News Analysis India

Tag: JDU

  • After Bihar job quota, now JDU state committee gives 33% posts to women

    Express News Service
    PATNA: Bihar’s ruling Janata Dal (United) on Thursday claimed to have become the country’s first political party, which has given more than 30% posts in various committees to female members.  

    The party followed the suggestion of the chief minister Nitish Kumar to give at least one-third of positions within the party ranks to women in order to ensure proportional participation.

     Among the new committees of 29 vice-presidents, 60 general secretaries, 114 secretaries, a treasurer and seven spokespersons, 66 women have been included ensuring 33% of their representation.

    JDU state president Umesh Kushwaha said while female representation was ensured, former ministers and leaders of party have also been given due place in the party committees. “By giving 33% of share to women in party committees, the JD-U has exhibited its genuine concern towards political empowerment of women”, Kushwaha told the media.

    Kushwaha further said that Chief Minister Nitish Kumar not only talks about the rights of women but has also shown how to practice what he preaches. Earlier, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar had announced 50% quota to women in the Panchayat elections.  In Bihar, 33% seats reserved for girls in medical and engineering colleges along with 35% quota in state police services government jobs.

  • Nitish Kumar leaves for Delhi amid speculations about JD(U) joining Union government

    By PTI
    PATNA: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Tuesday left for the national capital, purportedly for medical reasons, though speculations ran rife that bargaining a decent share in the Union cabinet was also on the agenda of the JD(U) de-facto leader.

    The JD(U) has been a BJP ally for close to three decades, barring a hiatus in 2013-2017.

    Kumar, who had himself served in the cabinet headed by late Atal Bihari Vajpayee, turned down the offer of the saffron party of a “token representation” to all alliance partners after the 2019 Lok Sabha polls which saw Prime Minister Narendra Modi steering the BJP to a thumping majority.

    “I do not know why his Delhi tour is being linked to the proposed cabinet reshuffle. To the best of my knowledge, he needs treatment for some eye problem and is visiting the national capital for the purpose,” said Rajiv Ranjan Singh alias Lalan, one of the closest aides of Kumar.

    The Union cabinet reshuffle is a prerogative of the prime minister and it is for him to decide whom to hold consultations with on the issue, Singh said.

    ALSO READ | Nitish confidants to find place in Union Cabinet? 

    Singh, who has been with Kumar ever since the latter broke ranks with Lalu Prasad to chart his own political course, is seen as one of the candidates the JD(U) might strongly back, were it to join the Union council of ministers.

    Another ministerial probable RCP Singh, who succeeded Kumar as the national president of the party a few months ago, laughed off at the suggestion but dropped ample hints that the JD(U) was now eyeing a spot in the Union government.

    “My name has been doing the rounds since 2017. Any decision as to who will be in the Union cabinet from our party has to be taken by our leader. Of course, he does so after consulting all,” said Singh, a former IAS officer whose rise in politics, after retirement from service about a decade ago, has been meteoric.

    ALSO READ | LJP getting rid of Chirag Paswan works in favour of Nitish Kumar

    He said, “We agree, it does not look good that we are partners in power in the state but not at the Centre, though we are a part of the NDA there as well. Things will look up for both parties once we join the Union government.”

    He also took a swipe at LJP leader Chirag Paswan, who has been cornered within the party following a revolt by all his fellow MPs who have floated a separate faction.

    “I heard his two statements that he is the son of a tiger (late Ram Vilas Paswan) and that he is now an orphan. Has anybody ever heard of a tiger lamenting for being orphaned?” the JD(U) chief said.

    The JD(U) suffered in the assembly polls last year because of Paswans sudden rebellion, initially believed to be having the backing of the BJP which has now distanced itself from the Jamui MP.

  • JDU ‘ready’ to join Union Cabinet this time, says chief RCP Singh

    By Express News Service
    PATNA: It is now a foregone conclusion that Bihar’s ruling JDU will join the Union Cabinet whenever its expansion is carried out following the direction of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

    The buzz is that the JD-U, which has 16 MPs, will get berths this time keeping the political equation in the mind for next the 2024 parliamentary elections.

    “The JDU, headed by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, is part of the National Democrcatic Allinace (NDA) both in centre and the state. Thus, it is natural under alliance for the JDU to be in the union cabinet. We are ready for it,” national president of JDU RCP Singh told the media on Monday.

    Singh, further, said that it is up to CM Nitish Kumar to decide as whom from the party will join the union cabinet. 

    “For this, there is no formula to join the Union Cabinet as such,” he categorically stated. 

    In reply to a specific query of the media, Singh said that the JDU is an ally of NDA in centre and not a trade organisation. “Naturally, what an ally in government deserves to get will naturally come. Our alliance is for development and it will complete its five year-term in Bihar also,” the bureaucrat-turned politician said.

    Meanwhile, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar will leave for New Delhi on Tuesday amid speculations that he may meet with senior BJP leaders and a formal discussion may take place over the next expansion of cabinet and the proportion of JDU participation in it. But senior JDU leader Rajiv Ranjan Singh denied this speculation and said the chief minister will go to New Delhi on his personal tour for his eye check-up with a doctor.

    At the time of government of first cabinet of NDA govt in centre in 2019, the JDU had refused to be in the cabinet saying that the party deserved a ‘proportional participation in the cabinet.’ The JDU was reportedly offered one berth in the cabinet against the demand for three. But, if sources are to be believed, after Bihar assembly elections in which the JDU had suffered political loss slipping to the third spot in terms number of seats won, the bargaining ration in the JDU has been somewhat contained.

     According to sources, whenever the cabinet is expanded, one to two ministers would be from the JD-U quota this time-mostly likely RCP Singh and Rajiv Ranjan Singh alias Lalan Singh- both are MPs of JDU and considered closest to CM Nitish Kumar.

    But RCP Singh and Rajiv Ranjan Singh separately told that it is the prerogative of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to decide the time of the cabinet expansion.

  • Bihar’s JD-U to felicitate workers who help achieve 100 per cent COVID vaccination in their areas

    Express News Service
    PATNA: Bihar’s ruling JD-U has decided to felicitate its workers who help attain 100 per cent vaccination in their respective areas.

    Announcing this on Sunday through a virtual meeting, the national president of JD-U, RCP Singh, called upon party workers to ramp up vaccinations across their areas on a mission mode.

    “Now, encouraging people in rural areas to get inoculated is the need of the hour, and our party, which is committed to development with justice and prosperity, has decided to take it up as a political mission,” he said, interacting with 1 lakh workers through a virtual conference from Patna.

    Referring to the impending third wave of coronavirus, he said that vaccination is the only way to curb it and appealed to everyone to cooperate in the government’s campaign while reassuring them that the jabs are safe.

    The JD-U president asked all officials of the party to take a pledge to get as many people as possible vaccinated and conduct campaigns at the booth level in their areas, under the care and support of the party.

    Singh also lauded CM Nitish Kumar’s efforts of have been able to prevent deaths due to starvation amid the ongoing pandemic.

    “It is a matter of pride for us that not a single death occurred due to hunger in Bihar amid the pandemic. We are also grateful to all the medical workers, who have served and are continuing to do so, without worrying about themselves.  In the hour of crisis, farmers and labourers have been instrumental in ensuring that there was no shortage of grains, fruits, vegetables, milk during the epidemic,” he added

    Apart from Singh, a panel of four senior doctors also addressed the conference informing the workers on how to create health awareness against coronavirus.

    Dr Ranjit Singh, based in England, spoke about home treatment options after contracting covid-19, while Dr Sunil Kumar Singh shed light on the various post-covid complications. Dr Ritesh Runu of IGIMS spoke about the inoculation process, and Dr. Rashmi Thakur, of Indraprastha Apollo Hospital in New Delhi, addressed the various misconceptions surrounding the virus.

    Party state president Umesh Kushwaha also attended the meet.

    ALSO WATCH:

  • LJP getting rid of Chirag Paswan works in favour of Nitish Kumar

    Express News Service
    NEW DELHI: With the BJP seemingly caught unawares, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar appears to have cut his challenger Chirag Paswan to the size, after five MPs of the Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) in a dramatic turn of events, elected Pashupati Paras, who’s known for his close ties with the JD (U), as its new leader on Monday in the nation`al capital. 

    At a time Prime Minister Narendra Modi, along with senior ministers and the BJP chief JP Nadda, is busy reviewing performances of the ministries, the rebellion within the LJP is a shot in the arm for the Bihar chief minister, strengthening JD (U)’s stock and negotiating depth within the NDA for the Cabinet expansion at the Centre. 

    Paras, younger brother of the LJP founder and former Union Minister Ram Vilas Paswan, is seen within political circles as being close to the Bihar chief minister. While the Bihar verdict last year had left JD (U) at the third spot, the NDA allies, Vikassheel Insan Party (VIP) and Hindustan Awami Mocrcha (HAM), have been keeping the chief minister edgy with their statements. Though the LJP makes no numerical changes in the Bihar Assembly equations, the five MPs block of the LJP expressing their full support to Kumar may make the chief minister fancy weaning away legislators from the opposition camps in the coming days. 

    READ HERE | Pashupati Kumar Paras elected LJP leader in Lok Sabha after rebel MPs seek ouster of Chirag Paswan

    After Chirag Paswan ran a bitter campaign against the Bihar chief minister during the 2020 Assembly elections, the BJP was forced to publicly denounce the LJP. The JD (U) had been assertively stating that LJP wasn’t part of the NDA even while BJP had been avoiding clarifying the position. 

    Unlike 2019, when the then BJP chief Amit Shah had offered one Cabinet berth to the JD (U), the LJP removing Chirag Paswan and expressing full support to Kumar may help him negotiate hard during the expansion of the Union Council of ministers. Also, the turn of events in the LJP is likely to change the social chemistry in Bihar, with the OBC-Muslim-Dalit combination boosting the confidence of the chief minister. With the Bihar unit of the BJP lacking a credible local face and the party banking on the Prime Minister’s appeal, political observers note that Kumar may gain the upper hand in his equations with the saffron outfit in the coming months.

  • Chirag Paswan has reaped what he had sown: JDU after fallout in LJP

    By PTI
    PATNA: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s JD(U), which bore the brunt of Chirag Paswan’s brinkmanship in the assembly polls last year, on Monday said the LJP president was reaping what he had sown.

    JD(U) national president RCP Singh reacted with a sense of vindication to the developments in the party founded by late Ram Vilas Paswan, whose son has been left cornered in a revolt led by the former’s younger brother Pashupati Kumar Paras and supported by four other MPs, including nephew Prince Raj.

    “It is a well known adage that as you sow, so you reap. Chirag Paswan was heading a party which was with the NDA. Yet, he adopted a stance that damaged it in the assembly polls. This led to a sense of unease within his own party,” Singh told reporters here.

    Chirag Paswan had opened a front against Nitish Kumar in the elections, fielding nominees against all JD(U) candidates, many of them rebels from the BJP.

    He had claimed that he wanted to help the saffron party form its own government in the state where the people yearned for a change in leadership.

    Although the NDA managed to secure a majority and Kumar was backed for another term, the JD(U) ended up with a much smaller tally, conceding the upper hand to the BJP, which now has the lion’s share in the council of ministers in Bihar two of them being deputy CMs.

    ALSO READ: Pashupati Kumar Paras elected LJP leader in Lok Sabha after rebel MPs seek ouster of Chirag Paswan

    Asked about the praise showered on Nitish Kumar by Pashupati Kumar Paras, who represents the Hajipur seat from where Ram Vilas Paswan was elected for most of his career, Singh said “he was a minister in the state cabinet until he got elected to Parliament. We shared extremely cordial relations”.

    The JD(U) chief also remarked that Chirag was “too young” and had failed to keep his flock together in the LJP, which owed its current standing, in a large measure, to “efforts put in by Pashupati Kumar Paras and Ram Chandra Paswan (Prince Raj’s late father)”.

    Singh, however, parried queries as to whether the rebel LJP MPs would be welcome if they expressed the wish to join JD(U).

    “Many formalities are to be completed. The five MPs who have revolted need to be notified as an independent group by the Lok Sabha Speaker. They have already stated they will remain in the NDA.

    “In any case, in Bihar NDA, it is only the BJP and our party. Whichever party they join, they will be with us,” he said.

    He declined to comment on speculations about one or more rebel LJP MPs being inducted into the Union cabinet from JD(U) quota or getting accommodated in the state ministry, but reiterated his stand that all NDA allies ought to get a “respectable” share at the Centre.

    The developments in the LJP come barely three months after its lone MLA Raj Kumar Singh crossed over to the JD(U) upon being pulled up for voting in favour of Maheshwar Hazari, the NDA candidate for deputy speaker’s post.

    Singh had quit the LJP protesting the reproach from the leadership and asserting that he had supported the NDA candidate in line with the party’s earlier stance of backing Vijay Kumar Sinha, the alliance’s nominee, as Speaker.

    Notably, while Sinha belongs to the BJP, Hazari is from the JD(U).

  • Union Cabinet expansion: Chirag Paswan’s loss could be gain for JDU 

    Express News Service
    PATNA: Bihar’s political circle is abuzz as the ruling JD-U is likely to get two ministerial berths in the NDA union cabinet.

    National president of the Janata Dal (United) RCP Singh had said on Saturday that his party, being a constituent of the NDA, deserves to get a berth if the Centre decides to expand the Union cabinet. 

    “Whenever there is an expansion, JD-U must get a share in the cabinet,” Singh, who is considered to be next to Chief Minister Nitish Kumar in the party, said.

    An internal source from the NDA said that the cabinet expansion is likely to be held and the ruling BJP wants to accommodate some allies in the cabinet.

    It is believed that JD-U will be given two berths in view of the forthcoming election in UP, where Kurmi votes are crucial in the eastern parts.

    NDA leaders in Bihar speculate two ministries – Consumer Affair, Food and Public Distribution and the Commerce and Industry – which are now managed by Railway minister Piyush Goyal, can go to Nitish’s party.

    Munger MP Rajiv Ranjan alias Lallan Singh and RCP Singh are likely to get the ministerial responsibilities.

    It was following the death of LJP chief Ram Vilas Paswan that the charge of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution went to Piyush Goyal.

    “If Chirag Paswan is not accommodated following the protest of Bihar’s ruling ally JD-U in the cabinet, it is likely that both these berths may go to JD-U”, a reliable source from NDA said.

  • Between perfomance and politics, turmoil surfaces within NDA in Bihar

    Express News Service
    PATNA: The Hindustani Awami Morch (HAM), one of the constituents of Nitish Kumar-led Bihar government, on Wednesday demanded the formation of ‘Coordination Committee’ within the NDA.

    This was a telling sign that all is not well with the ruling alliance.

    This comes few days after State BJP chief Dr Sanjay Jaiswal expressed his displeasure on the functioning of district administration in preventing crimes against Dalit by a particular section of people in the state.

    With this mind, the HAM stirred up politics within the NDA in Bihar with the demand for Coordination Committee.

    “We’ve demand to form coordination committee to sort out any kind of grievances within the NDA internally instead of going in public through media or other channels of communication,” Danish Rizwan-spokesperson of HAM said, adding that those who are trying to create confusion will be exposed.

    He said that whosoever from NDA making statements are giving a chance to the opposition for slamming the state government.

    Over the last few weeks, leaders of NDA constituents including JDU and BJP have tweeted contrary statements against each other.

    Earlier, Upendra Kushwaha had also tweeted in sarcastic tone on Jaiswal and asking PM Modi to follow what Nitish Kumar had done by granting reservation to girls in medical and engineering college admission.

    When another BJP leader Janak Ram also raised a voice against crimes perpetuated by some people of a particular community, the HAM chief Jitan Ram Manjhi had indirectly attacked on him tweeting that no one should attempt to disturb the cordial social bonding of Dalit and the minority people.

    “The Dalit-Muslims of the state are united. Those who are feeling pain in their stomach due to Dalit-Muslim unity, are raising their fingers on the Bihar government. In Bihar, the law is doing its job,” Manjhi said.

    The BJP leaders had alleged that atrocities on Dalits by Muslims in Purnia, Champaran, Gopalganj and Jamui were on the rise. The BJP minister in the government, Janak Ram, had said that the conversion of Mahadalits is being done in Gopalganj and Jamui.

    Sources from the NDA said that differences within the NDA particularly between BJP and the JDU are cropping up over many issues.

    The differences have widened further after the release of report of NITI Aayog in which Bihar has been ranked at worst in performance. The BJP leaders, trying to console Nitish Kumar, are saying that developments have taken place under his leadership but JDU is attributing the worst state performance to lack of special status to Bihar on the part of the union government.

    BJP leader and national general secretary of OBC wing Dr Nikhil Anand on being asked about the HAM demand said that the NDA is working on common agenda of crime and corruption free sustainable development of the state.

    “Nitish Kumar is excellently leading the state and coordinating well with all the alliance partners. There is no significance on the statement of any individual,” he added.

    But sources from NDA noted that the HAM had created division in the UPA also on the issue of formation of Coordination committee.

    Meanwhile, Leader of Opposition Tejashwi Yadav taking advantages of growing ruckus within the NDA termed the Nitish Kumar led government as a fungus imposed by the Election commission on Bihar in November.

    Reacting against Tejashwi statement, Dr Anand said, “If Tejashwi Yadav is saying Nitish Kumar government is a fungus, what is Tejashwi himself? He is a Chinese virus!” he said.

  • Rift arises in Bihar NDA over BJP MLC Tunna Pandey’s jibe on CM Nitish Kumar

    Express News Service
    PATNA: Ties between Bihar’s NDA allies JDU and the BJP took a beating after BJP MLC Tunna Pandey called Nitish Kumar a “chief minister of circumstances”.  The JDU has asked the BJP to take action against Pandey.

    Pandey had echoed late RJD MP Mohammad Shahabuddin’s comments mocking the CM. “Md Shahabuddin had rightly called aid Nitish Kumar a Chief Minister of the circumstances. Had Nitish wanted, Shahabuddin’s body could have been brought to Bihar,” Pandey told the media recently.

    “Mohammad Shahabuddin has been punished for speaking the truth, he had said after coming to Siwan from Bhagalpur Jail. He had rightly said that Nitish Kumar is the Chief Minister of the circumstances. He was punished for speaking the same truth,” Pandey alleged. 

    Stepping up his attacks, he called the Bihar CM a leader who has not fought any elections.  “Nitish Kumar is, indeed, the chief minister of Circumstances what Md Shahabuddin had said about him long ago. Last time, he was the second number party and this time his party has become of third number party but has become CM and all follow him as a leader. What could be a bigger irony than that,” he said. 

  • Will second wave of COVID widen rift between JDU and BJP in Bihar?

    Express News Service
    PATNA: As the COVID-19 crisis deepens by the day, the differences between Bihar’s ruling party JDU and its key ally the BJP continue to increase. On Wednesday, both the parties went head-to-head over the imposition of night curfew in the State. 

    JDU hit back after a recent statement made by BJP state chief Dr. Sanjay Jaiswal who questioned the logic behind the imposition of the night curfew in Bihar.

    The BJP leader took to Facebook to share how dismayed he was with the night curfew from 9 P.M. to 5 A.M. and asked how it would help contain the spread of the virus. 

    While the state is grappling with massive surges in COVID-19 cases, the parties took to hitting out at each other. 

    Stirring the internal politics in the state, the newly inducted party member of JDU, Upendra Kushwaha responded to the BJP chief in a tweet by saying, “Sanjay Jaiswal ji, abhi rajniti vyanbaji ka nahi hai” (Sanjay Ji, now is not the time for political rhetoric).” 

    Political analysts concurred that this was Kushwaha’s attempt at targeting Dr. Sanjay directly at the behest of CM Nitish Kumar, to state that the JDU cannot be pressured in their governing. 

    Meanwhile, Dr. Sanjay Jaiswal, at an all-party meet, had suggested a 62-hour lockdown starting from every Friday evening to Monday morning to keep a check on the growing infections of Covid-19.

    Unfortunately, just like the leader of Opposition Tejashwi Yadav’s advice, it was not given consideration and the decision of moving on with the night curfew, which the CM’s advisors had suggested, was finalised.

    Following the decision, a BJP leader remarked, “Dr Jaiswal himself is a doctor and his advice merits attention,” adding that any decision must be taken after consulting with allies.

    JDU senior leader Sanjay K Jha also tweeted on Wednesday defending the decision of night curfew taken by CM Nitish Kumar recently at the state crisis management department meeting.

    A crisis is brewing

    Reliable sources from within the NDA said that a crisis is brewing slowly between the two parties and that their differences are rising, albeit slowly. The sources believe that this may explode at any moment once the pandemic subsides. 

    There are many BJP leaders and ministers, who may not admit this on the record but they are feeling overlooked during the decision-making processes in the state government led by Nitish Kumar.

    In an attempt to keep a close eye on major departments headed by BJP ministers, trusted bureaucrats of the CM are appointed as principal secretaries.

    On Wednesday, former deputy CM Sushil Kumar Modi had demanded free vaccines for all those above 18 from the state government as was promised in the recently concluded assembly polls.

    CM Nitish Kumar soon after Modi’s tweet announced free vaccines for everyone above 18 on Twitter.