Hitman
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I don't. Would you educate me?
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Contact the PP Team
[PICTURES/VIDEOS] Indian Politics - News & Updates Thread
- Thread starter sensible-indian-fan
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And people talk about weak and lame opposition. If more than half of them are suspended from parliament on flimsy issues how'll they question the regime? That's what feku wants. No accountability to anyone and non issues clouding people's judgement.
Mahua was suspended on a nothing issue while sanghi MP, Bidhuri went scot free despite indulging in far more shameful behaviour against Muslims. Do you know why?
If you still don't know, I can't help it.
Mahua was suspended on a nothing issue while sanghi MP, Bidhuri went scot free despite indulging in far more shameful behaviour against Muslims. Do you know why?
If you still don't know, I can't help it.
CricketCartoons
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The commie terrorists who attacked the parliament should be given exemplary punishment. Hope the judiciary doesnt bow to any human right advocate. Commies are cancer.
CricketCartoons
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Who is bidhuri and what did she/he do?
Pls refer to his stint as WB governor and his current stint as VP.
Hitman
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Hitman
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Even I don't know till date whether any action has been taken against him. The things he said, My Goodness! 'Ugrawadi, mulla, katwe' ....
CricketCartoons
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This is par for course. Bhakt, a sacred concept in hinduism, is used as an insult, then why will others not face the music?
CricketCartoons
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This govt had made lynching and rape of minors punishable by death. And decriminalised any kind of criticism of the government. Another low by the sanghis.
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Romali_rotti
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And that match-fixer is an MP in India, while here, we sacked Salman Butt even for a role as a consultant.
Azhar is a nobody in Indian political circles. He recently contested Telengana assembly elections and lost miserably. Must be his 3rd consecutive loss in elections.
That is comparing apples with oranges though. Azhar fixed matches in cricket and his company (i.e BCCI) banned him from everything related to Indian cricket. It doesn't stop him to become a politician or doing any other piece of work.
Pakistan got back M.Amir into cricket who was once jailed in UK prison for corruption in the same sport. So unfortunately this Butt example doesn't fly.
Guess who is investigating the parliament attack?
Lo and behold, it's DG of CRPF, the same force which is responsible for the security of the parliament.
What can be bigger joke than this? So opposition was after all right in it's inference that bigot and motabhai are not at all serious about probing this incident.
Lo and behold, it's DG of CRPF, the same force which is responsible for the security of the parliament.
What can be bigger joke than this? So opposition was after all right in it's inference that bigot and motabhai are not at all serious about probing this incident.
CricketCartoons
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Opposition is mostly right. It is a pity that most indians are brainwashed into believing the sanghi govt. The present and future may belong to the sanghis, but the soul and idea of india still belongs to opposition and a handful of sickulars.
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Pakistan also sends many corrupts to the parliament, but they have never sent a corrupt cricketer to the parliament, while india has.
RexRex
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Bizarre indeed.
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Hilarious, Modi and his administration seem to have taken their obsession with the Hindutva ideology to new heights.
Brother I am tired of asking this again and again and again but let me try once more. Anything to say on the 345 crore black money found in Odhisa Congress MP's house? Pls sir, say something about that topic also na...so that I don't have to come here with daily reminders. Its been 2 months since the biggest pile of cash was discovered and we small people are still waiting for your expert opinion on that topic.
Modi bad, Sanghis are bad, BJP is bad, Hindutva is bad...we have heard all that before. Just something on Mr. Sahu also...pls sir.
This is not only directed to you but all those posters who calls themselves secular.
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This was an interesting observation by Raghuram Rajan regarding opposition MP black money and the advantage of electoral bonds for BJP. Not sure I entirely agree with him but still worth pondering. 2 min clip -
More than 90% of anonymous electoral bonds go to sanghis due to obvious reasons.
But of course, this is not corruption.
Only reason electoral bonds were started was to benefit the current regime.
Let's make it a fair process and let ED and CBI knock on the doors of corrupt sanghis too especially the ones who have now been 'cleaned' by sanghi washing machine by virtue of them switching sides.
Let's make it a fair process and let ED and CBI knock on the doors of corrupt sanghis too especially the ones who have now been 'cleaned' by sanghi washing machine by virtue of them switching sides.
Does it occur to you that Raghuram Rajan is suggesting that hard cash is more transparent and legit form of Political funding ? Also why does this NOT work in State elections when we have routinely seen ruling parties being voted out ?
RexRex
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No, he doesn't. He is suggesting this central government is a uniquely vindictive bunch that targets opposition donors, so the opposition has to resort to taking cash for their donors to remain anonymous.
Got evidence to prove that ? Who are the Non-BJP politicians and donors that were targeted by BJP since the electoral bonds were introduced ? How does one target a donor when the donations can be done anonymously ?
So lets say for arguments sake that what he is saying is true. Now instead of suggesting that the Congress should have sought a remedy through legal means he is suggesting use of illegal means and this guy is a seasoned bureaucrat !! People like him are the single biggest vote pullers for BJP.
RexRex
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Did you even watch the clip I posted ? It answers your question.
So basically no response or a single line of criticism just like when you wouldn't answer straight in Udayanidhi Stalin case. I don't care abt Raghuram Rajan...he is not a poster on this forum. Since you are an esteemed liberal mindset opinionated poster here, all I am asking is what is your view on 345 crore black money and piles of cash found in Odhisa Cong MPs house? Waiting for your view my dear sir...lets not bring Raghuram Rajan or any third party here.
It is hilarious how easy it is to expose you guys and then likes of you expect people of India to fall for your pseduo liberal scam which is nothing but one sided agenda.
Talk about Mr. Sahu, a sitting MP in Rajya Sabha from Congress party...don't divert the topic...LOL.
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Why 2024 could be among India’s most consequential elections
Two words, ‘unprecedented’ and ‘historic’, were heard repeatedly on both sides of the political divide in 2023. They were intended to capture the dynamic shifts, highs and lows, and far-reaching changes in Indian politics this year.
India hosting the G20 summit for the first time, and the passage of the Women’s Reservation Bill in Parliament were billed as historic.
The coming together of anti-BJP parties in the largest opposition bloc ever in terms of the number of parties, and Rahul Gandhi’s cross-country yatra, perhaps the first time since 2014 that he had stepped out of his comfort zone, too, were billed as historic.
The opening of the new Parliament building was historic too, as was the passage of Bills replacing colonial era criminal laws.
Also unprecedented: the mass suspension of MPs from Parliament, the wipeout of the grand old party in the Hindi heartland, the allegation by the US that an Indian intelligence official directed an unsuccessful plot to kill a Khalistani separatist on American soil.
2024 — the year of the world’s biggest election exercise, followed by important elections in India’s states, possible new geopolitical uncertainties and foreign policy challenges for the country, and the much-talked about rise of India as an economic powerhouse — could be marked by its own historic and unprecedented developments.
Source : The Indian Express
Why 2024 could be among India’s most consequential elections
A lot of Indian politics is now about competitive welfarism, and it will be on full display during the Lok Sabha elections. The BJP will seek to ride its cultural nationalism push to a third straight term. Here are the other themes likely to be at the forefront in 2024.
indianexpress.com
Romali_rotti
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Awww, shooo Cute...Why 2024 could be among India’s most consequential elections
, and Rahul Gandhi’s cross-country yatra, perhaps the first time since 2014 that he had stepped out of his comfort zone, too, were billed as historic.
Source : The Indian Express
Why 2024 could be among India’s most consequential elections
A lot of Indian politics is now about competitive welfarism, and it will be on full display during the Lok Sabha elections. The BJP will seek to ride its cultural nationalism push to a third straight term. Here are the other themes likely to be at the forefront in 2024.
Good to see my Italian Ammayi's puppu is maturing,
.. Yes this is historic, someone going for a cardio work out lol.Our PM for 2024....
Romali_rotti
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India and Russia inch closer to jointly producing weapons
KIRAN SHARMA, Nikkei staff writerDecember 27, 2023 19:28 JSTUpdated on December 27, 2023 23:02 JST
NEW DELHI --
Russia and India discussed plans and made progress in talks toward jointly producing military equipment, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said in Moscow on Wednesday after holding talks with visiting Indian counterpart S. Jaishankar.
At a joint press briefing with the Indian minister, whose five-day Russia visit began on Monday, Lavrov said the two talked about the prospects of military and technical cooperation, including the manufacturing of modern weaponry. "We also have [taken] specific steps in this area," Lavrov said.
He added that their cooperation was of a strategic nature, which "corresponds to the national interests of our states, the interest of maintaining security in the Eurasian continent."
"We are respectful of the aspirations of our Indian colleagues to diversify their military and technical links. We also understand and we are ready to support their initiative to produce military products as part of the 'Make in India' program," Lavrov said, referring to India's plan to transform itself into a manufacturing hub.
Lavrov said they agreed on a number of steps to expand cooperation, including in the International North-South Transport Corridor that connects Russia and India by ship, rail and road, as well as the establishment of the Chennai-Vladivostok maritime route.
The two leaders also discussed the Ukraine war and other regional and international matters, including the situations in Afghanistan and Gaza. They talked about cooperation in international groupings such as BRICS -- whose core members are Brazil, Russia, India and China and South Africa -- and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.
Cooperation in the field of hydrocarbons and the peaceful use of nuclear energy were also discussed.
Jaishankar said India-Russia relations remain steady and strong. "They are based on our strategic convergence, on our geopolitical interests, and because they are mutually beneficial," pointing to bilateral trade that had hit an all-time high.
"We have crossed $50 billion turnover last year [and] expect to exceed that this year," Jaishankar said. "What is important is that this trade is more balanced, it is sustainable, and it provides for fair market access."
In response to a question, Jaishankar said he was "very confident that we will see an annual [Russia-India] summit next year."
India and Russia inch closer to jointly producing weapons
In meeting with Jaishankar, Putin conveys invitation for Modi to visit Russia
asia.nikkei.com
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This will not make the Americans happy, expect a few suspects being accused of Empty Lander assassinations to be caught from thin air in Canada and US in the near future, with some of our Pakistanis yelling for justice without having a clue of what is really going on..
I have my popcorn ready....
gani999
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Aww come on. Puppu is only 53. He has a lot of time to grow up and mature. He is still only a 'Youth Congress' leader.Awww, shooo Cute...
Good to see my Italian Ammayi's puppu is maturing,
Our PM for 2024....
He will come of age when he is 80.
Romali_rotti
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I have repeated this numerous times, I feel Puppu will be ready to lead India in about 40 years from now.
By then he would have stopped his frequent Thailand visits, partying with endings that are happy and would be ready to settle down in India.
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Another stooping low incident by the Modi led BJP government.
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India's far-right cow vigilantes bolster clout before high-stake elections
Vishnu Dabad attributes his rise from poverty to powerful local politician to an animal: the cow. The 30-year-old is one of many Gau Rakshaks, or cow protectors: activists who have taken Indian laws banning cattle slaughter and beef consumption into their own hands since Prime Minister Narendra Modi came to power in 2014 at the head of the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Scores of cow protectors in recent years have been accused of using violence to carry out extra-judicial activities, often finding themselves at odds with law enforcement, even as many won acclaim for defending the Hindu faith.
Now some of these operatives are transferring their clout into grassroots political power, where they are pursuing a hardline majoritarian agenda, according to interviews with more than 90 activist-vigilantes, as well as senior leaders of the BJP and other parties, government officials and political analysts.
They described how cow vigilantism has become a finishing school for the young men who mobilise large groups against alleged cattle smugglers and used the resulting popularity to catapult into politics.
Forty-one of the cow protectors who spoke to Reuters have been elected to positions such as village chief, town council member or local legislator in the past six years, roles that can involve governing tens of thousands of people.
Another 12 said they were lobbying their family members to seek local office.
"All of what you see: my success, my existence is only because cows have blessed me," said Dabad, who started a cow protection force in 2014 and was elected as village chief in 2016.
He is now a full-time political campaigner in the northern state of Haryana for a party allied with the BJP, and is keen to seek higher office.
Ancient Hindu religious texts praise cows, who are regarded as deities, for their nurturing ability. But India's minority Muslims and Christians, as well as some Hindus, consume beef as part of their diet, generating some sectarian tensions.
There is no publicly available official estimate on the number of cow activists nationwide, but activist leaders said they believe more than 300,000 Hindu men in the nation of 1.4 billion are directly involved with their groups.
India's interior ministry, which oversees national law enforcement, did not return a request for comment on that figure or the role of cow activists.
Reuters previously reported that some of them have stopped cow traders - many of them Muslim men - with deadly force, according to prosecutors, witnesses and the families of victims.
Some states have enacted laws enabling cow vigilantes to patrol alongside police.
While government data does not distinguish general violence from cow-related lynching, Human Rights Watch found that at least 44 people - 36 of them Muslims - were killed in cow-related violence between May 2015 and December 2018.
The independent, New Delhi-based Documentation of the Oppressed database found 206 acts of cow-related violence involving 850 victims, mainly Muslims, between July 2014 and August 2022.
The proximity of cow activists to power has raised concerns among many Muslims, who allege that some BJP members and their affiliates have engaged in anti-Islam hate speech and violence.
Modi and the BJP have denied that religious discrimination exists in India.
Cow protectors "are very powerful men…and there is a climate of fear," said Jaan Mohammed, a Muslim man whose brother was one of the first victims of a cow-related lynching after Modi took power. "I don't think this can ever change now."
Legal proceedings are pending. Seventeen men accused of involvement in his brother's 2015 killing were released on bail, and another suspect later died. Police at the time of the slaying said the alleged perpetrators behaved as if they had a "licence to kill."
Modi has repeatedly criticized activists who engage in "criminal" violence, even as his party courts their support.
Source : Dawn News
Vishnu Dabad attributes his rise from poverty to powerful local politician to an animal: the cow. The 30-year-old is one of many Gau Rakshaks, or cow protectors: activists who have taken Indian laws banning cattle slaughter and beef consumption into their own hands since Prime Minister Narendra Modi came to power in 2014 at the head of the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Scores of cow protectors in recent years have been accused of using violence to carry out extra-judicial activities, often finding themselves at odds with law enforcement, even as many won acclaim for defending the Hindu faith.
Now some of these operatives are transferring their clout into grassroots political power, where they are pursuing a hardline majoritarian agenda, according to interviews with more than 90 activist-vigilantes, as well as senior leaders of the BJP and other parties, government officials and political analysts.
They described how cow vigilantism has become a finishing school for the young men who mobilise large groups against alleged cattle smugglers and used the resulting popularity to catapult into politics.
Forty-one of the cow protectors who spoke to Reuters have been elected to positions such as village chief, town council member or local legislator in the past six years, roles that can involve governing tens of thousands of people.
Another 12 said they were lobbying their family members to seek local office.
"All of what you see: my success, my existence is only because cows have blessed me," said Dabad, who started a cow protection force in 2014 and was elected as village chief in 2016.
He is now a full-time political campaigner in the northern state of Haryana for a party allied with the BJP, and is keen to seek higher office.
Ancient Hindu religious texts praise cows, who are regarded as deities, for their nurturing ability. But India's minority Muslims and Christians, as well as some Hindus, consume beef as part of their diet, generating some sectarian tensions.
There is no publicly available official estimate on the number of cow activists nationwide, but activist leaders said they believe more than 300,000 Hindu men in the nation of 1.4 billion are directly involved with their groups.
India's interior ministry, which oversees national law enforcement, did not return a request for comment on that figure or the role of cow activists.
Reuters previously reported that some of them have stopped cow traders - many of them Muslim men - with deadly force, according to prosecutors, witnesses and the families of victims.
Some states have enacted laws enabling cow vigilantes to patrol alongside police.
While government data does not distinguish general violence from cow-related lynching, Human Rights Watch found that at least 44 people - 36 of them Muslims - were killed in cow-related violence between May 2015 and December 2018.
The independent, New Delhi-based Documentation of the Oppressed database found 206 acts of cow-related violence involving 850 victims, mainly Muslims, between July 2014 and August 2022.
The proximity of cow activists to power has raised concerns among many Muslims, who allege that some BJP members and their affiliates have engaged in anti-Islam hate speech and violence.
Modi and the BJP have denied that religious discrimination exists in India.
Cow protectors "are very powerful men…and there is a climate of fear," said Jaan Mohammed, a Muslim man whose brother was one of the first victims of a cow-related lynching after Modi took power. "I don't think this can ever change now."
Legal proceedings are pending. Seventeen men accused of involvement in his brother's 2015 killing were released on bail, and another suspect later died. Police at the time of the slaying said the alleged perpetrators behaved as if they had a "licence to kill."
Modi has repeatedly criticized activists who engage in "criminal" violence, even as his party courts their support.
Source : Dawn News
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Jethmalani's 10 questions as Rahul Gandhi's yatra to skip Arunachal Pradesh
In a series of pointed questions directed at senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh, Rajya Sabha member and senior advocate Mahesh Jethmalani has raised concerns over the altered route of Rahul Gandhi's upcoming "Bharat Nyaya Yatra," specifically its omission of Arunachal Pradesh. Jethmalani expressed his reservations and sought answers from Ramesh on various issues, including Congress's decision to enter a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Chinese Communist Party in 2008.
Over the years Jairam Ramesh's views on Arunachal Pradesh make for ominous reading,” Jethamalani said in a social media post, alleging that as an environment minister in the UPA government, the Congress leader wanted a review of all existing hydel projects in the state and halt any new ones.
“He then asserted that India would not be able to construct dams on its own and should enlist Chinese expertise in its hydel projects in the state,” the lawmaker wrote.
Jethmalani then pointed to Rahul Gandhi's upcoming East-to-West ‘Bharat Nyay Yatra’, questioning why Arunachal Pradesh didn't feature in the outreach program.
After Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra, Ramesh in February said that the party was considering a similar march from Pasighat in Aruchanal Pradesh to Porbandar in Gujarat.
Source : The Hindustan Times
www.hindustantimes.com
In a series of pointed questions directed at senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh, Rajya Sabha member and senior advocate Mahesh Jethmalani has raised concerns over the altered route of Rahul Gandhi's upcoming "Bharat Nyaya Yatra," specifically its omission of Arunachal Pradesh. Jethmalani expressed his reservations and sought answers from Ramesh on various issues, including Congress's decision to enter a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Chinese Communist Party in 2008.
Over the years Jairam Ramesh's views on Arunachal Pradesh make for ominous reading,” Jethamalani said in a social media post, alleging that as an environment minister in the UPA government, the Congress leader wanted a review of all existing hydel projects in the state and halt any new ones.
“He then asserted that India would not be able to construct dams on its own and should enlist Chinese expertise in its hydel projects in the state,” the lawmaker wrote.
Jethmalani then pointed to Rahul Gandhi's upcoming East-to-West ‘Bharat Nyay Yatra’, questioning why Arunachal Pradesh didn't feature in the outreach program.
After Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra, Ramesh in February said that the party was considering a similar march from Pasighat in Aruchanal Pradesh to Porbandar in Gujarat.
Source : The Hindustan Times
Jethmalani's 10 questions as Rahul Gandhi's yatra to skip Arunachal Pradesh
The Yatra was announced following a unanimous resolution of the Congress Working Committee that Gandhi should undertake the second phase of the yatra.
Romali_rotti
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Ofcourse, our puppu wouldn't want to upset his uncle Xi Jing Ping, skipping Arunachal Pradesh was the right thing to do.Jethmalani's 10 questions as Rahul Gandhi's yatra to skip Arunachal Pradesh
In a series of pointed questions directed at senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh, Rajya Sabha member and senior advocate Mahesh Jethmalani has raised concerns over the altered route of Rahul Gandhi's upcoming "Bharat Nyaya Yatra," specifically its omission of Arunachal Pradesh. Jethmalani expressed his reservations and sought answers from Ramesh on various issues, including Congress's decision to enter a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Chinese Communist Party in 2008.
Over the years Jairam Ramesh's views on Arunachal Pradesh make for ominous reading,” Jethamalani said in a social media post, alleging that as an environment minister in the UPA government, the Congress leader wanted a review of all existing hydel projects in the state and halt any new ones.
“He then asserted that India would not be able to construct dams on its own and should enlist Chinese expertise in its hydel projects in the state,” the lawmaker wrote.
Jethmalani then pointed to Rahul Gandhi's upcoming East-to-West ‘Bharat Nyay Yatra’, questioning why Arunachal Pradesh didn't feature in the outreach program.
After Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra, Ramesh in February said that the party was considering a similar march from Pasighat in Aruchanal Pradesh to Porbandar in Gujarat.
Source : The Hindustan Times
Jethmalani's 10 questions as Rahul Gandhi's yatra to skip Arunachal Pradesh
The Yatra was announced following a unanimous resolution of the Congress Working Committee that Gandhi should undertake the second phase of the yatra.
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Narendra Modi’s popularity as a strongman leader, alongside the BJP’s Hindu nationalist agenda, continues to appeal.
Narendra Modi’s popularity as a strongman leader, alongside the BJP’s Hindu nationalist agenda, continues to appeal.
BJP win in India’s 2024 general election ‘almost an inevitability’
Concerns raised over what a third term for Narendra Modi would mean for the country amid rising Hindu-Muslim tension
India’s prime minister, Narendra Modi, has cut a confident figure in recent weeks. As his Bharatiya Janata party (BJP) swept three major state elections in December, Modi did not hold back from predicting that “this hat-trick has guaranteed the 2024 victory”.
The Ministry of Defence is also setting up 822 “selfie points” at war memorials, defence museums, railway stations and tourist attractions where people can take photos of themselves with a Modi cutout.
The BJP’s recent domination in the states of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chattisgarh appeared to reaffirm the popularity of Modi. Though the prime minister has little to do with state elections, which are designed to elect local assembly members, the BJP strategically put Modi front and centre of their campaigns in the place of local leaders, where he appeared at dozens of rallies to directly appeal to voters and present himself as the embodiment of the party.
While regional opposition to the BJP is strong in pockets of south and east India, nationally it is seen as fragmented and weak. The main opposition Indian National Congress party won the state election in Telangana this month but is in power in only three states overall and is perceived as hierarchical and riddled with infighting.
Source : The Guardian
www.theguardian.com
Narendra Modi’s popularity as a strongman leader, alongside the BJP’s Hindu nationalist agenda, continues to appeal.
BJP win in India’s 2024 general election ‘almost an inevitability’
Concerns raised over what a third term for Narendra Modi would mean for the country amid rising Hindu-Muslim tension
India’s prime minister, Narendra Modi, has cut a confident figure in recent weeks. As his Bharatiya Janata party (BJP) swept three major state elections in December, Modi did not hold back from predicting that “this hat-trick has guaranteed the 2024 victory”.
The Ministry of Defence is also setting up 822 “selfie points” at war memorials, defence museums, railway stations and tourist attractions where people can take photos of themselves with a Modi cutout.
The BJP’s recent domination in the states of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chattisgarh appeared to reaffirm the popularity of Modi. Though the prime minister has little to do with state elections, which are designed to elect local assembly members, the BJP strategically put Modi front and centre of their campaigns in the place of local leaders, where he appeared at dozens of rallies to directly appeal to voters and present himself as the embodiment of the party.
While regional opposition to the BJP is strong in pockets of south and east India, nationally it is seen as fragmented and weak. The main opposition Indian National Congress party won the state election in Telangana this month but is in power in only three states overall and is perceived as hierarchical and riddled with infighting.
Source : The Guardian
BJP win in India’s 2024 general election ‘almost an inevitability’
Concerns raised over what a third term for Narendra Modi would mean for the country amid rising Hindu-Muslim tension
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At the moment, the things are bleak for congress. They certainly need something from out of the box to turn the tide on BJP.
Romali_rotti
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Rahul Gandhi's trusted advisors have a penchant for making statements that queer the pitch for the Congress before elections. Sam Pitroda's comment on Ayodhya; his "Jo hua toh hua" (what happened just happened) aside on the 1984 Sikh riots before the 2019 polls;
However, in the Congress, in recent decades, apolitical professional advisers have emerged as factotum. The idea of a National Advisory Council (NAC), comprising civil society and NGO activists and headed by Sonia Gandhi, was credited to Jairam Ramesh. The NAC became the super-government in the Manmohan Singh era and its impact on governance earned the eminent economist, the harbinger of the 1991 reforms, the charge of "policy paralyses".
Manmohan Singh's pioneering role in opening up the economy in 1991 notwithstanding, the green activist stance of Jairam Ramesh as Environment Minister alienated the industry. He was shifted by the then Prime Minister. His comments muddied the waters for his successor in the Environment Ministry, Jayanthi Natarajan. She faced graft charges, which she was absolved of by courts. The damage to the Congress image endured, impacting its 2014 prospects.
Sam Pitroda, Jairam Ramesh, Mani Shankar Aiyar or, for that matter, former bureaucrat K Raju, whom Rahul Gandhi relies upon over active politicians, are professionals par excellence but none of them have emerged from the ranks of the Congress organisation. They perhaps are alien to the idiom of Indian politics.
The BJP has professionals as ministers but they do not dominate the party's discourse. That role is assigned to those who have risen through the organisation, in the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) or Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). Decision-making in the BJP is strictly in the hands of its political nucleus.
Another person Rahul Gandhi is in awe of is psephologist Yogendra Yadav. A core member of Anna Hazare's anti-corruption movement aimed at the Congress regime, Yadav failed to impress Arvind Kejriwal and thus, did not find place in the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). Having walked with Jairam Ramesh and Rahul Gandhi during the Bharat Jodo Yatra, he is now part of the Rahul think tank.
In the aftermath of the Congress's reverses in the heartland states, Yadav has comforted Rahul Gandhi by calculating that Congress polled 10 lakh votes more than the BJP in the November elections. Sources say he has told Rahul that the Congress can win 28 seats in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan, according to his calculations.
Reacting to Yadav's 'calculus', a seasoned Congress leader shared a story about a mathematician who had to cross a river with his family. He calculated the mean flow of water in the river. He calculated his family's collective average height. Along with his son, daughter and wife he started crossing the river. The flow in the middle was strong and the water was deep. One by one, his family members were swept away. The mathematician somehow reached the opposite bank. He revisited his calculation, pulling his hair in despair he shouted, "Nadi ka paani jyon ka tyon, par kunba dooba kyon? (The river remains the same, then why did the family drown.
Election strategist Prashant Kishor was credited by many as the architect of the BJP's 2014 strategy. The story goes that after the elections he met Amit Shah and asked, "Mai ke baad kya (what after May)?" Shah apparently replied, "June". Prashant Kishor, who eventually distanced himself from the BJP, continues to advise a potpourri of parties. At one stage, Nitish Kumar appointed him as his second in command in the Janata Dal United (JDU). He quit the party and is now on a padyatra in Bihar. His protege, Sunil Kanugolu, advised the Congress during the Karnataka election. After the Congress won, he was appointed cabinet-rank adviser in the Siddaramaiah government. He was the Congress's strategist for the November state elections. Barring Telangana, his strategising did not work elsewhere.
Opinion in the Congress is divided on the feasibility of the 'hybrid' Bharat Nyay Yatra that Rahul Gandhi is beginning on January 14. Sources in the party say that doubts about the timing and cost of the 65-day march across 14 states. The Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting on December 21 saw even president Mallikarjun Kharge expressing mild reservation as some members questioned its timing.
The Congress has also turned to crowd-funding to refurbish its resources. QR codes were placed behind chairs at the party's 139th anniversary celebration at Nagpur. Participants were encouraged to donate money by clicking on the QR code.
Kharge is said to have suggested to Rahul Gandhi that he is the party's 'face' for the general election campaign and so, may like to devote his energy to key constituencies. To this, Rahul Gandhi's reaction was that his job was to create the 'mahaul' (environment) and the nitty-gritty of the campaign was Kharge's task.
At the Congress Working Committee meeting, apart from pot shots at Kamal Nath for the Madhya Pradesh loss, an interaction between Chhattisgarh's Bhupesh Baghel and some members who alleged that his 'corrupt image' was responsible for the defeat is in circulation. Chagrined, Baghel is said to have retorted that funds are not raised through selling wild berries.
During the campaign, PM Modi had described the Baghel regime as the ATM (any-time money) machine of Congress. The perception was that Baghel managed the funds for the Congress's Uttar Pradesh campaign in 2022 and the Himachal Pradesh polls. Also, Chhattisgarh capital Raipur hosted the Congress plenary endorsing Kharge.
By beginning his Nyay Yatra on January 14, Rahul will sidestep the January 22 mega event in Ayodhya. His choice of Imphal in Manipur - Jairam Ramesh had talked about Pasighat in Arunachal Pradesh as the starting point when he announced the Bharat Jodo Yatra 2.0 in March last - is understandable, given his avowed concern for the situation in Manipur.
Jairam Ramesh had called it a Pasighat to Porbandar yatra. Now it is Imphal-Mumbai. The decision to bypass Arunachal Pradesh altogether has prompted leaders like Mahesh Jethmalani - a nominated Rajya Sabha member - to question if the "aversion to Arunachal" stems from the recent stance of China, which has renamed 11 places in the border state it lays claim to. Jethmalani, citing the agreement signed between the then Congress government and the Communist Party of China in 2007, has raised uncomfortable questions.
As Rahul Gandhi launches his second yatra this month, the subject may generate political heat.
Source : NDTV
However, in the Congress, in recent decades, apolitical professional advisers have emerged as factotum. The idea of a National Advisory Council (NAC), comprising civil society and NGO activists and headed by Sonia Gandhi, was credited to Jairam Ramesh. The NAC became the super-government in the Manmohan Singh era and its impact on governance earned the eminent economist, the harbinger of the 1991 reforms, the charge of "policy paralyses".
Manmohan Singh's pioneering role in opening up the economy in 1991 notwithstanding, the green activist stance of Jairam Ramesh as Environment Minister alienated the industry. He was shifted by the then Prime Minister. His comments muddied the waters for his successor in the Environment Ministry, Jayanthi Natarajan. She faced graft charges, which she was absolved of by courts. The damage to the Congress image endured, impacting its 2014 prospects.
Sam Pitroda, Jairam Ramesh, Mani Shankar Aiyar or, for that matter, former bureaucrat K Raju, whom Rahul Gandhi relies upon over active politicians, are professionals par excellence but none of them have emerged from the ranks of the Congress organisation. They perhaps are alien to the idiom of Indian politics.
The BJP has professionals as ministers but they do not dominate the party's discourse. That role is assigned to those who have risen through the organisation, in the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) or Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). Decision-making in the BJP is strictly in the hands of its political nucleus.
Another person Rahul Gandhi is in awe of is psephologist Yogendra Yadav. A core member of Anna Hazare's anti-corruption movement aimed at the Congress regime, Yadav failed to impress Arvind Kejriwal and thus, did not find place in the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). Having walked with Jairam Ramesh and Rahul Gandhi during the Bharat Jodo Yatra, he is now part of the Rahul think tank.
In the aftermath of the Congress's reverses in the heartland states, Yadav has comforted Rahul Gandhi by calculating that Congress polled 10 lakh votes more than the BJP in the November elections. Sources say he has told Rahul that the Congress can win 28 seats in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan, according to his calculations.
Reacting to Yadav's 'calculus', a seasoned Congress leader shared a story about a mathematician who had to cross a river with his family. He calculated the mean flow of water in the river. He calculated his family's collective average height. Along with his son, daughter and wife he started crossing the river. The flow in the middle was strong and the water was deep. One by one, his family members were swept away. The mathematician somehow reached the opposite bank. He revisited his calculation, pulling his hair in despair he shouted, "Nadi ka paani jyon ka tyon, par kunba dooba kyon? (The river remains the same, then why did the family drown.
Election strategist Prashant Kishor was credited by many as the architect of the BJP's 2014 strategy. The story goes that after the elections he met Amit Shah and asked, "Mai ke baad kya (what after May)?" Shah apparently replied, "June". Prashant Kishor, who eventually distanced himself from the BJP, continues to advise a potpourri of parties. At one stage, Nitish Kumar appointed him as his second in command in the Janata Dal United (JDU). He quit the party and is now on a padyatra in Bihar. His protege, Sunil Kanugolu, advised the Congress during the Karnataka election. After the Congress won, he was appointed cabinet-rank adviser in the Siddaramaiah government. He was the Congress's strategist for the November state elections. Barring Telangana, his strategising did not work elsewhere.
Opinion in the Congress is divided on the feasibility of the 'hybrid' Bharat Nyay Yatra that Rahul Gandhi is beginning on January 14. Sources in the party say that doubts about the timing and cost of the 65-day march across 14 states. The Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting on December 21 saw even president Mallikarjun Kharge expressing mild reservation as some members questioned its timing.
The Congress has also turned to crowd-funding to refurbish its resources. QR codes were placed behind chairs at the party's 139th anniversary celebration at Nagpur. Participants were encouraged to donate money by clicking on the QR code.
Kharge is said to have suggested to Rahul Gandhi that he is the party's 'face' for the general election campaign and so, may like to devote his energy to key constituencies. To this, Rahul Gandhi's reaction was that his job was to create the 'mahaul' (environment) and the nitty-gritty of the campaign was Kharge's task.
At the Congress Working Committee meeting, apart from pot shots at Kamal Nath for the Madhya Pradesh loss, an interaction between Chhattisgarh's Bhupesh Baghel and some members who alleged that his 'corrupt image' was responsible for the defeat is in circulation. Chagrined, Baghel is said to have retorted that funds are not raised through selling wild berries.
During the campaign, PM Modi had described the Baghel regime as the ATM (any-time money) machine of Congress. The perception was that Baghel managed the funds for the Congress's Uttar Pradesh campaign in 2022 and the Himachal Pradesh polls. Also, Chhattisgarh capital Raipur hosted the Congress plenary endorsing Kharge.
By beginning his Nyay Yatra on January 14, Rahul will sidestep the January 22 mega event in Ayodhya. His choice of Imphal in Manipur - Jairam Ramesh had talked about Pasighat in Arunachal Pradesh as the starting point when he announced the Bharat Jodo Yatra 2.0 in March last - is understandable, given his avowed concern for the situation in Manipur.
Jairam Ramesh had called it a Pasighat to Porbandar yatra. Now it is Imphal-Mumbai. The decision to bypass Arunachal Pradesh altogether has prompted leaders like Mahesh Jethmalani - a nominated Rajya Sabha member - to question if the "aversion to Arunachal" stems from the recent stance of China, which has renamed 11 places in the border state it lays claim to. Jethmalani, citing the agreement signed between the then Congress government and the Communist Party of China in 2007, has raised uncomfortable questions.
As Rahul Gandhi launches his second yatra this month, the subject may generate political heat.
Source : NDTV
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Shashi Tharoor's Lok Sabha polls prediction: ‘BJP to emerge as…'
Congress MP Shashi Tharoor has predicted the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will emerge as the single-largest party in the upcoming 2024 general elections. However, he said, the BJP can be stopped from forming a government at the Centre by significantly bringing down its seats tally and forcing its allies to lose confidence in the National Democratic Alliance (NDA).
The BJP-led NDA won 303 seats in the 2019 general elections. The alliance is aiming for the magical 400-mark in the 2024 general elections. The Congress and 27 other opposition parties have formed an alliance to challenge the BJP juggernaut.
Speaking at the Kerala Literature Festival, Tharoor said the BJP's "numbers can be brought down" to stop it from forming a government.
"I still expect that the BJP will emerge as the single-largest party. But I do believe their numbers can be brought down to a level where their potential allies required to form a government may no longer be willing to ally with them and may be willing to ally with us. So we have to give it a try," the former Union minister said in a session, 'India: The Future is Now', PTI reported.
Source : The Hindustan Times
A Complete List of Things Narendra Modi Can Do
Back in the day when the United States, deploying an arsenal of lies, fabrications and outright chicanery, was making its case for an attack on Iraq, talk show host Bill Maher was one of the loudest of the naysayers.
For his pains, his show was canceled; he was labeled anti-national; supporters of the war said that Maher hated America. His response was a standup show where he listed every stupid thing the Bush administration was doing, and the refrain was ‘I don’t hate my country – I am merely embarrassed by it.”
I now see what he meant.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh says that due to PM Modi’s efforts, the Ukraine war was paused for six hours to facilitate the evacuation of Indian students. He says this on January 11, 2024. He says this not in some gathering of Modi-worshippers but in England, where he is on an official visit. That claim, which when it first surfaced during the early days of Russia’s attack on Ukraine was all the rage on WhatsApp groups, had been debunked as far back as March 2022. The MEA, not one to shy away from Modi worship, had to officially say that there was no truth to — “absolutely inaccurate” were the words spokesperson Arindam Bagchi had used then. And yet, two years down the line, Rajnath Singh…
Speaking of the MEA, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, who has been trying to shoehorn India as a party to the ongoing US-UK joint strike against Houthi pirates in the Red Sea, says that the UN’s relevance has been dwindling and now, “New Delhi is consulted in every major international issue. The world has come to us.” Apparently India’s “Covid diplomacy” was one reason — remember how we promised to vaccinate the world and then found we didn’t have enough even for our own people and had to renege on our promises? And the other reason, he says, is the “successful hosting” of the G-20 Summit — if that is sufficient reason for the world to flock to India, we must enjoy the limelight while it lasts because see, from 1 December 2023, the presidency of the G-20 had changed hands and it is now with Brazilian president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva who, in elections last year, had defeated Modi’s good friend Bolsonaro.
Still staying with the MEA, “little” Maldives has issued an ultimatum that all Indian troops based in the island nation need to get out by March 15. At the very same event in Nagpur where he made his “world has come to us” claim, Jaishankar in response to a question about the row with Maldives said “Politics is politics” and that he couldn’t guarantee that every country will support and agree with India every time. Oh?
Apropos, remember when the government decided that Modi’s style of diplomacy would be taught in Indian universities? Presumably the course will be titled How To Lose Friends and Make Enemies.
And then there is Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal, who says that the Indian rupee has strengthened under the Modi government — a statement so bizarre even the Finance Minister must have blanched. (For the record, the rupee-dollar exchange rate is currently the highest ever in the history of our currency).
While on ministers and bizarre statements, there is the ever reliable Ashwini Vaishnav who, at the latest edition of the Vibrant Gujarat Summit, spoke of Modi’s vision of joining Mumbai and Ahmedabad with a bullet train. The work is almost complete, he said. There is “full preparation” for the first train to run in 2026, he said. (This would be the same bullet train due for completion in August 2022?). The bullet train, Vaishnav said, would run between Surat and Bilimora in 2026.
Wait, what? Bilimora? Vaishnav is referring to the city in Navsari district, Gujarat? It is 66 km from Surat by road, 51 km by rail, and trains generally take under an hour to cover the distance. This is the bullet train Modi’s vision will provide, four years after deadline, always assuming the date doesn’t get pushed further back? (Once you get to Bilimora, note, Mumbai is still 218 km away).
Seriously — I am embarrassed. In passing, note that all these statements came in the course of just seven days.
Then there is our media. The Adani-owned NDTV, for instance, has “live updates” on a special ritual Modi has begun ahead of the Ayodhya temple inauguration. And just yesterday, NDTV had ‘BREAKING NEWS’ splattered across its channel and on social media: to wit, Modi fed cows at his residence on the occasion of Makar Sankranti. The channel, whose viewership has been declining ever since Adani took over, thus gives an entirely new meaning to “breaking news”.
Ex-NDTV anchor Sreenivasan Jain, along with Mariyam Alavi and Scroll’s Supriya Sharma, have released a book called Love Jihad and Other Fictions, an attempt to examine and debunk some of the viral falsehoods roiling the nation. I got the book on Kindle, but am yet to read it).
NDTV though is amateur territory compared to ANI. The alleged news agency sent its reporters to the Maldives to ask foreign tourists to that country about their experiences in India. And to cover all bases, ANI also interviewed a tourist who had just returned from the Maldives and who says Indian islands are very economical. Try and imagine the editorial conference in which they came up with that idea. (And of course, the usual ‘blue tick’ influencers jumped in to promote this with the addendum that this marks a setback for Maldivian president Muizzu).
Did I mention that I am embarrassed?
Then again, sundry ministers and the media are small fry — for five-star face-palm moments you have to look to the experts. And none so expert as Prime Minister Modi, seen here purposefully carrying a bucket of water and a mop to a tree within the Shree Kalaram Mandir and redistributing some of that water around the base of the tree. He was, we are told, “cleaning the temple”. (Makes me wonder who cleaned the other parts visible in the video).
NDTV has more to say about the event, including the magical moment when priests sang the ‘Yudh Kand” section of the Ramayana in Marathi, and an AI translation tool ensured that Modi heard it all in Hindi. Cool. Must have taken ages, though — the Yudha Kandam of the Valmiki Ramayana is 128 chapters (sargams) long, beginning with Ram taking Hanuman into his arms to seal the anti-Ravana alliance, and ending with the Pattabhishekham, Ram’s coronation in Ayodhya.
And then there is BJP president JP Nadda, surrounded by cameras (one cameraman captured two others in the opening frame) cleaning some other temple (Again, the uncleaned parts look spotless). The payoff comes when Nadda spots some grit on the floor, picks it up between finger and thumb, and holds it out for some guy in a suit to come take it from him. (My wife, who saw this, says it reminds her of the guy who comes to clean our home. “I end up fetching and carrying for him,” she cribbed).
Seriously. I am embarrassed. How, and when, did we become this country?
Post Script:
Not to rain on anyone’s parade of follies, but around the same time Modi and Nadda and sundry others were cleaning spotless temples, the National Statistical Office released economic data for December 2023 — which, among other things, shows that retail inflation has surged to a four-month high, while the Index of Industrial Production has slipped to an eight-month low.
Elsewhere, the news was that India’s top four companies “report 50,000 fall in headcount over last year” — a coy way of saying half a lakh employees were laid off by just four companies alone.
In yet another sign of how our institutions are declining, the Bombay High Court has granted bail to a man of “tender age” (he is 26) accused of raping a 13-year-old girl. The sexual relationship was, the judge said, a case of love and not lust. Apparently the judge – a lady – hasn’t heard of statutory rape.
But yeah, Modi fed cows on the occasion of Makar Sankranti, which he couldn’t even pronounce correctly. Frankly, I am beyond embarrassed.
A Complete List of Things Narendra Modi Can Do
Seriously, I am embarrassed. How, and when, did we become this country?
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More embarrassment for modi haters, but they must have gotten used to it now.
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If possible, BSP can ... ': Mayawati rules out pre-poll alliance for 2024 Lok Sabha elections
Mayawati’s BSP to fight Lok Sabha elections alone
NEW DELHI: Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati on Monday ruled out any pre-poll alliance for the Lok Sabha elections even as she kept open the option of post-poll alliance. Mayawati also refuted reports that she is considering retirement from politics.
"Our experience with alliances has never been beneficial for us and we suffer more losses from alliances.
For this reason, most of the parties in the country want to form an alliance with BSP. An alliance can be considered after the elections. If possible, BSP can extend its support after the elections ... our party will fight the elections all alone," she said.
In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the BSP had allied with the Samajwadi Party and the Rashtriya Lok Dal. While the BSP won 10 seats with a vote share of 19.26%, the SP could win only 5 with a vote share of 17.96%. The RLD could not win any seat.
The Congress reacted sharply to Mayawati's announcement and said, "We welcome her decision, but today's political scenario is such that all opposition parties should have come together to fight against the BJP which only got around 37.8% of votes. It was important for the rest of the parties to consolidate the rest 62% of the votes to defeat the BJP."
She also refuted claims that she may take retirement from politics, saying that she will continue to work to strengthen her party. "Last month, I declared Akash Anand as my political successor following which it was being speculated in media that I may soon retire from politics. However, I want to clarify that it's not the case, and I will continue to work towards strengthening the party," she said.
The BSP chief exhorted party leaders and workers to "work with full strength to help the BSP get a favourable verdict" in the 2024 election.
In the 2022 assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh, the BSP could win only 1 seat. However, the party got a vote share of nearly 13%.
Source : The India Today
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For Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its mentors in the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), the Hindu supremacist civil society organisation, 2024 could be an epoch-making year.
People and supporters of India's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) celebrate the Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft's landing on the moon at an event organised near India Gate in New Delhi, India, 23 August 2023 (Photo: Reuters/Anushree Fadnavis).
As 2023 ended, they had much to feel pleased about. Preparation for national elections due by May 2024 had gone on carefully. The BJP received a boost of confidence in early December after landslides in three Hindi-speaking northern states.
The extent of the victory was surprising. The Indian National Congress had been in power in both Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh and was thought to have a chance at re-election. In Madhya Pradesh, the diverse state in the centre of India, Congress had formed a short-lived government in 2018 before a number of its members defected to the BJP. This time, it had counted on winning. Instead, the incumbent BJP government was returned with 49 per cent of the votes and 70 per cent of the seats.
State-level success doesn’t necessarily translate into national victories. But the common ingredient in the BJP’s state campaigns will loom even larger in the national elections in May. That ingredient is Narendra Modi. He campaigned hard for six weeks, dropping into small towns in all three states to dazzle local voters and energise BJP organisers and workers.
State elections aside, the stage is already elaborately set for 2024. Domestically, the world sat up when India’s GDP growth in 2023 came close to eight per cent. Big, visible infrastructure was built — highways, airports and a vast new parliament transforming the centre of New Delhi. The government claims that more than US$40 billion of investment was committed in memoranda of understanding in 2024. Foodgrain production reached an all-time high of 330 million tonnes.
Internationally, India hosted the G20 in New Delhi in September 2023 and produced a joint statement faster than expected. Coinciding with the summit, India landed a probe on the moon, joining the United States, Russia and China as moon explorers.
When the Canadian government accused India of being involved in the murder of Canadian Sikh Hardeep Singh Nijjar, associated with the Sikh separatist movement, it had little consequence in Indian politics. It even played well with some BJP supporters who saw it as a sign that India had entered the big-time alongside the United States and Russia.
A few weeks later, the United States announced it was pursuing an Indian national over a plot to murder a US Sikh. US authorities moved cautiously, not wanting to disrupt the development of the Quad, an association comprising the United States, Japan, Australia and India intended to present a united front against Chinese aggressiveness in the Indo-Pacific.
Against this backdrop, the Prime Minister and his party are on a tireless mission to build momentum for the national elections that will take place over several weeks in April–May 2024. A thumping BJP majority would make it possible for Modi to amend the constitution during its third five-year term in office. Major amendments require approval of two-thirds of members present in each house of parliament, followed by endorsement in some instances of at least half of the 28 state legislatures.
Constitutional changes the BJP and its predecessors have discussed in the past have included renaming India after its Sanskrit name, Bharat, mandating simultaneous elections for both parliament and state legislatures and nationalising a ban on cow slaughter that is now in effect in some states.
From a young age, Modi has been a member of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), a Hindu-supremacist organisation with roots in some of India’s fascist movements of the 1920s. The social and cultural goals of the RSS call for the creation of a state in which the strong central rule of a Hindu supremacist party and its leader bring about the rebirth of a golden Hindu civilisation.
It is unlikely a BJP government will try to convert India into a presidential system to further this end, but it will seek to make the states thoroughly dependent on instructions from the central government.
A third term for the BJP is unlikely to bring major economic change. Electorally, it is difficult to alter agricultural structures. Farmers like the certainty of minimum support prices for foodgrains they have grown, in spite of the country’s nutritional need for fruit and vegetables, which might be more profitable but would require more effective supply chains.
The great gap economists identify in India is a lack of manufacturing — the creation of products that the world wants — and the jobs that go with them. The standard of education in some states is low and a significant proportion of under-employed young people lack basic skills. At the other end of the economy, India’s big corporations are generally content that a tangle of permits, labour laws and unpredictable tax changes deter foreign competitors.
The most prominent items of the BJP’s third-term agenda will be cultural. India will become a religious state, imbued with the BJP–RSS version of what it is to be a Hindu. The future will not be easy for Muslims, Christians and ‘anti-nationals’ — the catch-all term for those who value a plural state in which a person’s religion is immaterial and citizens are not expected to be cheerleaders for their government.
Source: East Asia Forum
People and supporters of India's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) celebrate the Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft's landing on the moon at an event organised near India Gate in New Delhi, India, 23 August 2023 (Photo: Reuters/Anushree Fadnavis).
As 2023 ended, they had much to feel pleased about. Preparation for national elections due by May 2024 had gone on carefully. The BJP received a boost of confidence in early December after landslides in three Hindi-speaking northern states.
The extent of the victory was surprising. The Indian National Congress had been in power in both Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh and was thought to have a chance at re-election. In Madhya Pradesh, the diverse state in the centre of India, Congress had formed a short-lived government in 2018 before a number of its members defected to the BJP. This time, it had counted on winning. Instead, the incumbent BJP government was returned with 49 per cent of the votes and 70 per cent of the seats.
State-level success doesn’t necessarily translate into national victories. But the common ingredient in the BJP’s state campaigns will loom even larger in the national elections in May. That ingredient is Narendra Modi. He campaigned hard for six weeks, dropping into small towns in all three states to dazzle local voters and energise BJP organisers and workers.
State elections aside, the stage is already elaborately set for 2024. Domestically, the world sat up when India’s GDP growth in 2023 came close to eight per cent. Big, visible infrastructure was built — highways, airports and a vast new parliament transforming the centre of New Delhi. The government claims that more than US$40 billion of investment was committed in memoranda of understanding in 2024. Foodgrain production reached an all-time high of 330 million tonnes.
Internationally, India hosted the G20 in New Delhi in September 2023 and produced a joint statement faster than expected. Coinciding with the summit, India landed a probe on the moon, joining the United States, Russia and China as moon explorers.
When the Canadian government accused India of being involved in the murder of Canadian Sikh Hardeep Singh Nijjar, associated with the Sikh separatist movement, it had little consequence in Indian politics. It even played well with some BJP supporters who saw it as a sign that India had entered the big-time alongside the United States and Russia.
A few weeks later, the United States announced it was pursuing an Indian national over a plot to murder a US Sikh. US authorities moved cautiously, not wanting to disrupt the development of the Quad, an association comprising the United States, Japan, Australia and India intended to present a united front against Chinese aggressiveness in the Indo-Pacific.
Against this backdrop, the Prime Minister and his party are on a tireless mission to build momentum for the national elections that will take place over several weeks in April–May 2024. A thumping BJP majority would make it possible for Modi to amend the constitution during its third five-year term in office. Major amendments require approval of two-thirds of members present in each house of parliament, followed by endorsement in some instances of at least half of the 28 state legislatures.
Constitutional changes the BJP and its predecessors have discussed in the past have included renaming India after its Sanskrit name, Bharat, mandating simultaneous elections for both parliament and state legislatures and nationalising a ban on cow slaughter that is now in effect in some states.
From a young age, Modi has been a member of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), a Hindu-supremacist organisation with roots in some of India’s fascist movements of the 1920s. The social and cultural goals of the RSS call for the creation of a state in which the strong central rule of a Hindu supremacist party and its leader bring about the rebirth of a golden Hindu civilisation.
It is unlikely a BJP government will try to convert India into a presidential system to further this end, but it will seek to make the states thoroughly dependent on instructions from the central government.
A third term for the BJP is unlikely to bring major economic change. Electorally, it is difficult to alter agricultural structures. Farmers like the certainty of minimum support prices for foodgrains they have grown, in spite of the country’s nutritional need for fruit and vegetables, which might be more profitable but would require more effective supply chains.
The great gap economists identify in India is a lack of manufacturing — the creation of products that the world wants — and the jobs that go with them. The standard of education in some states is low and a significant proportion of under-employed young people lack basic skills. At the other end of the economy, India’s big corporations are generally content that a tangle of permits, labour laws and unpredictable tax changes deter foreign competitors.
The most prominent items of the BJP’s third-term agenda will be cultural. India will become a religious state, imbued with the BJP–RSS version of what it is to be a Hindu. The future will not be easy for Muslims, Christians and ‘anti-nationals’ — the catch-all term for those who value a plural state in which a person’s religion is immaterial and citizens are not expected to be cheerleaders for their government.
Source: East Asia Forum
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India’s general elections are expected to take place between April and May this year. Statista Consumer Insights surveyed more than 24,000 urban online respondents in the country about which issues they consider to be the most pressing in India right now. As the following chart shows, unemployment was the answer most frequently selected, chosen by just over half of respondents. This was followed by education, poverty and the environment. Multiple options were possible in this question and it is important to note that survey respondents aged from just 18-54 years old.
Youth unemployment is high in India.
Youth unemployment is high in India.
Related Infographics
Source : Statista
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Canada launches inquiry into Indian meddling in country’s elections
Ottawa: Canada’s federal commission of inquiry into foreign interference has initiated an examination into the reported meddling by India in the country’s last two general elections, according to a report by a Canada-based news channel.According to Kashmir Media Service, in a statement released in Ottawa, the other day, the commission revealed that it has formally requested the federal government to produce documentation related to the allegations, the TV channel reported. The terms of reference for the commission, published last year, explicitly direct it to assess possible interference by both state and non-state actors in the 2019 and 2021 federal elections.
The statement signals the commission’s intent to investigate any potential role India might have played in influencing the outcomes of the two ballots, as reported by CTV News.
The initial hearings of the commission are scheduled to commence on Monday, focusing on the challenges and limitations associated with disclosing classified national security information and intelligence to the public.
According to CTV News, the commission aims to release an interim report on May 3, with a final report expected by the end of the year.
Source: Kashmir Media Service
Nitish Kumar Resigns As Bihar Chief Minister To Join Hands With BJP
Nitish Kumar appears set for a second political volte-face in less than three years and is likely to return to an alliance with the BJP today. He has resigned as Bihar Chief Minister to start the process.
Nitish Kumar Resigns As Bihar Chief Minister To Join Hands With BJP
Nitish Kumar appears set for a second political volte-face in less than three years and is likely to return to an alliance with the BJP today. He has resigned as Bihar Chief Minister to start the process.
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Cracks in Indian opposition alliance against PM Modi ahead of elections
Over the weekend, a popular joke on Indian social media featured Nitish Kumar, the 72-year-old nine-time chief minister of the east Indian state of Bihar.
Kumar’s Janata Dal (United) party, or just JD(U), had been a part of the INDIA opposition bloc – a group of more than two dozen political outfits that hopes to take on the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in national elections between March and May.
But on Sunday, he broke away and instead joined hands with the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), a coalition of parties led by the BJP. He resigned as chief minister, then was sworn in again, this time with his new partners — all within hours.
The joke (when translated) read: “Nitish Kumar is the only chief minister, who while being chief minister, resigns as chief minister so that he can remain chief minister.”
The BJP and its allies might well be laughing. Two months before nearly a billion Indians vote to elect their next government, Kumar’s exit from the INDIA alliance serves as a blow to the opposition’s chances of challenging Modi, who is aiming for a third term as prime minister. It also reveals deeper fissures in the opposition alliance.
Also last week, Mamata Banerjee, the chief minister of the neighbouring state of West Bengal and leader of the Trinamool Congress (TMC) party, pulled out of the alliance, which is led by India’s principal opposition party, the Congress. Apart from the Congress, the alliance primarily consists of regional, state-specific parties.
Both Banerjee and Kumar cited rifts with the Congress for their exit from the alliance. The main bone of contention: who gets to contest how many of the 543 parliamentary seats in the country.
www.aljazeera.com
Over the weekend, a popular joke on Indian social media featured Nitish Kumar, the 72-year-old nine-time chief minister of the east Indian state of Bihar.
Kumar’s Janata Dal (United) party, or just JD(U), had been a part of the INDIA opposition bloc – a group of more than two dozen political outfits that hopes to take on the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in national elections between March and May.
But on Sunday, he broke away and instead joined hands with the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), a coalition of parties led by the BJP. He resigned as chief minister, then was sworn in again, this time with his new partners — all within hours.
The joke (when translated) read: “Nitish Kumar is the only chief minister, who while being chief minister, resigns as chief minister so that he can remain chief minister.”
The BJP and its allies might well be laughing. Two months before nearly a billion Indians vote to elect their next government, Kumar’s exit from the INDIA alliance serves as a blow to the opposition’s chances of challenging Modi, who is aiming for a third term as prime minister. It also reveals deeper fissures in the opposition alliance.
Also last week, Mamata Banerjee, the chief minister of the neighbouring state of West Bengal and leader of the Trinamool Congress (TMC) party, pulled out of the alliance, which is led by India’s principal opposition party, the Congress. Apart from the Congress, the alliance primarily consists of regional, state-specific parties.
Both Banerjee and Kumar cited rifts with the Congress for their exit from the alliance. The main bone of contention: who gets to contest how many of the 543 parliamentary seats in the country.
Cracks in Indian opposition alliance against PM Modi ahead of elections
Two key opposition leaders have walked out of the Congress-led alliance, dealing it a big blow.
Romali_rotti
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@our boi Pillionrider.
Where you? No hear for a while.
The wheel is turning, the wheel is turning...lol
Where you? No hear for a while.
The wheel is turning, the wheel is turning...lol
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Protesters who breached India’s parliament say they were tortured and made to sign blank confessions
Five of the six people arrested for allegedly breaching the security of Indian parliament told a court they were tortured by the police into confessing their association with opposition political parties.
The accused said they were given electric shocks and were forced to sign about 70 blank pages in an application to a court in Delhi on Wednesday.
The six people were arrested after a major security breach on 13 December. Two men entered the chamber of members of parliament, shouted slogans, and set off smoke canisters. Two people were arrested for raising slogans and setting off smoke bombs outside the house. Two others were arrested for hatching the plot and destroying the evidence in the case.
They have claimed that they were protesting over unemployment, violence in the Indian state of Manipur and other pressing issues afflicting the country, according to reports.
The police charged them under anti-terror law, known as the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, and said that the breach was a “well-planned conspiracy”.
Five of the six people arrested for allegedly breaching the security of Indian parliament told a court they were tortured by the police into confessing their association with opposition political parties.
The accused said they were given electric shocks and were forced to sign about 70 blank pages in an application to a court in Delhi on Wednesday.
The six people were arrested after a major security breach on 13 December. Two men entered the chamber of members of parliament, shouted slogans, and set off smoke canisters. Two people were arrested for raising slogans and setting off smoke bombs outside the house. Two others were arrested for hatching the plot and destroying the evidence in the case.
They have claimed that they were protesting over unemployment, violence in the Indian state of Manipur and other pressing issues afflicting the country, according to reports.
The police charged them under anti-terror law, known as the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, and said that the breach was a “well-planned conspiracy”.
RexRex
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Look at this clown from the BJP behaving like a school headmaster .. supposedly a union minister.
She has always been an idiot as far as I know her. And the biggest problem for us these days is that our society is infested with such cretins.
How can you force someone to say anything against his/her wishes? That's the definition of dictatorship.
Good on the girl to stand her ground. Not many in current environment would have dared to do that.
CricketCartoons
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Yes, the biggest problem is that your lot is fringe. We are mainstream. Deal with it.
Any person who refuses to say glory to the country, in whatever language, should be shamed publicly. Good on the minister for chastising that ingrate.
And the cretin probably doesn't know that Keralites' first language is Malayalam not Hindi. They may not have even understood whatever she was blabbering.
Problem for such sanghis is that they have gotten too much power without doing much in life apart from playing hate politics and kowtowing to what their supreme leader says to them.
Problem for such sanghis is that they have gotten too much power without doing much in life apart from playing hate politics and kowtowing to what their supreme leader says to them.
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It was outright bullying of a citizen by this BJP goon. Not good signs for India this if their entire movement is turning into a hostile cult.
CricketCartoons
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So how come others were able to chant the slogan? Next you will say they will not sing the anthem as it is not in Malayalam?
No, we sanghis have got the power after a lot of sacrifices, our greatest power is the love and support of the masses. Fringe elements and cretins can keep hating us, we will be marching ahead.
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CricketCartoons
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Usual lame tactics to mock genuine causes.
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Rahul scoffs at BJP's 'obsession with dog' over video
His clarification came after a video showing him offering a biscuit rejected by a dog to a person went viral on social media, with BJP leaders alleging this was how he treated workers of his party."The dog was nervous and shivering... When I gave it a biscuit, the dog got scared. Then, I gave the biscuit to the owner, saying it will eat from your hand. Then, the owner gave it and the dog ate the biscuit. Then, what is the issue?" Gandhi told reporters when queried about it.
I don't understand what is the BJP's obsession with the dog?" Gandhi added.
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Monday night reacted to the viral video, with a post on X, saying, "... Not only Rahul Gandhi but the entire family could not make me eat that biscuit. I am a proud Assamese and Indian. I refused to eat and resign from the Congress."
Gaurav Gogoi moves adjournment motion in LS, seeks to discuss Assam govt’s air travel expenses
New Delhi [India]: Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi has moved an adjournment motion in Lok Sabha demanding a discussion on the Assam government’s spending on air travel for state Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma in the Lower House on Friday.
The Congress MP from Kaliabor said that Rs 58,23,07,104, spent on air travel for Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and other VIPs, including for non-governmental purposes, are very concerning.
“I hereby give notice of my intention to ask for leave to move a motion for the adjournment of the business of the house for the purpose of discussing a definite matter of urgent importance, namely:-Recent reports of the Assam government spending Rs 58,23,07,104 on air travel for Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and other VIPs, including for non-governmental purposes are very concerning. The aforementioned sum represents a significant amount of public money, which could have been used for crucial development projects or social welfare initiatives in Assam. Its allocation for CM’s travel, especially for non-governmental purposes, raises serious concerns about financial priorities and accountability,” the Congress MP wrote in a letter to the Lok Sabha Secretary General.
Gogoi alleged that some of the chartered flights were used for attending political events and weddings outside Assam, potentially violating the Election Commission’s Model Code of Conduct.
“As per media reports, some of the chartered flights were used for attending political events and weddings outside Assam, potentially violating the Election Commission’s Model Code of Conduct. This misuse of public resources for personal or political gains warrants immediate investigation. The details of the travel expenditure, including specific purposes, destinations, and justifications for using chartered flights instead of commercial options, remain unclear. If such exorbitant spending on VIP travel goes unchecked, it sets a dangerous precedent for other states and undermines the principle of responsible budgetary allocation. This matter demands immediate attention to uphold ethical governance and prevent similar misuses in the future. I believe this matter is of grave national importance,” he added.
theprint.in
New Delhi [India]: Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi has moved an adjournment motion in Lok Sabha demanding a discussion on the Assam government’s spending on air travel for state Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma in the Lower House on Friday.
The Congress MP from Kaliabor said that Rs 58,23,07,104, spent on air travel for Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and other VIPs, including for non-governmental purposes, are very concerning.
“I hereby give notice of my intention to ask for leave to move a motion for the adjournment of the business of the house for the purpose of discussing a definite matter of urgent importance, namely:-Recent reports of the Assam government spending Rs 58,23,07,104 on air travel for Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and other VIPs, including for non-governmental purposes are very concerning. The aforementioned sum represents a significant amount of public money, which could have been used for crucial development projects or social welfare initiatives in Assam. Its allocation for CM’s travel, especially for non-governmental purposes, raises serious concerns about financial priorities and accountability,” the Congress MP wrote in a letter to the Lok Sabha Secretary General.
Gogoi alleged that some of the chartered flights were used for attending political events and weddings outside Assam, potentially violating the Election Commission’s Model Code of Conduct.
“As per media reports, some of the chartered flights were used for attending political events and weddings outside Assam, potentially violating the Election Commission’s Model Code of Conduct. This misuse of public resources for personal or political gains warrants immediate investigation. The details of the travel expenditure, including specific purposes, destinations, and justifications for using chartered flights instead of commercial options, remain unclear. If such exorbitant spending on VIP travel goes unchecked, it sets a dangerous precedent for other states and undermines the principle of responsible budgetary allocation. This matter demands immediate attention to uphold ethical governance and prevent similar misuses in the future. I believe this matter is of grave national importance,” he added.
Gaurav Gogoi moves adjournment motion in LS, seeks to discuss Assam govt's air travel expenses
The Congress MP called it 'concerning' that over Rs 58 crore have been spent on CM Sarma and his aides' travel, says money spent for non-govt purposes violates EC code of conduct.
theprint.in
Varun
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They are happy with him spending Rs. 58 Crores as long as they get Rs. 2 per post defending his expenditures. Go figure.
In the financial year 2022-2-23, public funds worth Rs 34,01,05,848 was spent to charter flights and helicopters for the chief minister and other dignitaries.
This is huge sum of money spent on just flights & helicopters especially for state which has a ballooning debt of over 100,000 crore over 2 years ago.
This is huge sum of money spent on just flights & helicopters especially for state which has a ballooning debt of over 100,000 crore over 2 years ago.
Really sad if true. Of all the things they accuse Congress of doing in their 5-decades reign is far surpassed by their beloved feku in just a decade, with 5 more corrupt and communal years loading at a great speed.
But this is not corruption in the eyes of incorruptible feku.
Sarma was highly corrupt even when he was a Congress leader and should have been prosecuted by then government at center.
But all his corruption was washed away by feku washing machine, just like Ajit Pawar who was amongst most corrupt one day. And on the next day, he became a saint since his sins were washed away by that same washing machine.
Sarma was highly corrupt even when he was a Congress leader and should have been prosecuted by then government at center.
But all his corruption was washed away by feku washing machine, just like Ajit Pawar who was amongst most corrupt one day. And on the next day, he became a saint since his sins were washed away by that same washing machine.
Only Modi speech on TV news channels. Opposition is reduced to Rahul Gandhi’s ‘dog biscuit’
“Modi confident, INDI’s broken alignment…Modi to reveal how he will achieve 370 today…400+ assured,” declared India TV.
“2024 mein 400 paar…PM ka plan taiyaar (PM’s plan to cross 400 seats in 2024 election is ready),” added Bharat 24.
Weeks ahead of the general election, TV news is applauding the BJP. An interview with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar by Rahul Kanwal on India Today was promoted on the channel with headlines such as this: “His only concern is Bharat.”
On NDTV, anchor Sanjay Pugalia ended his conversation with Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman by saying, “We hope…in the month of July, you will bring in a very innovative and ambitious budget…our best wishes.”
theprint.in
“Modi confident, INDI’s broken alignment…Modi to reveal how he will achieve 370 today…400+ assured,” declared India TV.
“2024 mein 400 paar…PM ka plan taiyaar (PM’s plan to cross 400 seats in 2024 election is ready),” added Bharat 24.
Weeks ahead of the general election, TV news is applauding the BJP. An interview with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar by Rahul Kanwal on India Today was promoted on the channel with headlines such as this: “His only concern is Bharat.”
On NDTV, anchor Sanjay Pugalia ended his conversation with Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman by saying, “We hope…in the month of July, you will bring in a very innovative and ambitious budget…our best wishes.”
Only Modi speech on TV news channels. Opposition is reduced to Rahul Gandhi’s ‘dog biscuit’
Indian news channels aren’t just declaring a victory for Modi in 2024 Lok Sabha election; they are also hoping for it.
theprint.in
See how sellout our media has become. These 2, Sanjay Pugalia & Rahul Kanwal especially are such senior journalists and to see them brazenly canvassing for feku for another term tells you everything about the independence of today's Indian media.
Not that I'm least bit surprised to see this kind of subservient behavior by someone who by definition should be neutral.
Not that I'm least bit surprised to see this kind of subservient behavior by someone who by definition should be neutral.
CricketCartoons
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What is the expenditure on chartered flights of MK Stalin, or Mamata?
CricketCartoons
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What new information did you gather from this?
CricketCartoons
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What was the overall GDP growth from 1947 to 1991 when India was ruled by one family (except for 2 years)?
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That is mostly our money, and we have no problem on it being spent for those who work for Hindu cause.
‘Ram Rajya’ Cannot Be Attained by ‘Murdering Democracy’
Masih was caught on camera allegedly defacing ballot papers, after which he rejected eight of them as invalid. All the invalid votes belonged to councillors belonging to the AAP (Aam Aadmi Party) and the Congress party. Shortly after, Masih declared the BJP’s (Bharatiya Janata Party) candidate the winner, which was only possible because of the eight votes he had declared invalid, i.e., the ballot sheets that he allegedly himself defaced!
Yeh Jo India Hai Na | ‘Ram Rajya’ Cannot Be Attained by ‘Murdering Democracy’
It would be naïve to imagine that Anil Masih acted on his own. Since the BJP was the beneficiary of his alleged actions, the Election Commission should be asking Masih if he had been approached by the party, or by someone representing the party.
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For those not born after 2014, booth capturing was the norm in 1990s.
Also remember two congress bhakts who hijacked a plane for indira?
This is a low level election, and BJP must punish the guilty, as they are supposed to have a higher standard the congress cretins.
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