News Analysis India

Tag: Muslims

  • Yadavs, Muslims must not expect me to be of any help: JD(U) MP

    Patna: A newly elected MP of Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s JD(U) on Monday found himself at the centre of a controversy for laments about “Muslims and Yadavs” not voting for the BJP-led NDA. In a video clip that has gone viral on social media, Sitamarhi MP Devesh Chandra Thakur can also be heard ruing that “NDA’s own voters” gravitated towards the opposition RJD.

    Thakur, 71, a former chairman of the state legislative council, made his parliamentary debut in the recently held Lok Sabha polls, winning the seat by a modest margin of less than 55,000 votes.

    “I did not get votes of Suris (a fishing community) and Kalwars. Even the Kushwahas deserted me. Just because respected Lalu Prasad (RJD supremo) gave tickets to many Kushwahas. Could a Kushwaha elected from elsewhere be of any help to members of the community in my constituency?” Thakur could be heard asking in the video, which was not independently verified by PTI. Later, he said, “I have made it clear that Yadavs and Muslims must not expect me to be of any help to them. They will be treated with due respect, even offered tea and snacks, when they call on me. But I will not take up any of their problems.”

    The JD(U) MP added that he had expressed the sentiment before a “Muslim” who visited him after the elections.

    “I asked the Muslim brother how can you expect me to work for you when you did not vote for me just because my party is aligned with the BJP,” said Thakur, claiming that the visitor agreed with the contention and went back feeling regret for his electoral choice. Often called “Ajaatshatru” in political circles because of his friendly disposition, Thakur retained the seat for his party which chose to drop sitting MP Sunil Kumar Pintu. Thakur defeated his nearest RJD rival Arjun Roy, who is a former MP from the Lok Sabha seat.

    The JD(U) leader’s outbursts met with disapproval from the RJD as well as ally BJP, leaving the party to fend for itself.

    “The remarks made by Thakur are objectionable. An MP is the representative of all sections of society in his constituency,” said Bhai Virendra, the RJD’s chief spokesperson and an MLA.

    BJP OBC Morcha national general secretary Nikhil Anand also came out with a strongly worded statement, but without mentioning Thakur by name.

    “Giving vent to frustration in a manner that smacks of caste prejudice is shameful and deplorable in politics. The BJP takes all social segments along. In Bihar, no political party can succeed if it tries to marginalise Yadavs, who are 14 per cent of the total population,” said Anand.

    The BJP leader underscored “27 OBCs, four of them Yadavs” in the Union Council of Ministers and claimed that it was proof of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s commitment to “social harmony”.

    JD(U) chief spokesman and MLC Neeraj Kumar responded to the criticisms, saying, “It is unthinkable that Thakur will discriminate against any section of society. He was just expressing his pain at not getting votes of even those whom he may have helped him personally but who got swayed by other considerations.”

  • ‘Lies, Hate Speech’: Congress Claims PM Modi’s ‘Wealth To Muslims’ Remark Shows INDIA Is Winning 1st Phase Of Polls |

    In a fiery rebuttal to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s allegations, the Congress party claimed on Sunday that the PM has resorted to “lies” and “hate speech” to divert the public’s attention away from real issues, following a “disappointment” in the first phase of the Lok Sabha elections. The counterattack came in response to PM Modi’s claim that if Congress wins power, it will redistribute wealth to Muslims, citing former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s statement that the minority community has the first claim to the country’s resources.

    At a rally in Rajasthan’s Banswara, Modi claimed that the Congress intends to distribute people’s hard-earned money and valuables to “infiltrators” and “those who have more children”.

    Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge retaliated, claiming that no prime minister in India’s history has degraded the dignity of the office more than Modi. He accused Modi of using “lies” and “hate speech” to divert attention, and claimed that the Prime Minister’s actions reflect the values of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh.

    Kharge also claimed that lying for power, making false references, and levelling baseless accusations against opponents are hallmarks of the Sangh and BJP’s training. He promised that the country’s 140 crore people would no longer fall for such “lies”.

    Kharge siad that the Congress manifesto is for all Indians and promotes equality and justice for all, claiming that the party’s Nyaya Patra is founded on truth.

    Congress leader Rahul Gandhi stated that after “disappointment” in the first phase of voting, “the level of lies of Narendra Modi has fallen so much that he now wants to divert the people’s attention from the issues as he is rattled”.

    The trends of massive support for Congress’ “revolutionary manifesto” have begun to emerge, Gandhi stated in a Hindi post on X.

    “The country will now vote on its issues, including employment, family, and the future. “India will not be diverted,” the former Congress chief stated.

    In his remarks in Rajasthan, Modi said, “The Congress manifesto states that they will calculate the gold with mothers and sisters, gather information about it, and then distribute that property. They will distribute it to whom- – Manmohan Singh’s government stated that Muslims have the first right to the country’s assets.”

    “Previously, when their (Congress) government was in power, they stated that Muslims have first priority over the country’s assets. This means, to whom will this property be distributed? “It will be distributed to those who have more children,” the prime minister stated.

    The Congress has stated that its manifesto does not mention “redistribution” and that it supports a “comprehensive socio-economic caste census”.

  • Never seen State becoming Union Territory: Farooq Abdullah – The Economic Times Video

    Addressing one day Gujjar & Bakarwal conference at National Conference Office, Former Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir and National Conference President Farooq Abdullah on January 17 said that he had never witnessed a state becoming a union territory. He had only seen a union territory becoming a state.While addressing the conference, Farooq Abdullah said, “I have never witnessed a state becoming a union territory. I have only seen a union territory becoming a state…During my time, there was such a rush at the secretariat. But now, there is nobody to listen (to the problems). This can be changed only by you i.e. the Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs and Christians living here…”