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Tag: Jitan Ram Manjhi

  • Modi cabinet: K Ram Mohan Naidu youngest, Jitan Ram Manjhi oldest in PM Modi’s Council of Ministers

    New Delhi, At 36, Kinjarapu Ram Mohan Naidu is the youngest minister while 79-year-old Jitan Ram Manjhi is the oldest minister to be inducted in the 18th Lok Sabha. Naidu, Srikakulam MP from Telugu Desam Party (TDP), was sworn in as a minister of state (MoS) in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s new Council of Ministers. Another young minister is Raksha Khadse (37), an MP from Maharashtra. She won the Raver Lok Sabha seat in Maharashtra. Manjhi was sworn in as a Union Cabinet Minister in Modi 3.0 government. He has served as the 23rd chief minister of Bihar, and is the founding president of Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM).

    Previously, Manjhi had served as the minister for scheduled castes and scheduled tribes welfare in Nitish Kumar’s Cabinet. He won the Gaya seat in 2024 general elections.

    Some of the other young ministers include Chirag Paswan and Jayant Choudhary. PM Modi, along with his 71 ministers, took oath on Sunday as the new coalition government was formed after two full tenures in which the BJP enjoyed a majority on its own.

  • Cabinet ministers: Narendra Modi, Cabinet take oath: Check Team Modi 3.0

    Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday was administered oath of office for the third time by President Droupadi Murmu at Rashtrapati Bhavan in Delhi.

    Several key leaders including Amit Shah, Rajnath Singh, Nirmala Sitharaman, JP Nadda, HD Kumaraswamy, Jitan Ram Manjhi and others were also sworn-in as ministers in PM Modi-led cabinet. In the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP secured 240 seats, with the NDA obtaining a total of 293 seats out of 543 in the lower house. Congress fought the election as part of the INDIA bloc and the parties together were able to prevent BJP from getting a majority on its own in Lok Sabha.Team Modi 3.0 Amit ShahRajnath SinghNitin GadkariJP NaddaShivraj Singh ChouhanNirmala SitharamanS. JaishankarManohar Lal KhattarHD KumaraswamyPiyush GoyalDharmendra PradhanJitan Ram ManjhiRajiv Ranjan SinghSarbananda SonowalVirendra KumarKinjarapu Ram Mohan NaiduPralhad JoshiJual OramGiriraj SinghAshwini VaishnawJyotiraditya ScindiaBhupender YadavGajendra Singh ShekhawatAnnapurna DeviKiren RijijuHardeep Singh PuriMansukh MandaviyaG Kishan ReddyChirag PaswanCR PatilRao Indrajit SinghJitendra SinghArjun Ram MeghwalPrataprao JadhavJayant Chaudhary Jitin PrasadaShripad NaikPankaj ChaudharyKrishan PalRamdas AthawaleRamnath ThakurNityanand RaiAnupriya PatelV SomannaChandra Sekhar Pemmasani SP BaghelAllUttar PradeshMaharashtraTamil NaduWest BengalBiharKarnatakaAndhra PradeshTelanganaKeralaMadhya PradeshRajasthanDelhiOther States

  • Bihar Assembly floor test: Jitan Ram Manjhi after HAM issues whip ahead of Bihar Assembly floor test: ‘We might be poor but…’ – The Economic Times Video

    Former Bihar chief minister and Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM) founder, Jitan Ram Manjhi, on Saturday informed that a whip has been issued by the party to its four MLAs instructing them to vote in favour of the NDA government during the upcoming trust vote in the state.

  • ‘Imaginary’: Former Bihar CM Jitan Ram Manjhi’s remarks on Ramayana court controversy

    Express News Service

    PATNA: Amid demands by BJP for the inclusion of some chapters on Ramayana in government-run schools and colleges in Bihar, former CM Jitan Ram Manjhi courted controversy by stating that he doesn’t believe the fable to be ‘true’.

    Speaking to a local news channel, Manjhi said: “I don’t believe the story of the Ramayana to be true. Ram was not a living and legendry man”.

    Manjhi’s party-the Hindustan Awami Morcha (HAM) is one of the constituents of the National Democratic Alliance.

    Manjhi sparked uproar in the saffron party when he further termed the existence of Lord Ram “imaginary”.

    BJP leaders like Mangal Pandey, Neeraj Singh Babloo, and Prem Ranjan Patel said that the Ramayana has been a guide for humans for centuries.

    “If we read history, then we should also read Ramayana.  People should read every subject that seeks to give out a positive message,” Pandey said.

    Reacting to the Manjhi’s remarks, BJP leader and spokesperson Premranjan Patel said that no one can erase the Ramayana from the human psyche of India.  

    “Earlier the UPA government had questioned the existence.  Whereas when the archaeological department conducted an excavation in Ayodhya, the evidence of the existence of the temple of Lord Rama was found.  After which the Supreme Court gave approval for the construction of Ram temple,” he said.

    Patel said that whoever doubts the existence of Ram and the Ramayana, must read the Ramayana before making such a statement.

    “If one reads the Ramayana, he will never make such a statement.  It is a question of the faith of crores of people.  No one has the right to raise questions on the faith of people,” he said. 

  • If animals & trees can be counted, so can people: Tejashwi Yadav after meeting PM Modi over caste-based census

    By Agencies

    NEW DELHI: A 10-party delegation from Bihar headed by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar met Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday in support of a nationwide caste-based census.

    Kumar was joined by RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav and representatives of many other parties, including the BJP, and both leaders made a strong push for counting the population on the basis of caste.

    Kumar told reporters later that Modi heard them patiently.

    Asked about the prime minister’s stand on the issue, he said Modi did not “deny it” (caste census) and heard out everyone.

    A caste-based census will help in formulating various development plans effectively, he said.

    Speaking strongly in its support, Yadav said it will be a “historic” measure in helping the poor. If animals and trees can be counted, then so can people, he said.

    Asked if Kumar’s JD(U) and the RJD are getting closer with both parties joining hands over the issue, Yadav said the opposition in Bihar has always supported the government over pro-people measures and those in national interest.

    Besides Nitish and Tejashwi, JDU leader Vijay Kumar Choudhary, who is also the minister for education and parliamentary affairs, former Chief Minister and President of Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM) Jitan Ram Manjhi, Congress legislature party leader Ajeet Sharma and BJP leader and Bihar minister Janak Ram, CPI-ML legislature party leader Mahboob Alam, Akhtarul Imam of AIMIM, Mukesh Sahni of VIP, Suryakant Paswan of CPI and Ajay Kumar of CPM.

    ALSO READ| Hope Centre will reconsider its decision to hold caste-based census: Jitan Ram Manjhi

    Nitish Kumar had said a resolution regarding the caste-based census was passed unanimously in Bihar Legislative Assembly as well as the Legislative Council in 2019. A resolution was passed unanimously once again in 2020 in the state Legislative Assembly.

    “The demand of the caste census is not just the demand from Bihar but other states also. The Opposition parties in Bihar also wanted to meet the Prime Minister with us. We had written a letter to the Prime Minister regarding this,” Bihar chief minister had earlier said.

    “We want a caste-based Census and it is our long-standing demand. A caste-based Census will help all castes to get their exact numbers so that policies can be made accordingly. Caste census is in the interest of all. It is for the benefit of the country. It is the job of the central government to take a decision regarding the caste census. It is not a political issue but a social one,” Nitish Kumar had said.

    Delhi | People in Bihar and the entire country are of the same opinion on this issue. We are grateful to the PM for listening to us. Now, he has to take a decision on it: Bihar CM Nitish Kumar on meeting with PM Narendra Modi over caste census pic.twitter.com/8e2F0LYoNo
    — ANI (@ANI) August 23, 2021
    Kumar, meanwhile, stated that if Centre does not agree then “Bihar will proceed to conduct a caste-based census.” However, the Central government has so far refused to accede to the demand.

    On July 20, in a written reply to a question in Lok Sabha, Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai had said: “The Government of India has decided as a matter of policy not to enumerate caste-wise populations other than SCs and STs in the census.”

    On March 10, 2021, the Union Ministry of Home Affairs had clarified on caste-related details received from the Socio-Economic Caste Census (SECC) 2011 to the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment. In a reply, the Union Home Ministry said that raw caste data has been provided to the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment (MoSJE) for the classification and categorisation of the data.

    Delhi | Our delegation met the PM today not only for caste census in the state (Bihar) but in the entire country. We are awaiting a decision on this now: Tejashwi Yadav, RJD after meeting with PM Modi over caste census pic.twitter.com/HRyg77P3D5
    — ANI (@ANI) August 23, 2021
    “The Office of the Registrar General, India had provided logistics and technical support in conducting the SECC-2011. The raw caste data has been provided to the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment (MoSJE) for the classification and categorization of the data. As informed by MoSJE, there is no proposal to release the caste data at this stage,” the Home Ministry had said.

  • Hope Centre will reconsider its decision to hold caste-based census: Ex-Bihar CM Jitan Ram Manjhi

    By ANI

    NEW DELHI: Former Bihar Chief Minister and Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM) President Jitan Ram Manjhi on Monday expressed hope that the Central government will reconsider its decision to hold the caste-based census.

    Manjhi is part of the delegation of 11 parties led by Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar which is going to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi today over the caste-based census. “There has been a long-standing demand for the caste-based census in Bihar. Bihar Assembly has unanimously sent a proposal for the census to the Central government twice. But since there was no response from PM Modi, we decided to meet him personally,” the HAM president told ANI.

    “The last caste-based census was done in 1931 in Bihar. This census is important to know the caste demography in the society and will help the government to work for the welfare of the minorities,” he added.

    On being asked about the refusal of the Ministry of Home Affairs to conduct a caste-based census, Manjhi said: “I hope the government will reconsider its decision.” “The government even keeps a count of the animals in the country. These are the people of the country. I hope PM Modi will understand this and give us a positive answer,” he said.

    Rashtriya Janata Party (RJD) Tejashwi Yadav, who is also in Delhi to attend the meeting with the Prime Minister said: “Twice resolutions have been passed in Bihar Assembly for caste census in the state. With such a census we can get data that can help in preparing relevant benefit schemes for people from different sections of society.”

  • 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.

  • Pappu Yadav’s arrest reveals NDA faultlines as allies slam Nitish

    Express News Service
    PATNA:  The arrest of Jan Adhikar Party chief and Madhepura ex-MP Rajesh Ranjan alias Pappu Yadav in Patna on Tuesday laid bare the fault lines in the NDA, with two important allies the Hindustan Awami Morcha (HAM) and the Vikashsheel Inssan Party (VIP) launching a scathing attack on incumbent Nitish Kumar.

    Pappu Yadav was arrested by the Patna police for violating lockdown guidelines by visiting the Patna Medical College Hospital without obtaining e-pass.

    He was later handed over to the Madhepura police. Yadav has been actively helping the Covid across the state and visiting hospitals to assess the infrastructure.  

    A couple of days ago, he had a spat with BJP Chapra MP Rajiv Pratap Rudy over dozens of ambulances lying idle at Saran.

    The Amnour police had lodged an FIR against him for allegedly damaging some ambulances at Vishwa Prabha Community Centre.

    Expressing his displeasure, ex-CM and HAM chief Jitan Ram Manjhi said: “If a public representative is arrested for serving public then it sets a dangerous precedent for humanity.”

    Had his arrest followed a judicial enquiry fixing responsibility, it would have been alright. However, such highhandedness may rightly spark public outrage.

    Soon after Manjhi’s reaction, minister of fisheries and animal husbandry and VIP chief Mukesh Sahni, too, voiced his concern.

    “Instead of motivating people to offer selfless service, arresting selfless workers like Pappu Yadav comes across as insensitive,” he said.

    Yadav’s arrest had elicited sharp response from the Opposition camp as well.

    Soon after Yadav’s arrest, his supporters created a ruckus outside the Gandhimaindan police station in Patna.

    They cried foul over his handing over to the Madhepura police.