Yelahanka BJP MLA S.R. Vishwanath expressed his outrage against the party allotting a ticket to former minister K. Sudhakar for Chikkaballapur MP Seat…reports Asian Lite News
After Union Home Minister Amit Shah visited Karnataka, the internal issues in the BJP seem to have been resolved.
The party had been facing problems after candidate selection and some leaders, who had been left out, were expressing their grievances openly.
Some BJP candidates even faced go-back campaigns by their party men in Chitradurga, Chikkaballapur, Belagavi, Tumakuru, Bengaluru North, Koppal and Shivamogga constituencies.
Independent MP Sumalatha Ambareesh from Mandya was also not happy after the seat was given to the JD(S) party.
Former Deputy CM K.S. Eshwarappa had declared that he would contest as an independent candidate after his son was denied the ticket.
Yelahanka BJP MLA S.R. Vishwanath expressed his outrage against the party allotting a ticket to former minister K. Sudhakar for Chikkaballapur MP Seat.
In Chitradurga, BJP MLA B.N. Chandrappa had challenged the candidature of former DyCM Govind Karjol for Chitradurga MP Seat and had stated that he would field his son as an independent candidate.
Former DyCM Govind Karajol was greeted with go-back posters in Chitradurga.
Former CM Jagadish Shettar faced a rebellion in Belagavi. Union Ministers of State Bhagwanth Khuba and Shobha Karandlaje also faced internal rifts in Bidar and Bengaluru North Parliamentary Seats.
Sources said that Union Home Minister Amit Shah gave the task to former CM Yediyurappa to quell the rebellion by pacifying disgruntled leaders. Yediyurappa managed to quell the dissent in Belagavi, Bidar, Chitradurga, Tumakuru, and Koppal constituencies.
Amit Shah amid the tight schedule in the state on Tuesday made personal phone calls to Sumalatha Ambareesh, Eshwarappa and Vishwanath. Following this Sumalatha declared that she would be joining the BJP. Eshwarappa is reaching Delhi by Wednesday evening to talk to the leadership.
Chikkaballapur MP Candidate Dr K. Sudhakar met BJP MLA Vishwanath at his residence in Bengaluru on Wednesday. Vishwanath, who expressed outrage against Sudhakar, earlier greeted him warmly in the presence of Karnataka election in-charge Radha Mohan Das Agarwal.
Congress, hoping to bank on internal strife in BJP and dreaming of winning, is now disappointed with the development and preparing for tough competition.
Eshwarappa said his son has told him that even if he does not get a political future, “the party should be cleansed”…reports Asian Lite News
Former Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister and BJP leader KS Eshwarappa, who has decided to contest the Lok Sabha election from Shivamogga constituency as an independent, said on Tuesday that he had received a call from Union Home Minister Amit Shah to meet him in Delhi on Wednesday.
Eshwarappa said that he would meet the Union Minister tomorrow but will not change his decision to contest the election unless the state BJP president BY Vijayendra, son of former Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa, is replaced before the polls.
“I responded positively to Amit Shah’s call and have discussed this in the circle of my close friends. I will go to Delhi. But there is no change in my stance. I have decided to contest as a non-party candidate. I have made it clear that I will not contest the election only if state party president (BY Vijayendra) is replaced,” Eshwarappa told reporters here.
Yediyurappa’s son, BY Raghavendra, is the incumbent MP and BJP nominee from Shivamogga for the Lok Sabha election.
Eshwarappa said his fight is against the control of the BJP in the state “by one family”.
“Prime Minister Narendra Modi used to say that Congress has a family culture. Similarly, the BJP is in the hands of one family in the state. The party should be freed from that family. Party workers are hurt. I will compete and contest to relieve the pain of workers,” he said.
He said the work of those who fought for Hindutva ideology and for the organization should be respected.
“I’m contesting to fix the mess. I will not step back from the decision, I will pay my respects to you and come to Delhi,” the BJP leader said.
Eshwarappa said his son has told him that even if he does not get a political future, “the party should be cleansed”.
Voting for Lok Sabha seats in Karnataka will be held in two phases on April 26 and May 7 for 28 constituencies. Shivamogga will go to the polls on May 7. (ANI)
New Delhi: Union Home Minister speaks in the Lok Sabha during the Winter session of Parliament, in New Delhi on Wednesday, December 6, 2023. (Photo: IANS/Sansad TV)
Jammu and Kashmir Reservation (Amendment) Bill, 2023; and the J-K Reorganisation (Amendment) Bill were passed by the Lok Sabha on Wednesday…reports Asian Lite News
As the Parliament convenes on Day 4 of the ongoing Winter Session on Thursday Union Home Minister Amit Shah will move the two bills the Jammu and Kashmir Reservation (Amendment) Bill, 2023; and the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation (Amendment) Bill, 2023 in the Rajya Sabha for consideration and passage.
The two bills were earlier passed by the Lok Sabha on Wednesday.
The House saw a marathon debate over two days and passed the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation (Amendment) Bill,2023 and the Jammu and Kashmir Reservation (Amendment) Bill,2023.
“The Jammu and Kashmir Reservation(Amendment) Bill, 2023, Amit Shah to move the Bill further to amend the Jammu and Kashmir Reservation Act, 2004, as passed by Lok Sabha, be taken into consideration. Also to move that the Bill be passed,” the Legislative agenda released by the Rajya Sabha read.
The Jammu and Kashmir Reservation (Amendment) Bill, 2023, was introduced in Lok Sabha on July 26, 2023. It amends the Jammu and Kashmir Reservation Act of 2004.
The Act provides for reservation in jobs and admission in professional institutions to members of Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, and other socially and educationally backward classes.
The Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation (Amendment) Bill, 2023 seeks to amend the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019.
The Act amended the Second Schedule of the 1950 Act to specify the total number of seats in the Jammu and Kashmir assembly. The proposed Bill increases the total number of assembly seats and reserves seven seats for Scheduled Castes and nine seats for Scheduled Tribes.
Meanwhile, a short-duration discussion on the “Economic Situation in the country will continue on day 4 of the Rajya Sabha.
“Further discussion on the “Economic Situation in the country” raised by Derek O’ Brien on 5th December 2023,” the legislative agenda read.
Earlier during a short-duration discussion on the ‘Economic situation in the country’ in Rajya Sabha, Congress MP and former Union finance minister P Chidambaram on Tuesday said, “If India is growing at the fastest rate in the world, then why is the impact of the growth not felt on the ground? We are a large economy, we are growing at the fastest rate in the world & we have the largest FDI coming in, but why is it not seen on the ground? I specifically want to ask why is it not seen in the inflation and unemployment numbers?”
Taking part in the debate, the BJP MP Sudhanshu Trivedi weighed in on India’s growth rate on the state of the national economy amid the prevailing global challenges in the Rajya Sabha in the ongoing Winter Session of Parliament and said that the country’s robust GDP numbers reflect the “growth rate of Hindutva”.
In a veiled dig at the previous Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government at the Centre, Trivedi said the Indian economy was striving to go beyond 2 per cent, which was jokingly labelled as the “Hindu rate of growth”.
Also, BJP MPs Anil Jain and Neeraj Shekhar are likely to present the 249th and 250th reports (in English and Hindi) of the Department-related Parliamentary Standing Committee on Home Affairs in the Rajya Sabha, agenda said. The Winter Session began on December 4 and will culminate on December 22. (ANI)
Home Minister Blames Nehru For PoK
Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday came down heavily on India’s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, and alleged that he committed “two major blunders” — declaring a ceasefire without winning the entire Kashmir and taking the issue to the United Nations, due to which the people of Jammu and Kashmir had to suffer for years.
While speaking in the Lok Sabha on the Jammu and Kashmir Reservation (Amendment) Bill and the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation (Amendment) Bill, Shah said if Nehru had taken the right steps, a large chunk of territory would not have been ceded and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) would have been part of India.
Taking a jibe at Nehru, Shah said, “I support the word that was used here — Nehruvian blunder. Because of the blunder that was committed during the time of Nehru, Kashmir had to suffer. With responsibility, I want to say that the two big blunders that happened during the tenure of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, happened due to his decisions, because of which Kashmir had to suffer for years.”
Shah said: “Two mistakes that happened due to the decision of (former PM) Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru due to which Kashmir had to suffer for many years.”
“The first is to declare a ceasefire – when our army was winning, the ceasefire was imposed. If there had been a ceasefire after three days, PoK would have been a part of India today… The second is to take our internal issue to the UN,” the minister said.
Following the mention of Nehru, the Congress members staged a walkout from the Lok Sabha, but returned later.
New Delhi: Union Home Minister Amit Shah speaks in the Lok Sabha during the Winter session of Parliament, in New Delhi, Tuesday, Dec. 5, 2023.(IANS/Video Grab/Sansad TV)
The Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation (Amendment) Bill and the Jammu and Kashmir Reservation (Amendment) Bill have been taken up together for consideration in the Lok Sabha…reports Asian Lite News
Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday moved two Bills in Lok Sabha — the Jammu and Kashmir Reservation (Amendment) Bill, 2023, and the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation (Amendment) Bill, 2023.
The Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation (Amendment) Bill and the Jammu and Kashmir Reservation (Amendment) Bill have been taken up together for consideration in the Lok Sabha.
Around four hours had been initially set apart for the discussion.
Union Minister Anurag Thakur said: “Earlier there were stone-pelting incidents in Kashmir. Today, there are no such incidents. Today, not only at Lal Chowk but the Indian flag is hoisted in every lane in Kashmir.”
While deliberating upon the two amendment Bills on reorganisation and reservation in Jammu and Kashmir, Congress MP Manish Tewari questioned the constitutionality of repealing Articles 370 and 35A.
The Congress MP recalled the President’s Proclamation released in 2018 and pointed out a clause which referred to the termination of Sections 1 and 2 of Article 3 of the Constitution.
Tewari alleged that the idea of repealing Article 370 was incorporated in the Proclamation leading up to the President’s Rule in the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir.
Responding to the remarks, Home Minister Amit Shah said the clause in the Proclamation was a necessary step as passing the state’s budget would only be possible then at a time when the state’s legislative assembly stood dissolved.
Tewari responded to this saying Article 3 does not talk about the functioning of the state assembly rather it only talks about the reorganisation of the territory.
Trinamool Congress MP Sougata Roy raised questions on the revocation of the Article 370 and 35A which led to the formation of Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.
Roy asked the government about the outcomes after the Articles were repealed. The Trinamool Congress MP from West Bengal’s Dum Dum also complained that the situation of people in Jammu and Kashmir has not improved since.
Shah during discussion on the J&K Bills in Lok Sabha said: “How can a country have two Prime Ministers, two Constitutions and two flags? Those who did this, they did wrong. Prime Minister Narendra Modi corrected it. We have been saying that there should be ‘Ek Pradhan, Ek Nishan, Ek Vidhan’ (One Prime Minister, one flag and one Constitution) in the country, and we did it.”
He was speaking on remarks made by Roy on the J&K Bills.
NCP (Sharad Pawar) faction MP Supriya Sule, amid the Maratha quota agitation in Maharashtra, asked for a discussion on pan-India reservation.
She was speaking amid the deliberations on the two J&K amendment bills, one of which talks about reservation for the people of the union territory.
She also remembered late BJP leaders Arun Jaitley and Sushma Swaraj for their contributions to Indian politics.
“Today, I miss Arun Jaitely and Sushma Swaraj… they were the only BJP leaders who advocated for the cooperative federalism,” Sule said.
Oppn Seeks Time-Frame For J-K Polls; RS Discusses Economic Situation
Lok Sabha on Tuesday took up discussion on two bills on Jammu and Kashmir while the Rajya Sabha discussed the economic situation in the country with the BJP members praising the government for its handling of the economy in a difficult global situation and the opposition members pointing to price rise and “high unemployment” in the country.
Home Minister Amit Shah moved the Jammu and Kashmir Reservation (Amendment) Bill, 2023 and Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation (Amendment) Bill, 2023 for consideration and passing in Lok Sabha. The House took up debate on the two bills together.
Several members took part in the debate and the Home Minister is expected to give reply on Wednesday.
Participating in the debate, opposition members accused the government of delaying elections in Jammu and Kashmir. They said the government is talking of improved law and order situation in Jammu and Kashmir but assembly elections have not been held.
During the debate, which was initiated by Congress member Amar Singh, several members also said that the government should restore the statehood of Jammu and Kashmir.
Saugata Roy of the Trinamool Congress (TMC) said the government should announce a time-frame for holding polls in Jammu and Kashmir.
Roy targeted the government and said it was first time that a state had been turned into Union Territory.
“Let me start with the situation in Jammu and Kashmir since Amit Shah took over as Home Minister. One of the major steps taken by him was to abrogate Article 370 and then convert the states of Jammu and Kashmir to Union Territories. First Jammu and Kashmir and second, Ladakh. Earlier, Union Territories were converted into States and here, Amit Shah converted the states into Union Territories. What have you achieved?” he asked.
“If there is no Legislative Assembly, then why are you making the changes? Have a Legislative Assembly and then make it. I don’t know what the hurry is; the hurry should be to hold the elections in Jammu and Kashmir,” he added.
“They abrogated Article 370 just to fulfil the BJP promise: ‘Ek Pradhan, Ek Nishan, Ek Vidhan’ (One Prime Minister, one flag and one Constitution). This was the slogan at the time of Syama Prasad (Mookerjee), this is not for the people of Jammu and Kashmir, as this was a political statement and was his slogan,” he said.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah countered Sugata Roy over some of his remarks and asked how can a country have two PMs, two constitutions and two flags.
“How can a country have two PMs, two constitutions and two flags? Those who did this, they did wrong. PM Modi corrected it. We have been saying since 1950 that there should be ‘Ek Pradhan, Ek Nishan, Ek Vidhan’ (One Prime Minister, one flag and one Constitution) in the country, and we did it.” Shah said.
Union Minister Anurag Thakur said Kashmir saw stone-pelting incidents earlier but there were no such incidents now.
Thakur alleged that the TMC government in West Bengal is not allowing the “Viksit Bharat Sankalp Yatra”, which showcases the people-centric policies of the Narendra Modi government in the state.
Participating in the debate, J-K National Conference MP Hasnain Masoodi said the bill should not have been brought at this stage as the Supreme Court was yet to announce its verdict on the petitions challenging the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganization Act.
He said the decisions on matters, being sought to be amended by the bills, were taken by the assembly and any changes should be made there. (ANI)
Farmagudi: Union Home Minister Amit Shah addresses during a public meeting in Farmagudi,on Sunday, April 16, 2023.(Photo:IANS/Twitter)
He said the forecast not only warns India about the disaster but also predicts the potential impact it is likely to cause…reports Asian Lite News
India attaches special importance to the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) in promoting dialogue on multi-dimensional political, security and economic subjects, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said on Thursday.
He said this while chairing a meeting of Heads of Departments of SCO member states responsible for Prevention and Elimination of Emergency Situations in New Delhi.
He said India’s priority as the chair of the SCO is to take forward the SECURE theme articulated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the Qingdao Summit of the grouping in 2018.
SECURE stands S – Security, E – Economic Cooperation, C – Connectivity, U – Unity, R – Respect For Sovereignty and Integrity and E – Environment Protection.
Under the leadership of PM Modi, India attaches special importance to the SCO in promoting dialogue on the subject relating to multi-dimensional political, security and economic subjects, an official statement said.
Shah said India attaches special importance to disaster risk reduction and is ready to share its expertise and experience in this field for greater cooperation and mutual trust among SCO member states. He said India believes that no hazard is small or big and it does not leave anyone behind.
Shah said India now has more accurate and timely early warning system in place and the country has seen a sea change in the way its early warning systems (EWS) of drought, flood, lightning, heat wave, cold wave, cyclone, have improved.
He said the forecast not only warns India about the disaster but also predicts the potential impact it is likely to cause.
According to Shah, at the time of a natural disaster, it is of great importance how quickly the relief reaches the affected area and this speed reflects the preparedness of the team and the efficiency of their training.
He said India has been associated with the SCO since 2005 and playing an important role as an observer country, since then. At the 17th Summit in 2017, India became a full member of the SCO as part of an important step in the process of expansion of this organization.
Shah said it is a matter of pride that India is donning the mantle of the chair of the SCO Council of Heads of State for the very first time since becoming a full-fledged member state in 2017.
He said the SCO will probably be the largest regional organisation in the world at this time, representing 40 per cent of the global population, 25 per cent of the global GDP and 22 per cent of the world’s total land area.
Today, the SCO has developed into an international organization and it has provided an excellent platform for harmonising cooperation with all member countries, he said.
He said each and every life, family and their livelihood are priceless and all possible efforts should be made to protect it.
He said India’s approach to early warning system is people-centric and we want to ensure that our forecasting and warning system is not just scientifically advanced but it is also communicated in a manner that is understandable, usable and actionable by common people.
Home Minister says Modi model was implementing an investment of ₹56,000 crore on the ground giving employment to the youth in J&K…reports Asian Lite News
Union Home Minister Amit Shah took a firm position against Pakistan on Wednesday, and said that while “some people” advocated talks with the western neighbour, India would not talk to Pakistan, and would talk to the people of Kashmir instead.
In an impassioned speech in Baramulla on the third day of his visit to Jammu and Kashmir, Shah attacked former Chief Ministers Farooq Abdullah, Mehbooba Mufti and the Congress, alleging that the political formations that had ruled Kashmir before the abrogation of article 370 in August 2019, had laid a “red carpet” for Pakistani terrorists into India.
Shah said, “Some people say we should talk to Pakistan. Why should we talk to Pakistan? We will not talk. We will talk to the people of Baramulla, we will talk to the people of Kashmir.”
The Home Minister juxtaposed two political models that operate in Kashmir, drawing a difference between the “Gupkar model” and that of the Prime Minister Narendra Modi led BJP. The People’s Alliance for Gupkar Declaration(PAGD) is an alliance of six regional parties in Jammu and Kashmir led by Farooq Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti, that wants the restoration of Article 70 and statehood to Jammu and Kashmir.
“There are two models. One of PM Modi which gives employment, peace and brotherhood; and another is the Gupkar model which led to the Pulwama attack. PM Modi made a hospital in Pulwama at an expense of ₹2,000 crore. The Gupkar model is laying the red carpet for the Pakistani terrorists into the country, whereas the Modi model is implementing an investment of ₹56,000 crore on the ground giving employment to the youth. Gupkar model placed stones, closed colleges, and machine guns in the hands of the youth,” he said.
National Conference vice president and former chief minister Omar Abdullah responded to Shah, and said that when the Pulwama attack took place in February 2019, the state was being administered by the central government appointed governor Satya Pal Malik. Abdullah shared photographs of Prime Minister Modi with leaders of the Gupkar alliance and asked, “If “Gupkar model gave guns & stones to youth of Kashmir” why on earth are PM & other senior leaders inviting these “Gupkar leaders” to meetings in Delhi”?
Shah’s speech came on a day when former Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti accused the state administration of keeping her in house arrest, and preventing her from attending a wedding in Baramulla district. The Srinagar police however refuted these allegations and said that there was no such restriction, and she was free to travel. Mufti said that she was finally allowed to leave her home around 4 pm on Wednesday afternoon.
High on symbolism
There was much symbolism in the Home Minister’s speech on Wednesday, even as he removed the bullet proof glass that framed his podium, a gesture he had previously made in October 2021 as he was addressing a rally in Srinagar. Shah also briefly stopped his speech with the sounds of “azaan” emanating from a local mosque, restarting only after asking the audience if he could begin again.
Shah said that the three families– a reference to the Abdullahs, Muftis and the Gandhis were responsible for the terrorism that has plagued the valley.
“Has terrorism done any good to anybody in the world? Can the sympathisers of terrorism tell of any such incident? 42,000 people of J-K have been victims of terrorism from 1990 till today. Who is responsible for their deaths? The three families that ruled here were responsible. Terrorism is moving towards extinction,” he said.
Hitting back, PDP president Mehbooba Mufti said the BJP has nothing to show, except their broken record of dynastic rule.
“Dedicating his speech to answer my questions, HM forgets that Mufti sahab was CM for just 3.5 years & doesn’t need validation from him for his work for welfare of J&K.Even after ruling J&K directly since 2018,BJP has nothing to show except their broken record of dynastic rule,” she tweeted.
Congress spokesperson Sheikh Amir, too, said that Shah didn’t speak on the real issues like restoration of J&K’s statehood, economic blockade of fruit growers, unemployment and scams that surfaced in J&K. “Today’s rally was organised with an eye on elections and to divide people of J&K.”
He added that being the Home Minister of India he should have talked on real issues.
The Union minister said that Prime Minister Modi had taken the region’s politics down to the “panches, sarpanches, BDC and DDC’s” from being the sole preserve of the “families that ruled Kashmir.” He also promised elections in Jammu and Kashmir as soon as voter’s lists were compiled, and that the controversial new delimitation exercise by the Election Commission, which regional parties have opposed, would bring people’s representatives. “Earlier the delimitation was done in such a way that only the representatives from the three families would be elected, no matter what you do. The delimitation that Election Commission has done, your own representatives will win the elections and rule.”
According to the fresh delimitation, of the 90 assembly constituencies in Jammu and Kashmir, 43 will be from Jammu and 47 from Kashmir. This was 37 and 46 earlier.
Before his speech in Baramullah, Shah chaired a security review meeting in Srinagar, attended by Governor Manoj Sinha, and top police, army, CRPF and BSF officials from the area. After his rally, Shah also traveled to Uri to meet the family of policeman Mudasir Ahmad Sheikh, killed in an encounter on May 25. Home Minister Amit Shah also visited historic Gurdwara at Chatti Patshahi at Rainwari in Srinagar later in the day.
Karpoori Thakur headed the Janata Party government having amalgamated with the Bhartiya Jan Sangh which later turned into the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)…reports Asian Lite News
At a time when the duo of Narendra Modi and Amit Shah are dictating terms, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar not only challenged but also sent a message to the BJP and the RSS about his political daring without caring about the CBI, ED and the Income-Tax department.
Nitish Kumar, a socialist leader of Bihar, was elected as the chief minister for the eighth time.
Kumar, a product of the political school of Karpoori Thakur and Jayaprakash Narayan was influenced by the socialist ideology of these two great leaders of Bihar.
He was influenced by the social justice and making of a Samata Mulak Samaj ideology of Karpoori Thakur and also participated in the Sampoorna Kranti movement in 1977 led by Jayaprakash Narayan.
Nitish Kumar was born in a Kurmi family in Bakhtiyarpur town in Patna district on March 1, 1951. His father was an Ayurvedic doctor, Kaviraj Ram Lakhan Singh and his mother was Parmeshwari Devi.
He obtained a degree in mechanical engineering from the Bihar College of Engineering (now the National Institute of Technology NIT) Patna. During this period, he was influenced by the ideology of two-time former chief minister Karpoori Thakur (the first tenure of Karpoori Thakur was from December 22, 1970 to June 2, 1971 and his second tenure was from June 24, 1977 to April 21, 1979).
Karpoori Thakur headed the Janata Party government having amalgamated with the Bhartiya Jan Sangh which later turned into the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
The Janata Party was influenced by the ideology of Jayaprakash Narayan and Ram Manohar Lohia. They broadly believed in the social philosophies of Mahatma Gandhi and BR Ambedkar.
Karpoori Thakur, during his second tenure, had given 33% reservation to the Backwards in Bihar following the recommendation of the Mungeri Lal Commission. The Bhartiya Jan Sangh which was considered the party of the upper caste people, was not pleased with the decision. Leaders like Kailash Pati Mishra, the then finance minister in the Karpoori Thakur government, revolted against him in April 1979 and he lost his majority in the Bihar assembly.
At that time, Indira Gandhi was undoubtedly the strongest leader in the country. However, the Sampoorna Kranti movement of 1974 put the brakes on her political career.
The Allahabad High Court found Indira Gandhi guilty of rigging the election and imposed a ban for six years on her from contesting elections on June 12, 1975. Indira Gandhi, then imposed an Emergency on the country on June 25, 1975. During the Emergency, leaders like Jayaprakash Narayan, Karpoori Thakur, Ram Manohar Lohia and others were sent to jail. At that time, Lalu Prasad Yadav, Nitish Kumar, Ram Vilas Paswan and others joined the Janata Party and were also jailed.
Nitish Kumar was elected an MLA from Harnaut assembly constituency in Nalanda district in 1985.
In 1989, he contested the Lok Sabha election from Barh constituency in Patna district and won the seat. He was in the VP Singh government and served as union minister of state for agriculture and cooperatives.
VP Singh had implemented the Mandal commission report in the country and the BJP which had 88 MPs had withdrawn its support to Singh. At that time, the Mandal Vs Kamandal politics was going on and BJP leader LK Advani started his Rath Yatra for the demolition of the Babri Masjid.
When the 10th Lok Sabha election was held in 1991, Nitish Kumar was elected again on the ticket of Janata Dal from Barh constituency.
Lalu Prasad Yadav had emerged as the social justice leader of Bihar with his strong vote bank of the Yadav and Muslim communities. He gave strength to the backward, extremely backward, marginalised communities of Bihar and became the strongest leader in Bihar. He became chief minister in 1990 for the first time with the Janata Dal.
Socialist leaders George Fernandes and Nitish Kumar then left the Janata Dal and led the foundation of the Samata Party whose ideology was secularism.
Nitish Kumar was again elected to the Lok Sabha in 1996 with the Samata Party from Barh and George Fernandes won the seat from Nalanda.
He then went with the BJP in the 13-day government of Atal Bihari Vajpayee. When asked why he went with a party whose ideology was just the opposite to his socialist ideology, he told mediapersons that political survival against Lalu Prasad was more important then socialist ideology. This is the survival strength of Nitish Kumar and this is the reason why he became the chief minister of Bihar for the eighth time.
He was again elected in 1998 to the 12th Lok Sabha and served as union minister for railways with the additional charge of the surface transport ministry.
In 1999, he was elected again to the Lok Sabha and became the union minister of railways, surface transport and agriculture in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government.
He first became the chief minister of Bihar from March 3, 2000 to March 10, 2000.
He contested the Lok Sabha election in 2000 and again served as the union minister of railways and agriculture in the Vajpayee government.
By then, Nitish Kumar had become the tallest leader of the Kurmi-Koiri and other backward class communities. That was the phase when Lalu Prasad was facing charges of fodder scam, and a number of massacres during the first tenure of his wife Rabri Devi’s government from 1996 to 2000.
Nitish Kumar got good support from the backward class apart from his traditional Kurmi-Koiri vote bank. He merged his Samata Party into the Janata Dal-United (JD-U) in 2003. During the 2005 assembly elections, the JD-U managed to win 88 seats and became the single largest party in Bihar. He formed the government in Bihar with the help of the BJP.
Nitish Kumar got the tag of Sushasan Babu of Bihar with a number of welfare schemes like giving reservations to backward classes in government jobs. He gave 50% reservation to women in the electoral process of Panchayati Raj. He worked for social justice in his first term and managed to uproot organised crime like kidnapping for ransom in the state.
He gained the support of the people of Bihar and the JD-U managed to win 118 seats in 2010 assembly election.
As per the statement of senior leader Lalan Singh on Wednesday, Nitish Kumar could have easily formed the government in Bihar but he took the BJP in the government and respected the alliance partner.
In 2013, when the BJP nominated Narendra Modi as the prime ministerial candidate of the NDA, Nitish Kumar objected to it and came out of the NDA.
Modi, Shah
During the Modi wave in 2014, the JD-U fared badly in the Lok Sabha elections. Nitish Kumar took the responsibility for it and resigned as chief minister. Jitan Ram Manjhi became the CM.
Nitish Kumar took over as chief minister again from Jitan Ram Manjhi in November 2014 and formed an alliance with Lalu Prasad Yadav’s RJD. They made the Mahagathbandhan and also included the Congress party. They won the 2015 assembly election on the formula of 100: 100 seats to the RJD and the JD-U and 43 seats to the Congress.
Lalu Prasad, in 2015 announced that Nitish Kumar will be the chief minister’s face of the Mahagathbandhan. When the election results came in, the RJD won 80 seats, the JD-U 73 and the Congress 29. They managed to stop the BJP at 53 seats in Bihar despite a strong Modi wave.
The RJD, despite having more seats than the JD-U, made Nitish Kumar the chief minister of Bihar.
Apart from Lalu Prasad, the other RJD leaders thought that the chief minister’s post should come to the RJD, and they started targeting Nitish Kumar. A war of words started between the RJD and the JD-U. Nitish Kumar, who has one of the sharpest political brains, started looking for an opportunity and he picked on the corruption charges against Tejashwi Yadav in the IRCTC scam as an ideal excuse for him to come out from the Mahagathbandhan.
Though Lalan Singh, the national president of the JD-U, clarified during a press meet on August 10, 2022 that there were four leaders including Sanjay Jha, Harivansh, RCP Singh and another leader who gave him wrong advice to break the alliance with the RJD and the Congress and join the NDA.
Nitish Kumar joined the NDA in 2017 and formed the government with the help of 53 MLAs of the BJP in Bihar.
In the 2020 assembly election, Nitish Kumar contested under the umbrella of the NDA and became the chief minister of Bihar for the 7th time. After the result of the election, JD-U leaders accused the BJP of back-stabbing their party.
When Nitish Kumar resigned from the post of Chief minister on August 9, he said: “I was not interested in holding the post of chief minister after the 2020 assembly election. They insisted on me. Today’s BJP has a different ideology then the BJP of Atal Ji and Advani Ji.”
“The way BJP was trying to sabotage our party, we have discussed aspects with our MPs, MLAs and MLCs and every one suggested that I come out from the NDA. We have listened to their voices and resigned from the post of chief minister,” Kumar said.
“The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) was formed in 1996 and at that time respected Atal Bihari Vajpayee, LK Advani, Murli Manohar Joshi and George Fernandes were the leaders. The JD-U was associated with the NDA for the next 17 years. The reason was Atal Ji, Advani Ji, MM Joshi Ji, and George Saheb were respecting the coalition partners. Those leaders had principles to respect the coalition partners. And what happened now, BJP is back-stabbing its coalition partners,” Lalan Singh said.
“During the 2019 Lok Sabha election, the BJP wanted to win the polls. Hence, its leaders did not do any mischief. When it came to the 2020 assembly election of Bihar, what they did, BJP leaders back-stabbed us and weakened us,” Lalan Singh said.
Horrifying pictures of damaged apartment blocks have emerged on TV Channels,” the letter reads…reports Asian Lite News
Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren on Sunday requested Union Home Minister Amit Shah to instruct the concerned officials of the Government of India to take steps for the safe return of persons from Jharkhand stranded in Ukraine and to accommodate them in a safe place with an adequate supply of essentials till their return.
He has sent the list of people from the state who are stuck in Ukraine and requested him to instruct concerned officials to take steps for their safe return.
“While all of us were aware of the tensions brewing between Russia and Ukraine for quite some time but presuming it as just posturing by Russia tamed out to be a monumental blunder. Eventually on Thursday Russia invaded the internationally accepted sovereign boundaries of Ukraine. Now it’s a full-blown war and various cities of Ukraine including its capital city Kyiv are being attacked with bombs. Several hundred lives have been lost. As per reports Ukraine forces are currently engaged with Russian forces just outside the city of kyiv. Sounds of gunfire, bomb explosions and human cries are all over the place. Horrifying pictures of damaged apartment blocks have emerged on TV Channels,” the letter reads.
The Chief Minister said that estimated 20,000 Indians including 18,000 students are believed to be stranded in Ukraine. “My office is constantly being approached by the relatives of those persons from Jharkhand who are stuck in Ukraine during these war times,” he added.
He further that the Indian people stuck in Ukraine are in a state of panic and horror and compelled to move with a limited stock of essential provisions to makeshift places like underground metro rail lines.
“Even the departmental stores are insisting on cash payments against essential procurements. Extreme inclement weather is adding to their pain,” he said.
“I feel we must reach out to them in this hour of crisis and make best possible efforts to evacuate them back home. I am enclosing herewith a hurriedly prepared list of persons from Jharkhand stuck in Ukraine along with their addresses and contact numbers and request you to kindly instruct me, concerned officials of the Government of India, to take steps for their safe return to our state. Till such times they could be accommodated in safe places with an adequate supply of essential items,” he added.
A special evacuation flight of Air India carrying 250 Indians landed at the Delhi airport in the early hours of Sunday. (ANI)
The Prime Minister, encircled with his security posse, was seen waving at the crowd and greeting them with a ‘Namaste’. People in the crowd waved back at him with enthusiasm…reports Asian Lite News
Prime Minister Narendra Modi kept with his practice of walking down the Rajpath and greeting spectators after the conclusion of the Republic Day Parade.Like in previous years, the Prime Minister accompanied by his security detail walked and waved to people seated on both sides of the road.
The Prime Minister, encircled with his security posse, was seen waving at the crowd and greeting them with a ‘Namaste’. People in the crowd waved back at him with enthusiasm. The PM sported a unique Uttarakhand traditional cap embellished with a Brahmakamal inspired brooch and a Manipuri stole PM Modi donned in his statement kurta-churidar and traditional V-neck sleeveless jacket. The PM was also seen petting Virat, a horse in the President’s security unit, which had made an appearance on Republic Day for 10 years. The horse which presented the President its last escort at the 21 Gun Salute ceremony at Rajpath, shortly before the Republic Day parade began, retired today. Virat was awarded Chief of the Army Staff’s commendation on Army Day this year. (ANI)
Home Minister extends wish
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday extended their wishes to the people on the occasion of Republic Day.
“Wishing you all a happy Republic Day. Jai Hind!,” the Prime Minister wrote on Twitter.
Home Minister Amit Shah in his greetings paid tributes to the soldiers who have kept the country’s integrity intact.
सभी को 73वें गणतंत्र दिवस की शुभकामनाएं।
भारतीय गणतंत्र के गौरव, एकता व अखंडता को अक्षुण्ण बनाए रखने के लिए अपना सर्वस्व अर्पण करने वाले सभी जवानों को नमन करता हूँ।
आइए आज हम सभी स्वाधीनता के लोकतांत्रिक मूल्यों के प्रति अपनी प्रतिबद्धता सुनिश्चित करने का संकल्प लें।
“I bow to all the soldiers who have dedicated their lives to keep the pride, unity and integrity of Indian Republic intact,” the Minister said.
He further asked all the countrymen to take a pledge on the day to ensure India’s commitment to the democratic values of freedom.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said this is an occasion to celebrate our democracy and cherish the ideas and values enshrined in our Constitution.
“Praying for the continued progress and prosperity of our country,” he said.
Earlier on the eve of Republic Day, President Ram Nath Kovind addressed the nation and called it “an occasion to celebrate what is common to us all, our Indianness”.
Talking about the new industrial policy for J&K, the Home Minister further said that it has been formulated after evaluating the policies of the other states…reports Asian Lite News.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday launched a portal for the registration of units for industrial development in Jammu and Kashmir.
“The launch of this new portal under the ‘New Central Sector Scheme 2021’ will offer benefits of over Rs 24,000 crore to the industrial sector. This is just an estimate and this will go up in reality,” he said.
Encouraging the industry leaders to invest in Jammu and Kashmir to help develop the Union Territory, Shah said that J&K has moved on the road of development and it is a matter of pride that what Prime Minister Narendra Modi promised about the development plans for the UT after the abrogation of the Articles 370 and 35-A, have been accomplished step by step.
Talking about the new industrial policy for J&K, the Home Minister further said that it has been formulated after evaluating the policies of the other states.
He also said that after 2019, the graph of development has shot up in J&K and a positive and conducive atmosphere has been created for industrial investment in the UT.
मोदी जी ने देश के विकास के लिए पूरे विश्व के साथ स्पर्धा करने वाली औद्योगिक विकास नीति व योजनाएं बनाई लेकिन जम्मू-कश्मीर के युवाओं को इसका लाभ नहीं मिलता था।
धारा 370 व 35A निरस्त होने के बाद यहाँ के विकास की सब अड़चने दूर हुई और आज देश की सबसे आकर्षक औद्योगिक नीति J&K में है। pic.twitter.com/0n0HZlK90P
Shah said that the new industrial policy will not only pave the way for new setups, but also promote the ancillary industries there besides boosting the scope of tourism.
“A package of Rs 80,000 crore was sanctioned by the Narendra Modi government for Jammu and Kashmir for 54 projects. Seventeen projects have been completed, while works on the rest of the projects are under progress. The Centre has already released almost 96 per cent of the funds to the Jammu and Kashmir government,” Shah said.
He also informed that the Centre has sanctioned seven medical colleges and five nursing colleges for J&K and the number of medico-seats have gone up to 900 from earlier 500 seats.
Referring to the many hydel projects in Jammu and Kashmir, he said this will not only increase the availability of electricity, but also earn revenues for the UT government.
During his address, Shah also said that a 624 MW hydel project at a cost of Rs 4,284 crore is under construction.
Union Ministers Piyush Goyal and Jitendra Singh were also present for the launch of the portal.
