News Analysis India

Tag: Hindustani Awami Morcha

  • Cracks in NDA? Will fight UP polls with or without BJP, says JDU

    Express News Service

    PATNA: The unease between the NDA constituents – the BJP and the JD(U) – continued to grow on Sunday after the latter said it was ready to contest the 2022 Uttar Pradesh polls ‘with or without BJP as an ally’.

    “It is up to the BJP to decide on the alliance for UP polls. We are willing go it alone in UP,” newly-elected national president of JD(U) Rajiv Ranjan told the media.

    There has been a growing discomfort between the parties ever since the JD(U) broke ranks to demand a probe into the Pegasus snooping and also seek a caste-based census, going against the BJP line, which wanted the headcount done only for the SCs and the STs. 

    Other NDA constituents –Vikashsheel Insaan Party and Hindustani Awami Morcha (Secular) –have announced that they, too, would fight the UP polls with or without allies.

    Linking JD(U)’s stellar show in the Arunachal Pradesh Assembly election, when the party won seven of the 15 seats it contested, to the popularity of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, Ranjan said his image as an able administrator would help the party expand in eastern UP.

    Ranjan’s statement is being viewed in light of Nitish’s desire to shed the regional leader tag and have a say in national politics. 

    The party most recently contested the Assam and Bengal elections by fielding its candidates, but drew a blank. Its victory in Arunachal, too, was shortlived as all the seven legislators later defected to the BJP.

    Reacting sharply to Ranjan’s statement, BJP insiders said if the JD(U) did not reconsider its stand, it could lead to unpleasant developments, including the parting of ways. 

    However, a JD(U) leader said, “If we contest alone, we would make caste census, population policy and Pegasus our major poll issues. Caste census figures on top of our priority list.”

    JD(U) is attempting to woo the Kurmi, Koeri and other OBC castes.

  • 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.

  • One of Bihar NDA’s ally raises objection on PM Modi’s photo on Covid vaccine certificate

    Express News Service
    PATNA: A tweet by former Chief Minister and founder of Hindustani Awami Morcha (HAM) Jitan Ram Manjhi on Sunday stirred politics in the National Democratic Alliance (NDA)here.

    After receiving the second jab of the Covid vaccine, Manjhi questioned the relevance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s photograph on the Covid vaccination certificate. 

    He opined that the President is all-in-all of all the Constitutional institutions in the country. So, the certificate should have a picture of the President. 

    This opinion shared through the official Twitter handle of Jitan Ram Manjhi brought a political storm in the BJP camp but the leaders of this party pretended to have avoided Manjhi’s tweet from outside of the party’s politics. 

    Manjhi tweeted: “I was given a certificate after the second dose of the Covid vaccine, which has a picture of the Prime Minister. The President is all-in-all of all the Constitutional institutions in the country, therefore, there should be a picture of the President”.

    Manjhi in the same tweet said that it needed to have the pictures of the President and the local CM in addition to the picture of the Prime Minister on the vaccination certificate

    Of late, Manjhi used to hog media attention more often than not through tweets. It may be recalled, many opposition parties in national politics had also raised objection to the Prime Minister’s picture being used in the vaccination certificate.

    In Bihar, Jitan Ram Manjhi’s Hindustan Awami Morcha(HAM) party is one of the constituents of the NDA government.

    He was the first to oppose the lockdown saying that if the lockdown is imposed, free rations and food arrangements should be made first, by the state government for the poor people.

    Recently, Majhi had also demaned the Nitish Kumar led NDA government Rs 5000 as “Unemployment Allowance” to all unemployed youths of the state till the employments are arranged for them. 

    “Manjhi used to speak or tweet unnecessarily. We don’t accord much attention on whatever he said. He is our loudmouth senior partner of NDA government”, remarked a senior BJP leader off the record.