not only made baseless allegations but also chosen to threaten EC, which is a constitutional body”.
The EC pointed out that defeated Congress candidates did not file a single election petition to challenge the result, despite the law allowing them to do so within 45 days of declaration of result. Other, however did file 10 election petitions in the High Court”.
On Thursday, RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav threatened to boycott Bihar assembly polls if the opposition’s voice on special intensive revision is not heard. He alleged that names of several lakh voters will be removed in Bihar, and if such a move takes place, there was no reason in contesting elections. Tejashwi Yadav said he would speak on this with like-minded opposition party leaders.
Till Thursday, Tejashwi Yadav and Rahul Gandhi’s complaint was that the Election Commission was not replying to their allegations.
When the Election Commission clarified that only names of those who are dead, or have shifted residence from Bihar, or who are illegal infiltrators, or who are fake voters or who have registered their names twice in the electoral list, will be removed, the picture is now clear. There should be no opposition to such a legally valid move.
It is the responsibility of the Election Commission to remove such names from the voters’ list. If any elector’s name is removed though he or she is alive, or has not shifted, or is not an infiltration, he or she will get 30 days’ time to file objections.
What more can the Election Commission do beyond this? As far as boycotting election is concerned, I don’t think Tejashwi Yadav will go to this extreme step.
Boycotting elections under present circumstances in Bihar will give a clean field to Prashant Kishore’s Jan Suraaj Party. PK will get the chance to occupy RJD’s base in Bihar and Lalu Yadav will never allow this to happen.
RSS chief’s meet with Muslim leaders : A positive step
RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat met Islamic scholars, maulanas and imams in Delhi’s Haryana Bhavan on Thursday. More than 60 Islamic scholars took part. Apart from Mohan Bhagwat, other RSS leaders Dattatreya Hosbale, Krishna Gopal, Ram Lal and Indresh Kumar also participated in the three-hour-long meeting. The maulanas aired their grievances before RSS leaders.
Bhagwat told the maulanas what Hindus expect from Muslim brethren and how the chasm could be narrowed between both communities. All India Imam Organisation chief Imam Umer Ahmed Ilyasi said, both the communities want to leave in peace and brotherhood and want India to become a world power.
The maulanas spoke openly in the presence of RSS leaders, like bulldozer action, mob lynching in the name of cow protection, boycott of Muslim traders, forcing minorities to prove their identities or the amended Waqf law. Bhagwat listened to their viewpoints and assured that the RSS would raise the voice of Muslims at all levels. He said, it would be better if religious leaders live in harmony and avoid giving hate speeches.
The RSS chief and its top leadership speaking to Muslim leaders is a positive sign. There should be more such meetings so that suspicious and grievances could be removed. This dialogue should continue with those Muslim leaders also, who have more recognition in their own community and who have a wider base. There must be efforts from both side to curb fringe elements that indulge in spreading hate.
Mohan Bhagwat’s policy is on the right path, his intentions are clear and such a move must be appreciated.
Opposition should wait for Bihar draft electoral list
There was uproar by the opposition in both Patna and Delhi over Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in Bihar. In the state assembly, RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav claimed, not a single Bangladeshi or Rohingya has been found as a voter in the electoral list. He asked why Election Commission is silent on this issue. Tejashwi Yadav questioned why names of 51 lakh voters are being removed. He described withdrawal of voting rights as “murder of democracy”.
In Parliament, most of the opposition parties created uproar and stalled proceedings in both Houses over the SIR issue. They carried placards opposing the EC’s move, but Speaker Om Birla did not allow a discussion on this issue. There are clear indications that the government is unwilling to allow a debate on this matter, because EC is a constitutional body which has the right to revise electoral lists.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi claimed, he had concrete evidence of large-scale changes made in the voters’ lists in Karnataka and Maharashtra. He promised to make this public soon. Supreme Court is going to hear the SIR issue on July 28.
While the opposition is levelling charges against the EC on SIR issue, the Commission is carrying on with its work. Data released by Election Commission shows that the special intensive revision is almost complete. More than 98 per cent voters have submitted their enumeration forms. Nearly 20 lakh voters have died since the last revision took place. Nearly 28 lakh voters are not reachable at their known addresses. They might have shifted their residence elsewhere. Nearly seven lakh voters were found to have vote in more than one places. Nearly one lakh voters are untraceable.
Election Commission says, the draft electoral list will be ready by August 1, and one month’s time will be given to voters and political parties to file objections till September 1. Their objections will be taken up by the EC. Political parties can cross check the electoral lists by going to the ground level. After disposing all objections within a month, the final electoral list will be issued.
I think the opposition should wait for the EC’s draft electoral list and Supreme Court’s judgement instead of levelling baseless charges against the Election Commission.
Why Justice Yashwant Varma’s case will drag on
Supreme Court has decided to set up a bench to hear Justice Yashwant Varma’s petition challenging the report of the inquiry committee of judges set up by the apex court in the cash recovery case.
In the petition, the judge has sought to cancel the recommendation of the then Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna calling for his impeachment. Justice Yashwant Varma has fielded top lawyers like Kapil Sibal, Mukul Rohatgi, Siddharth Luthra and Siddharth Agrawal in his defence.
In the Supreme Court, Kapil Sibal mentioned the judge’s petition and said some constitutional issues have been raised and there should be an urgent hearing. Chief Justice B R Gavai agreed to set up a special bench, but recused himself from the bench since he was part of the inquiry process as a member of the SC Collegium.
The three-judge inquiry committee, headed by Chief Justice of Punjab & Haryana High Court Sheel Nagu, had recorded the statements of 55 witnesses and had visited the judge’s bungalow where the cash was recovered in stacks.
On the basis of the inquiry committee report, the then CJI Sanjiv Khanna had written letters to President and Prime Minister on May 8 recommending impeachment of the judge. In his petition, Justice Varma has said that he was not given full opportunity to express his viewpoint.
Justice Varma’s case is not only being delayed but it becoming curiouser. It is a fact that currency notes were found from his official residence, there is a video of the notes, police had seen the bundles of cash, but neither police can question the change, nor can it file an FIR. Police cannot prepare a panchnama (statement of five persons).
The law forbids the police in doing so. The powers of Chief Justice of India are also limited. The CJI can transfer the judge, which he did. He can order an inquiry, which he did by setting up a committee of three senior judges who found Justice Varma guilty. The CJI can ask Justice Varma to resign, but the latter declined to do so.
The only option left for the CJI was to recommend to the government to initiate impeachment proceedings, which is long and time consuming. Before impeachment process could begin in Parliament, Justice Varma challenged the CJI’s decision in the Supreme Court. Top lawyers will appear for him. The matter can drag on.
The impeachment may take time. Unless the final decision comes, Justice Yashwant Varma will continue to be the judge of the High Court.
Bihar’s helpless police and hopeless Chief Minister
Bihar witnessed another round of terror by hardcore criminals. Five gunmen, carrying pistols, entered Paras Hospital in Patna, and pumped bullets into a life term convict undergoing treatment and fled.
The convict, Chandan Mishra, a criminal from Buxar, was facing 24 cases of murders, robberies and kidnappings. He was convicted in one case for life term imprisonment, and had come out of Beur jail on parole for treatment.
The cctv footage of the killers leaving hospital after committing murder looks like a film scene, but sadly, this is a real-life incident, not a reel-life one.
The killers had made a reel outside the hospital a month ago threatening to kill Mishra. They posted it on social media, but Patna police was caught napping.
The worrying part of this sordid episode is the remark of Bihar police chief Vinay Kumar, who said, Chandan Mishra should have taken care about his security and police had advised him to be careful. The DGP did not say what the police was doing.
Police have identified the shooters. One of them is Tauseef Badshah ‘Sheru’, of Phulwari Sharif, who has more than a dozen cases of murder, etc. against him. Police went to his home and, as expected, he was not there. Police went to the school where his mother is a teacher and enquired about his whereabouts. The police chief described this murder as an outcome of a gang war.
In Danapur near Patna, a 20-year-old youth Shivam’s throat was slashed by killers. His body was found in his grandfather’s village. In Rohtas, a JD(U) leader’s father Paras Nath Singh’s blood-stained body was found in the ‘gaushala’ where he used to sleep. Police attributed the motive to a land dispute.
The most surprising remark came from Additional DGP (STF) Kundan Krishnan, who blamed parents for not paying attention to the youths, who take to crime to earn quick money through ‘supari killing’. He also said, April to June is the lean farming season, when the number of supari killings spirals.
RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav lambasted the police official for saying that this was the crime season. JD(U) leader Lallan Singh reminded reporters about the terror of criminals during Lalu Yadav’s ‘jungle raj’. He said, most of the murders that have taken place were due to personal quarrels or land disputes, and police must not be blamed.
The main question is not that there used to be more killings during Lalu Yadav’s rule compared to Nitish Kumar’s reign. Theis not a T20 match for crimes.
The questions that people are asking: What order has Nitish Kumar given to the police to curb crimes? Has Bihar Police conceded defeat as far as criminals are concerned? Why have the criminals become fearless? Why is the police finding itself helpless in the face of spiralling crimes?
The compulsion of police can be gauged from the remarks of its Additional DGP, when he says that since it is a lean farming season, crimes are on the rise, and the spiral will stop with the advent of monsoon. Is it not a reflection of mental bankruptcy?
One official says, farmers who have no work to do are responsible for crimes, another official says, society and family elders are not doing their job. Do they want to say that society or farmers are responsible for the recent spurt in crimes?
Criminals calmly leave a hospital after pumping bullets into a man lying on a bed and the police official says, we will create a data bank of all such shooters.
For the last 20 years, the chief minister Nitish Kumar has been holding the Home portfolio. He is ultimately responsible for ensuring law and order, and he is absent from the scene.
Nitish Kumar will have to bear the consequences for such irresponsible remarks of his police officials. If Tejashwi Yadav goes to town and makes it an issue, there is nothing wrong in it.
Nitish Kumar’s role reversal : pre-poll freebie
Bihar CM Nitish Kumar on Thursday announced a freebie ahead of assembly elections. He announced free electricity up to 125 units a month for all consumers, and this will be reflected in the July bill from August 1 onwards. Consumers who use more units, will have their bill reduced for the first 125 units.
State minister Ashok Chaudhary said, the government was already footing 80 per cent subsidy on power, and after the caste census was carried out, it was found that there are 94 lakh families which are extremely poor and they need relief.
RJD leader Manoj Jha said, Tejashwi Yadav had promised 200 units free electricity, and Nitish Kumar has copied the idea by announcing free power up to 125 units. Similarly, Nitish Kumar had copied Tejashwi ‘s idea of giving old age pension.
One should remember it was Nitish Kumar who had been opposing election freebies in the past. He had then opposed free electricity. The same leader has now announced 125 units free electricity.
Heavens will not fall if leaders of Nitish’s party JD(U) admit that this freebie has been announced in view of forthcoming elections.
All leaders of political parties announce freebies before elections. This has been the practice in the last two decades. Tejashwi Yadav had promised free electricity, pension for old people and widows, and allowances for unemployed youths. That was also part of election strategy.
The people know this. Instead of trying obfuscate the issue, leaders should clearly admit that this is a freebie announced ahead of elections. Period.
Curb crimes in Bihar with a strong hand
Nine murders took place within a span of 24 hours in Bihar and nearly a dozen incidents of robberies and murder took place. A bank manager’s body was found inside a well in Beur locality of Patna after he was reported missing since Sunday night. The murders took place in Begusarai, Samstipur and Madhubani. Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Sinha has said, criminals will not be spared and if required, encounters and bulldozers will be resorted to send a tough message.
Law and order is emerging as a big issue ahead of the Bihar assembly elections. Jan Suraaj Party chief Prashant Kishore questioned why criminals were not encountered during the last twenty years. Arresting one or two big fish among the criminals won’t do, he said. RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav alleged that the government is only making loud noises and criminals are moving around fearlessly.
In Patna, there were firings in three areas during the last 24 hours in which a lawyer was killed barely 300 metres away from Sultanganj police station. In Fulwari Sharif, a student was shot and the killers vanished. In Gaurichak, a bike mechanic was shot by criminals in the foot. The attackers had come in a car brandishing a pistol.
In Begusarai, three persons were shot in broad daylight and one youth died while two others are seriously wounded. Six ,masked gunmen came on two bikes and fired at the three victims. In Chhapra, a businessman Raju Rai was shot in his abdomen and foot, 100 metres away from the police station. In Madhubani, a youth Salman was shot dead inside his home and the assassin was caught by neighbours. In Samastipur, murderers slashed the neck of a 14-year-old boy killing him on the spot.
In Arrah, villagers attacked an excise squad which had gone to catch bootleggers. One bootlegger was killed on the spot, while villagers took a jawan of Special Auxilliary Police as hostage and stopped traffic.
Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Sinha blamed RJD for the crime situation saying criminals have gained courage because of RJD. Congress MP Pappu Yadav alleged that officials were busy in extortion giving a go-by to maintaining law and order.
In all, there have been 50 murders in Bihar during the last 13 days. This is a serious situation. The state government does not have more time nor options in hand, except to carry out a statewide crackdown on criminals.
Merely comparing today’s situation with ‘jungle raj’ during Lalu Yadav’s regime will not do. Criminals must be crushed with a strong hand. Police must instil fear in the minds of criminals and if required, it can take resort to encounters or bulldozers.
All-out efforts must be made to curb crimes, but in order to do that, it needs backing from the political masters. The government must show a strong determination to root out crimes. It is Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s responsibility to ensure that the rule of law is ensured. If he misses, the people of Bihar will not forgive him.
Ahmedabad Air Crash : Release Final Report Soon
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation has directed all airline operators using 209 Boeing aircraft, to check fuel control switch locking mechanism by July 21. This directive comes two days after the release of the preliminary report of Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau on the Ahmedabad Air India plane crash.
AAIB had issued the preliminary report on Saturday midnight in which it was mentioned that the furel control switch of Air India Dreamliner was put off, cutting off fuel supply to the engine.
In the audio, one pilot was heard asking his colleague, whether he had switched off the fuel, and the second pilot replied that he did not. On the basis of this cockpit voice recording, it is being speculated that the air crash took place because of pilot error.
Strangely, the AAIB preliminary report was published by Wall Street Journal two days before it was officially released. Western media like SkyNews, BBC, CNN and Reuters prominently published portions of this report and squarely put the blame on the ill-fated plane’s pilots.
The Pilots’ Association questioned this speculation saying that the report has been prepared with the objective of putting the pilots in the dock without carrying out a full-fledged probe. Some experts said, those probing this crash do not even know the basic functions of this aircraft and are now pointing fingers at the pilots.
Actually, the AAIB report was released at midnight without any signature or attribution. Experts say that Boeing company had issued advisory in 2019 to all operators to change the Throttle Control Module in all Boeing 787-8 aircraft, after which Air India changed TCM in 2019 and 2023. Fuel control switch falls within this module.
Civil Aviation Minister Rammohan Naidu has said, this is a preliminary report and the probe is ongoing. Hence, no final conclusion should be drawn on its basis. He also said, it will be incorrect to point fingers at pilots’ error and all should wait for the final report.
People in India and the rest of the world want to know, in a nutshell, why Air India Dreamliner plane crashed in Ahmedabad? Where was the main error? How both engines failed soon after take-off? Why the aircraft crashed within 30 seconds?
The preliminary report does not reply to any of these questions. Instead, it has raised new questions. Was the report released to shield Boeing? Was the report released to squarely put the blame on the ill-fated plane’s pilots? Why was this report released around midnight? Why did the international media made a one-sided interpretation of this report?
All these questions require answers. The probe into the Air India crash should not be made to pinpoint blame on anybody or to shield anybody. The main purpose of this probe is to find out why the unfortunate tragedy took place? So that in future, we can save people from danger.
The question is not about the fate of a single flight. It relates to all Boeing aircraft that are flying daily across the world. The detailed report must come out soonest. There should be little scope for waiting.
Omar Abdullah : Give Him Dignity & Respect
There was drama in the Valley, when Jammu & Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah, sneaked out of his official residence, without telling place, walked through the markets of Srinagar on Monday with his followers, scaled the wall of Mazaar-e-Shuhda to pay respects to the martyrs of 1931 who died during Dogra regime.
Martyrs Day fell on Sunday, but local administration did not permit anybody, including Omar, his father Dr Farooq Abdullah and former CM Mehbooba Mufti, Altaf Bukhari, and Sajjad Lone, to go the graves of martyrs, citing law and order issues. Most of these leaders were confined to their homes by the local administration.
On Monday, Omar Abdullah try to go the Mazaar again, he was stopped by police, there was a scuffle, and he had to return, only to sneak out of his home to reach the martyrs’ graves. His father Dr Farooq Abdullah also managed to reach the Mazaar and offered fateha prayers.
Omar Abdullah alleged that the “unelected administration of Jammu and Kashmir” at the instance of Centre, was trying to stop “elected people’s representatives” to offer prayers to martyrs. West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee, wrote on X: “What is wrong in visiting the graveyard of martyrs? This is not only unfortunate, it also snatches the democratic right of a citizen. What happened this morning to an elected Chief Minister Omar Abdullah is unacceptable. Shocking. Shameful.”
The manner in which police behaved with Chief Minister Omar Abdullah cannot be justified by any means. He is an elected chief minister. The manner in which the CM scaled the wall of the graveyard, leaving his security staff behind, is also risky.
There is no doubt that it was political compulsion on part of Omar Abdullah to visit Mazaar-e-Shuhda. He knows that Kashmiri Pandits also celebrate July 13 as Black Day. He knows that this could hurt the feelings of Kashmiri Pandits, but to keep him confined to his home, and prevent him from visiting the Mazaar is not a right step.
Omar Abdullah’s behaviour after becoming Chief Minister has been quite dignified. He should be dealt with dignity and respect.
Bihar electoral revision : Fears are unfounded
Congress, RJD and other opposition parties were expecting the Supreme Court to put a brake on the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise on electoral rolls going on in Bihar, but their expectations were belied.
The Supreme Court on Thursday allowed the Election Commission to continue with the exercise, but at the same time, it asked the EC to consider Aadhar, Voter ID card and ration card as valid documents for this exercise.
The bench of Justice Sudhanshu Dhulia and Justice Joymalya Bagchi said, it was prima facie of the view that EC should consider Aadhar, voter I-card and ration card as valid documents for this exercise.
The apex court held that it was the responsibility of EC to update and revise voters lists, remove incorrect entries and add new voters. On behalf of the EC, the apex court was told that the revision work would end on July 25, as more than 60 per cent forms of voters have been submitted.
The EC counsel told the court that the main purpose of SIR was to remove incorrect names from the list and the name of not a single legal voter shall be removed, nor would the right to cast vote be withheld. The apex court has sought a detailed reply from the EC on its queries within a week, after which further hearing shall take place on July 28.
Both the ruling and opposition camps described the SC order as their victory. Actually, the voter list revision process has been fully politicalized and the Supreme Court has realized this.
Question was raised as to why the necessity to check voter lists in Bihar? The answer given was, it is the responsibility of EC.
Question was raised, why is this exercise being carried out now? The answer given was, whenever elections are scheduled, voters lists need to be checked, so that no fake voter can cast a vote.
Question was asked, why 31 days were earmarked for this huge exercise? The reply was, the last intensive revision took place in Bihar in 2003, and at that time too, the time given was for 31 days. This time, voters whose names appeared in the list after 2003, will be checked and not all voters will be checked, hence 31 days are sufficient.
Question was asked, why names of voters are being verified on the basis of 11 documents and Aadhar, ration card and MNREGA card not included in the list of documents? The reply given was, these are three cards on the basis of which names of fake voters can be included. In Bihar, saturation of Aadhar card holders is more than 100 per cent. Hence, the possibility of fake Aadhar cards being misused for inclusion in voter list was more.
The Election Commission has promised that names of genuine voters will not be removed from the list, but the real problem is not related to questions and answers.
The basic problem relates to trust deficit about the Election Commission. A narrative is sought to be created to project that this intensive revision by EC is being carried out at the behest of the central government. And if the government has prodded the EC to carry out this exercise, it means, it could be a conspiracy to give advantage to the BJP.
What can anybody do in such a situation? When the number of voters increased before the Maharashtra elections, it became a problem, and when number of voters will decrease in Bihar, it will again become a problem.
There is a saying in Urdu, “Shaq Ka Ilaaj Hakeem Lukman Ke Paas Bhi Nahin Hai” (There is no treatment to cure somebody’s suspicions).
Firing at Kapil’s cafe : Canada has a lot to answer
Shots rang out outside a cafe in Canada owned by celebrity comedian Kapil Sharma. Babbar Khalsa International claimed responsibility. Harjit Singh Laddi, a Germany based Babbar Khalsa activist, claimed responsibility for firing shots at Kap’s Cafe, in Surrey, British Columbia, Canada on Wednesday night. No one was hurt.
A video clip surfaced showing an unknown man emptying bullets from a semi-automatic pistol. Laddi said, some objectionable remarks were made about Nihang Sikhs in Kapil Sharma’s TV comedy show in the past.
Such a brazen attack on Kapil Sharma’s cafe is a cowardly act. Where are those leaders in Canada who were seeking protection for Khalistani supporters in the name of freedom of expression? Where are those who had been saying that everybody has a right to express views? Has Kapil Sharma the right to express his views or not?
Can any attempt to intimidate people by citing a comedian’s remark be justified? As far as I know, Kapil Sharma never makes any remark which hurts the sensibilities of any individual or community. His only job is to make his audience laugh. Action must be taken against those who carried out this firing.
Bihar electoral revision : Rahul, Tejashwi on a weak ground
The RJD-led Mahagathbandhan in Bihar gave call for Bihar Bandh on July 9 to protest the special intensive revision of electoral rolls ordered by Election Commission of India.
There was practically no effect on day-to-day life in other cities of India except Patna, where RJD, Congress and Left leaders led a protest march. Tejashwi Yadav and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi led the march and gave speeches.
Rahul Gandhi alleged there was massive rigging in Maharashtra assembly elections held last year and plans are afoot to do the same in the forthcoming Bihar assembly polls. He said, while the number of voters in Maharashtra was inflated, in Bihar, names of many voters will be deleted through this revision exercise.
Tejashwi Yadav alleged, the “EC is working at the behest of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Amit Shah and Bihar CM Nitish Kumar and efforts are being made to delete names of voters belonging to poorer sections, backward and extremely backward classes, Dalits and Muslim communities”.
Two significant points came up at the Mahagathbandhan rally.
Firstly, Pappu Yadav and Rahul’s close aide Kanhaiya Kumar were barred from standing on the ‘rath’ (vehicle) in which Rahul and Tejashwi were travelling. It is being alleged that Tejashwi Yadav does not like these two leaders, and it was at his instance that both the leaders were prevented to travel in that vehicle. This has created anger among Congress supporters.
Secondly, Mahagathbandhan leaders criticized the Election Commission, but none of the leaders explained how verification of Bihar’s 7.9 crore voters can be carried out in 25 days.
Till yesterday, most of the leaders were claiming that the Election Commission would wave a magic wand, and run special trains for Bihar voters spread out throughout the country to come and join the revision exercise, but on Wednesday, most of these leaders were silent.
The reason being, Election Commission published data saying that 58 per cent voters have submitted their forms within last 15 days, and there are still 16 days left. By Wednesday evening, the Election Commission had received more than 53.89 lakh out of a total of 7.9 lakh voters in the state and the special intensive revision process will continue till July 25.
All voters’ lists will be prepared on the basis of this exercise. Election Commission has speeded up its exercise and all eyes are set on the verdict of Supreme Court on this issue.
Take action against MLA for beating canteen staff
Shiv Sena (Eknath Shinde) MLA Sanjay Gaekwad slapped and kicked an employee working at the MLA hostel canteen for serving stale food. Gaekwad had ordered food from the canteen at night, and dal, sabzi was served in his room.
The MLA alleged, he found a foul smell from the dal, and he went straight to the canteen carrying dal. In the canteen, the MLA rained blows and kicks on the hapless employee.
The next day, the matter was raised in the assembly and action was demanded by some members against Gaekwad, who had come to the House carrying dal and sabzi in a polythene bag. He demanded a probe into the affairs of the canteen.
Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said, this matter should not be politicized and the question relates to behaviour of a politician with commoners. He described Gaekwad’s behaviour as questionable and said the MLA could have complained to the authorities about the stale food that was served.
Deputy CM Eknath Shinde said, stale food was served to the MLA and he fell ill, but it was not justified to beat an employee over this issue. Outside the House, Sanjay Gaekwad said, “I am the disciple of Balasaheb Thackeray who taught us to beat someone if he does mischief.”
What the MLA did was shameful. Drunk with the elixir of power, he slapped and kicked a canteen employee. This must be condemned by all. It is easy to raise hand on a weak person, but, as Devendra Fadnavis said, the MLA could have complained about the stale food. There was no need to beat an employee.
Unfortunately, the MLA has not realized his mistake and he is saying that he would again beat any person who served him stale food. This is indicative of a sick mindset.
In Hindi, there is a saying, ‘Pahle Chori, Phir Seenazori’ (first you commit mistake, then you justify). A case should be filed against the legislator and he should be handed over to police.
All parties inside the Assembly must demand action against the unruly MLA. If a legislator commits such an act, the honour of the entire Assembly is sullied.
Unfortunately, leaders like Uddhav Thackeray are trying to score political brownie points from this. He described the MLA’s act as “a conspiracy by Eknath Shinde against Fadnavis”.
Giving a political colour to a legislator’s crime and providing the guilty person an escape route, does not lower the gravity of his crime.
Bihar Police : Learn from Yogi’s style
It seems that Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s police in Bihar has taken a leaf out of Yogi Adityanath’s book in the murder case of businessman Gopal Khemka. One of the accused, Vikas alias Raja was killed in an encounter near a brick kiln, the main shooter Umesh Yadav and the rival businessman Ashok Sao, who had given Rs 4 lakh as ‘supari’ to the killers, have been arrested.
Bihar deputy CM Samrat Chaudhary said criminals in the state will now be liquidated (‘thoka jayega’), while another deputy CM Vijay Sinha has said bulldozers and bullets will be used to punish criminals.
Bihar police claimed the main shooter Umesh Yadav was nabbed first, when police got cctv footage of his motorbike. Yadav spilled out the beans. He had earlier worked with businessman Ashok Sao, who offered him Rs 4 lakh ‘supari’ for killing his business rival Khemka over a land deal. It was Ashok Sao who gave him advance money and weapon.
Question arises about the encounter of the third accused and police has no concrete reply.
Police said, Vikas alias Raja was a professional criminal and he used to supply weapons. According to police, Umesh Yadav asked Vikas to provide weapon, but the latter was demanding more money. While police was taking him to a brick kiln in search of hidden weapons, Vikas alias Raja fired on police and in retaliatory firing, he was killed.
Khemka murder case clearly shows how human life is cheap in Bihar. It was a land dispute and Rs 4 lakh‘supari’ money was given to kill a rival. The shooter coolly murdered the businessman and went away to do his daily chores. He was caught by police when he was going to leave his daughter in school. He did not try to hide anything and it became an open-and-shut case for police.
It is good that Bihar Police has now swung into action because of political and media pressures.
Police officials themselves claim that they can pick up criminals swiftly and bump them off in encounter. This is not the matter of a single murder and police action must not stop here.
Murders and robberies have become a regular feature in Bihar and the state police must show to the criminals who calls the shots. Elections may come and go, but the majesty of the state and its police must remain.
Fight for what: Marathi pride or Marathi votes?
Maharashtra is witnessing a drama of a different sort. Both the Thackeray cousins are fanning Marathi pride and BJP and its allies are on the defensive. Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena has taken a middle path.
In Mira-Bhayandar of Thane district, supporters of Raj Thackeray’s Maharashtra Navnirman Sinha, under the banner of Marathi Swabhimaan Morcha, carried out a protest march. It was a counter against a traders’ protest against the beating of a non-Marathi food stall owner by MNS supporters.
A state minister Pratap Sarnaik, belonging to Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena tried to join the protest, but was asked by protesters to leave.
NCP(Sharad Pawar) leader Rohit Pawar questioned why the state police allowed non-Marathi traders to protest, but did not allow MNS supporters to take out a march.
The controversy began two weeks ago, when the Maharashtra government issued an order asking all primary schools to teach Hindi as a third language. After a hue and cry by Uddhav Thackeray, Raj Thackeray and other opposition parties, the state government withdrew its order.
The Thackeray cousins addressed a victory rally in Mumbai on Sunday. What was the need to create a fresh controversy in Thane? Actually, the cousins want to flex their political muscle to the shopkeepers. They wanted to tell the North Indian shopkeepers how they dared to stage a protest against Marathi?
The main aim of Thackeray cousins is to project themselves as the protector of Marathas, and to rejuvenate their parties. But the public knows the truth.
In Maharashtra, both Marathas and north Indians live in peace together, there is no problem over Hindi language, nor has anyone any objection to speaking Marathi. The problem arises when elections are held. Had there been no BMC municipal elections due, so much hullabaloo would not have happened.