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Tag: Bihar: BJP’

  • Winning all 40 LS seats, securing absolute majority in top priorities: New Bihar BJP chief

    By PTI

    PATNA: The BJP’s new Bihar unit chief Samrat Chaudhary on Thursday asserted that securing all 40 Lok Sabha seats of the state next year and ensuring an “absolute majority” for his party in the assembly polls of 2025 will be his top priorities.

    Currently, the Leader of the Opposition in the state legislative council, Chaudhary, who was a minister in the Nitish Kumar government till the JD(U) leader remained with NDA, also did not deny that by hedging its bets on him, the BJP has sought to make a dent in the “Luv-Kush” base of the Bihar chief minister.

    “The BJP cares for all. But, of course, where else would Luv Kush go except the place where Lord Rama abides”, Chaudhary replied, tongue in cheek, to questions from journalists about the “Kurmi-Koeri” combine, known by the name of the mythical twins in Bihar’s political lexicon.

    The development is an indication of the challenges faced by the BJP in a state where it has become a force to reckon with but feels hamstrung by the “pro-upper caste label”, given Bihar’s history of being the hotbed of Mandal politics.

    A Koeri by caste, 54-year-old Chaudhary belongs to an influential political family in Bihar.

    His father Shakuni Chaudhary has been an MLA several times and also served as the member of Khagaria Lok Sabha seat once besides being a founding member of the Samata Party, to which Nitish Kumar originally belonged.

    Incidentally, Chaudhary had joined BJP barely six years ago, previously having been associated with both Lalu Prasad’s RJD and Nitish Kumar’s JD(U).

    His two terms in the Bihar Assembly from Parbatta, in 2000 and 2010, were on RJD tickets and he was also a minister in the Rabri Devi government from 2000 till she was voted out of power.

    His political career began in 1999 with a controversial ministerial stint, when he was not a member of either house of the state legislature, and which came to an abrupt end with the then governor Suraj Bhan ordering his dismissal on the ground of his being “under-age”.

    In 2014, after Nitish Kumar stepped down as the chief minister taking moral responsibility for the JD(U)’s debacle in Lok Sabha polls, Chaudhary quit the RJD and joined the Jitan Ram Manjhi ministry.

    Chaudhary was then part of a faction comprising 13 disgruntled RJD MLAs, many of whom later claimed that they did not intend to quit the party and their signatures were “fraudulently” obtained on a blank piece of paper to muster the numbers required for a split.

    By 2017, he grew disillusioned with the JD(U) and joined the BJP, which ended up realigning with Nitish Kumar shortly afterwards.

    Chaudhary succeeds Sanjay Jaiswal, who, incidentally, had similarly started off his career with the RJD.

    Rabri Devi, who like Chaudhary is a member of the legislative council, offered her good wishes to her former cabinet colleague, but not without adding that for the BJP baniya se man bhar gaya hai to Mahto ko bana diya’ (having been done with a Vaishya, the BJP is now betting on an OBC).

    PATNA: The BJP’s new Bihar unit chief Samrat Chaudhary on Thursday asserted that securing all 40 Lok Sabha seats of the state next year and ensuring an “absolute majority” for his party in the assembly polls of 2025 will be his top priorities.

    Currently, the Leader of the Opposition in the state legislative council, Chaudhary, who was a minister in the Nitish Kumar government till the JD(U) leader remained with NDA, also did not deny that by hedging its bets on him, the BJP has sought to make a dent in the “Luv-Kush” base of the Bihar chief minister.

    “The BJP cares for all. But, of course, where else would Luv Kush go except the place where Lord Rama abides”, Chaudhary replied, tongue in cheek, to questions from journalists about the “Kurmi-Koeri” combine, known by the name of the mythical twins in Bihar’s political lexicon.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2′); });

    The development is an indication of the challenges faced by the BJP in a state where it has become a force to reckon with but feels hamstrung by the “pro-upper caste label”, given Bihar’s history of being the hotbed of Mandal politics.

    A Koeri by caste, 54-year-old Chaudhary belongs to an influential political family in Bihar.

    His father Shakuni Chaudhary has been an MLA several times and also served as the member of Khagaria Lok Sabha seat once besides being a founding member of the Samata Party, to which Nitish Kumar originally belonged.

    Incidentally, Chaudhary had joined BJP barely six years ago, previously having been associated with both Lalu Prasad’s RJD and Nitish Kumar’s JD(U).

    His two terms in the Bihar Assembly from Parbatta, in 2000 and 2010, were on RJD tickets and he was also a minister in the Rabri Devi government from 2000 till she was voted out of power.

    His political career began in 1999 with a controversial ministerial stint, when he was not a member of either house of the state legislature, and which came to an abrupt end with the then governor Suraj Bhan ordering his dismissal on the ground of his being “under-age”.

    In 2014, after Nitish Kumar stepped down as the chief minister taking moral responsibility for the JD(U)’s debacle in Lok Sabha polls, Chaudhary quit the RJD and joined the Jitan Ram Manjhi ministry.

    Chaudhary was then part of a faction comprising 13 disgruntled RJD MLAs, many of whom later claimed that they did not intend to quit the party and their signatures were “fraudulently” obtained on a blank piece of paper to muster the numbers required for a split.

    By 2017, he grew disillusioned with the JD(U) and joined the BJP, which ended up realigning with Nitish Kumar shortly afterwards.

    Chaudhary succeeds Sanjay Jaiswal, who, incidentally, had similarly started off his career with the RJD.

    Rabri Devi, who like Chaudhary is a member of the legislative council, offered her good wishes to her former cabinet colleague, but not without adding that for the BJP baniya se man bhar gaya hai to Mahto ko bana diya’ (having been done with a Vaishya, the BJP is now betting on an OBC).

  • WATCH| Bihar BJP MLA sits on SHO’s chair in police station demanding case diary

    By IANS

    PATNA: A video of BJP MLA Murari Mohan Jha sitting on SHO’s chair in Keoti police station in Bihar’s Darbhanga district and demanding the case dairy has gone viral on social media. According to sources, Jha went to the police station on receiving a complaint that two youths were allegedly assaulted by the SHO. He wanted to examine the cases registered in the dairy.

    स्टेशन डायरी गायब मिली तो ​बीजेपी विधायक ने SHO की क्लास लगा दी… वीडियो दरभंगा का है जहां विधायक मुरारी मोहन झा निरीक्षण करने पहुंचे थे#Darbhanga #SHO #MurariMohanJha #ViralVideo pic.twitter.com/4yjUszLcfA
    — Gourav Sharma (@hindgourav) April 2, 2022
    In the video, the politician is seen sitting on the SHO’s chair and demanding a station diary from the officer. He is also seen shouting at the officers to call the station manager (Munsi) before him. Shiv Kumar Yadav, the SHO, however, has denied the assault charges. He said that neither he nor any of the cops of his police station have beaten anyone.

    Leader of Opposition in the Assembly Tejashwi Yadav slammed the Nitish Kumar government for letting the BJP lawmaker occupy the chair of SHO and shouted at him in the police station. “Chief Minister Nitish Kumar likes interference. The BJP MLA domineeringly sits in the chair of SHO and demands for the case diary. He wants to take his share from the police officials who earned through the nexus of criminals and mafias. The police department comes under the chief minister,” he tweeted.

    “In Bihar, NDA is running a circus, not Sarkar (Government),” Tejashwi further tweeted.

  • Bihar BJP president Sanjay Jaiswal dispatches Bhagavad Gita to Rahul Gandhi amid Hindutva row

    By PTI

    PATNA: Bihar BJP president Sanjay Jaiswal on Sunday dispatched a copy of the Bhagavad Gita to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, whom he charged with having a lack of understanding of Hindutva through utterances made in support of controversial remarks in a recent book authored by former Union minister Salman Khurshid.

    Addressing a press conference here, Jaiswal called Gandhi “the most confused leader in the country” who was unable to appreciate the basics of Hinduism despite “so many publicised tours of temples.”

    Jaiswal, who was formerly the BJP’s chief whip in the Lok Sabha, said Gandhi’s attempts to distinguish Hinduism from Hindutva was “height of ignorance” and a reflection on the belief of the Congress in the dictum of “divide and rule.”

    “Gandhi has claimed that he has read the Upanishads. We wish to know if he read an Italian translation,” Jaiswal said in an indirect tongue-in-cheek reference to AICC president Sonia Gandhi.

    A former Congress president himself, Gandhi had defended party colleague Khurshid, who is in the eye of a storm over a book in which the latter has sought to draw parallels between Hindutva, a term associated with the ideology of the BJP-RSS combine, and the radical Islam propagated by terrorist outfits like ISIS and Boko Haram.

    The comparison has met with disapproval from within the Congress.

    Senior leaders like Ghulam Nabi Azad had said that drawing such a parallel was uncalled for.

  • NDA attacks Tejashwi Yadav over alleged video of him handing cash to women 

    Express News Service

    PATNA:  A video purportedly showing RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav distributing money to womenand dropping name of his father Lalu Prasad Yadav while campaigning for panchayat election in Gopalganj has given the Bihar BJP and JD(U) ammo to target the Opposition party. The video could not be independently verified. 

    While the Bihar ruling alliance had a field day on Friday, mocking the Yadav scion and urging the election commission to crack whip on him, none from RJD spoke on the issue. The viral video showed Tejashwi, seated in the front seat of his car, handing out `500 notes to a few women, while introducing himself as the son of Lalu. “Do you know me? I am the son of Laluji,” he purportedly told the women.

    The video was posted on Twitter by JD(U) MLC  Neeraj Kumar, who accused the Yadav scion of duping innocent women. Tejashwi was in Gopalganj to address a public rally. Lashing out at Tejashwi, Neeraj Kumar said a man who could not carve out an identity for himself in politics was distributing money to stay relevant. 

    Tejashwi Yadav “He survives on the legacy of his father, who was convicted in the fodder scam cases. He is a leader on compassionate ground in politics,” Neeraj posted on his official tweet handle. Through his sarcasm-laden posts, Neeraj Kumar suggested Tejashwi distribute land fraudulently amassed by his father as well. “Tejashwi Yadav has gone a step ahead of his father in cheating the gullible by giving cash instead of uplifting their lot,” Neeraj mocked.

    BJP spokesperson Dr Nikhil Anand said Tejashwi was carrying forward the political legacy of RJD. “Despite the model code of conduct being in force, he is distributing cash. Ethics is wholly missing from his politics,” he alleged, adding RJD was distributing money to gain traction during the election.

  • Dr Nikhil Anand interview: ‘How many OBC leaders have RJD, SP produced beyond their family till date?’

    Express News Service

    NDA allies in Bihar – the JD-U, the Hindustani Awam Morcha and the VIP, have joined the Opposition in demanding a caste census. Dr Nikhil Anand, a social-justice thinker and the national general secretary of the OBC Morcha of the BJP speaks to Rajesh Kumar Thakur on the party’s stance on social justice and caste census. Excerpts:

    The BJP is getting cornered on the issue of caste-based census with its allies joining hands with the Opposition. What do you say?

    The issue of social justice has been defined well by our PM Narendra Modi ji with the slogan- ‘sabka sath, sabka vikas and sabka vishwas’. He has done a lot to uplift members of the deprived and  oppressed communities whether SC, ST, OBC or Economically Weaker Sections (EWSs). Caste census is just one issue. The whole idea of social justice can’t be limited to caste census.

    The BJP is the biggest advocate of social justice since the starting days of Jana Sangh. Do you think, caste census is the panacea for all the evils plaguing Indian society? It seems like Pandora’s box, but we are sensible in our approach and very pragmatic towards the cause of social justice. We are not directly opposed to the caste census, but the time frame and preparation are also important. Those demanding caste census must first ask the Congress why they have betrayed the OBCs since Independence.

    You can’t blame the Congress for not doing enough for the caste census in 2021. Now, it is your government that is in power at the Centre. What do you have to say?

    In 2010, there was a debate in Parliament on conducting a caste census in 2011. Those blaming the BJP should listen to what our leaders Arun Jaitley, Sushma Swaraj, Gopinath Munde and said on the issue back then. It is in the records of Parliament. After the said debate, the UPA government agreed to conduct caste census. Usually, census is conducted under the Census Act. Surprisingly, rather than doing it with the regular census, the UPA government conducted a separate caste census involving private agencies and NGOs of their choice in violation of the Census Act. They wasted 5,000 crore of public money and ended up doing something like a sample survey. That is why there are so many data discrepancies. The Congress has cheated the OBCs of India by doing a Caste Census Fraud, which must be investigated and the culprits brought to book.

    BJP’s prominent ally in Bihar, JD-U has joined the Opposition in demanding a caste census. How difficult will this be for the BJP in the coming days?

    Parties like the RJD and the Congress are so desperate to save their family business, which is politics. The RJD has used the OBCs as a vote bank only. How can the party justify its stance, while sitting in the lap of the Congress? BJP is sitting pretty well, banking on the work done by the union government over the past seven years. Whatever our PM has done for social justice in seven years, the Congress couldn’t do in 70 years. Antyodaya (Social Justice) and Rashtrawad (Nationalism) are at the core of our governance. We have promoted the all-around growth of this country. No political party has done anything close to what we have done for the poor through ‘Garib Kalyan Yojna’.

    It has been reported that there is a difference within the Bihar BJP over caste census. Is it true that there are two factions in the party on this issue?

    BJP is the only political party, which has inner democracy and a culture of discourse. Most of the political parties in Bihar and India are either a family fiefdom or pocket organisations of self-obsessed individuals. The BJP, under the leadership of PM Modi ji and Amit Shah ji has become the largest political organisation globally proves that we are a democratic party. The positive growth and journey of the BJP continues with present president J.P.Nadda ji. Every leader of our organisation is committed to the nation first, the party second. So, the question of factionalism is a fiction written by the Congress.

    RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav has repeatedly branded the BJP as anti-OBCs. What is your response?

    Giving constitutional status to NCBC, the inclusion of 27 OBC ministers in Union Cabinet, giving reservation to OBC & EWS in NEET, OBC reservation in KVS, NVS, Sainik Schools; these are some of the pro-OBC decisions of PM Narendra Modi. They are the most courageous since Mandal Commission Implementation. The recent Cabinet expansion has given a strong message to the communities, who were left out till date from the policy-making and decision-making process.

    This gives an opportunity to the subaltern leaders, who have been inducted into the top decision-making body to prove their leadership credentials and work hard to realise the vision of Modi ji. The days of casteism and dynastic social justice leaders are going to be over with a new era of social justice heralded by PM Modi. This Union government has the quantitative aptitude as well as the qualitative merit to take India towards the future, to newer heights. Narendra Modi as the new messiah of social justice has arrived for the OBCs.

    A JD-U leader Upendra Kushwaha had recently said, even if JD-U is in NDA, if the government doesn’t conduct caste census, then it can create conflict with the BJP.

    I won’t make any personal statement on a leader, who is chairman of JDU parliamentary party. But everyone should know that BJP respects its alliance partners and their leaders. The longstanding credibility, essence and ethos of NDA won’t be disturbed by any individual statements. JDU’s senior leader RCP Singh is the part of the union cabinet. But I would like to add some points here as well. BJP OBC Morcha has recently organized a programme to felicitate 27 OBC ministers in Delhi. We are receiving calls from all over the country appreciating the PM’s initiative in favour of OBCs. Even some left, liberal and congress people are calling in person to appreciate the PM.

    I would again repeat that Congress is the villain of the Caste Census and that’s why they are keeping quite on this issue like a cunning fox. Where Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi and what are their take on the caste census issue? Whereas RJD is going through cat fight days and they are raising some issues out of context to save the prestige of party and family.

    How would the BJP tackle the aggressive politics played by the RJD in Bihar and SP in Uttar Pradesh on caste census and other social justice issue?

    See, RJD and Samajwadi Party echo the OBC sentiment only to grab votes their votes. How many OBC and Yadav leaders, have they produced beyond their family till date?  Akhilesh Yadav and Tejashwi Yadav have taken up politics like family businesses. There are many more talented, educated OBCs and Yadavs, who are struggling to come to the mainstream of politics. When the RJD got an opportunity tobe a part in the Union government, they promoted a mafia criminal Taslimuddin as MOS- Home and we have included bright young leader Nityanand Rai, a Yadav as MOS- Home. Today, Bhupendra Yadav is the biggest Yadav face in Indian Politics courtesy BJP’s inclusive politics. These people have no political legacy and come from a very humble background.

    What is the stand of BJP OBC Morcha on the issues related to the OBC community including caste census?

    The BJP OBC Morcha intends to take up the positive debate on social justice to every nook and corner of India in the leadership of its National President Dr K Laxman ji. We have not rejected the caste  census issue in toto, but we are against any attempt to promote casteism and create divisions in society. OBC Morcha wants to go beyond the caste and promote community development. Our goal is not fragmentation but the consolidation of society and strengthening of the country. We want equal opportunity, equal participation and equal representation for OBC.

    The Congress has never spared anyone who fought for or promoted the cause of nationalism and social justice in politics, whether they belonged to their own fraternity or rival camps. The victimisation of Baba Saheb Ambedkar, Syama Prasad Mukherjee, Ram Manohar Lohia, Jayaprakash Narayan, B P Mandal, Karpoori Thakur,  K Kamaraj, Devaraj Urs to V P Singh, Arjun Singh, Sitaram Kesri, Rajesh Pilot and others clearly shows Congress’ bias against leaders who tried to express their nationalism or stood in favour of the exploited and downtrodden.

  • Section of Bihar BJP says caste census dangerous for country

    Express News Service

    PATNA: Days after an all-party team from Bihar led by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar met Prime Minister Narendra Modi to press him to conduct caste census, an indication of the national BJP’s evolving thought process came from two of its state leaders, who said it was a dangerous exercise that could divide the society.

    While neither the BJP’s central leadership nor Prime Minister Modi has spoken on the issue, the party’s Bihar unit vice president Dr Rajendra Prasad Gupta’s sharp reaction to the demand indicated NDA constituents were not on the same page. Tweeting from the official Twitter handle of the Bihar BJP, Gupta said the demand was devoid of logic and had the potential to affect social unity.

    “It is unfortunate that those who claim to be the followers of Loknayak Jaya Prakash Narayan and Dr Ram Manohar Lohiya are demanding caste census,” he said in a veiled reference to both the RJD and JD(U), which are spin offs of the Janata Dal movement cobbled together on Narayan and Lohia’s ideologies.

    Categorically dismissing any benefits would accrue from a caste headcount, Dr Gupta said the BJP was apprehensive of the ill-effects such an exercise. His views found resonance with another senior leader of BJP and Padmashri awardee Dr CP Thakur, who said: “We have a clear understanding that if there is a census it should be on the basis of Aamiri (affluence) and Garibi (poverty).”

  • Amid calls for caste census, Bihar BJP to take out three-day ‘Yatra’ through OBC dominated districts

    Express News Service

    PATNA: Amid the mounting pressure of opposition for caste-based census, the Bihar BJP, taking the works done for the OBC to the people, announced on Thursday to take out a three-day ‘Jan Ashirwad Yatra’.

    Aimed at convincing the people of OBC communities of the works done by the Modi government, ‘Jan Ashirwad Yatra’ will begin from August 17 under the leadership of Union cabinet minister RK Singh.

    “On July 8, the Modi cabinet was expanded and for the first time in the history of India, 27 ministers belonging to OBCs have been inducted in the cabinet,” Dr Sanjay Jaiswal Bihar BJP president told the media on Thursday.

    He further claimed that for the first time, 12 ministers belonging to scheduled castes and eight from scheduled tribes have been inducted into the Union government. “It is the BJP, which cares for the development of OBC and the people of other castes equally”, he claimed, adding that the Jan Ashirwad Yatra will make the people of OBCs and others understand BJP’s genuine concern for their welfare.

    The BJP’s Jan Ashirwad Yatra will pass through 20 districts, which have a considerable population of OBC people. Taking a political pot-shot at Lalu Prasad Yadav over the caste-based census, Dr Jaiswal accused him of being a victim of poor mentality. “Why the caste census was not conducted when the RJD ruled the state for 15 years? Lalu Prasad Yadav is attempting to vitiate the society again on this issue”, Jaiswal alleged.

  • BJP left red-faced as another ally Jitan Ram Manjhi demands probe into Pegasus snooping issue

    Express News Service

    PATNA: Jitan Ram Manjhi, another ally of the NDA in Bihar followed Nitish Kumar’s suit and demanded a probe into the Pegasus snooping row. 

    Speaking to the media on Tuesday, the founder chief of Hindustani Awami Morcha (HAM) said that if the Opposition is demanding a probe and Parliament sessions are being affected, then this matter must be investigated. “The Pegasus snooping should be investigated to establish the facts of the case and who has been spying,” Manjhi said.

    Despite being part of the NDA government in Bihar, Manjhi had expressed his objection over using Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s picture on the vaccine certificates. He had argued that the same image must be used on the death certificates of all those who succumbed to this deadly virus. 

    Experts in the state believe that statements made by Nitish Kumar and Manjhi on caste census and the Pegasus scandal have put the BJP in a spot.

  • Bihar BJP conducts welfare activities, celebrates seven years of Modi government

    Express News Service
    PATNA: On completion of 7 years of BJP government in the Centre, thousands of workers of Bihar BJP unit on Sunday conducted welfare activities to serve the people across the state amidst the coronavirus crisis.

    The BJP leaders distributed soaps, hand sanitizers, face masks and the immunity kits among the people in rural areas.

    Minister of Labour Resource department Jivesh Kumar, attending the initiative called ‘Seva Hi Sangathan’ (service is an organisation) at Patna, said that the BJP’s commitment has always been ‘sabka sath, sabka vikas aur sabka vishwas’.

    Kumar was one of the party leaders who distributed the immunity kits to the people besides other items to fight against the Covid pandemic.

    According to BJP sources, the party leaders and workers organise ‘Seva Hi Sangathan’ at 38,000 polling booths located in 23,000 villages in a day.

    “This a collective week-long reach out to the people who have been behind the BJP to work for the nation and the state for their services,” Kumar said.

    Elated on being given an immunity kit, Ramesh Kumar in Vaishali said that it was a great to have a kit as it was needed to his family members.

    He said that the prime minister’s mantra of politics for people’s prosperity, peace and their well-being has got a massive acceptance in the public. “Modi hai to mumkin hai,” he said.

    Expressing gratitude to the public on the completion of 7 years of the current Central Government under the leadership of PM Narendra Modi, BJP State President Dr. Sanjay Jaiswal said, “With the work done by the Prime Minister with the basic mantra of Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas and Sabka Biswas, people are realizing after a long time that there is a political party for which power is the medium of service, not the raising of wealth.”

    Dr Jaiswal also said that people’s temperature, pulse, oxygen level, blood glucose were also checked at many places.  

    Apart from this, blood donation camps were also organized by BJP Yuva Morcha, Mahila Morcha and Kisan Morcha at 28 places in the last 3 days, where our youth party workers donated their blood, he added.

  • Bihar BJP workers to help vaccinate people during ‘Tika Utsav’

    Express News Service
    PATNA: The Bihar unit of BJP has assigned the party leaders and workers with the task of motivating and taking people for vaccination against the COVID-19 across the state.

    The party workers, assigned with such task by the party, have been deputed in every area of state as ‘Tika Utsav Prabharai’ (Vaccination Festival In-charge).

    Journo-turned MLC and general secretary of Bihar BJP, Devesh Kumar said that the party’s ‘Tika Utsav Prabharais’ have been tasked to taking the people to the vaccination sites in all blocks, sub-divisions and places.

    “They have been given responsibility to facilitate the vaccination drive, create awareness on why it was necessitated. The Tika-Utsav Prabhari will also assist the people in getting testing and availing the government facilities in case of anyone is tested positive or develops complications suspecting toCOVID-19 infection,” Kumar stated.

    The government, on the call of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has launched special vaccination drive from April 11 to 14 in the state.