Sonia likely to kick off campaign
PATNA: AICC president Sonia Gandhi is expected to kick off party's election campaign in Bihar from Gandhi Maidan here. The party has pressed into service all its Morchas and cells to make the rally a historic one.
Though the final dates are yet to be decided, she is likely to visit Patna between August 23 and 25. "After over a decade, the Congress is holding its rally at Gandhi Maidan," said state Congress leader and media in-charge Premchand Mishra.
Union minister and Bihar affairs in-charge Mukul Wasnik, who arrived here on Saturday, visited Gandhi Maidan which the party has booked from August 21 to 25.
The state leaders have plunged into the preparation for the rally and all the district chiefs have been directed to mobilize public support and bring them here. State Congress chief Mehboob Ali Qaiser and CLP leader Ashok Kumar will also tour across the state prior to the rally.
There is speculation that some rebel leaders of the JD(U) and RJD will formally join the Congress in Sonia's presence. The names being discussed in the political circles include that of former state JD(U) president Rajiv Ranjan Singh Lalan, who is also MP from Munger, JD(U) MLC Shambhu Saran Srivastava and former Union minister and RJD leader Devendra Prasad Yadav.
The Congress leaders are, however, not very sure about these joinings. "We know several leaders from other parties are keen to join the Congress, but the party leadership is not in a haste to get them in," said Mishra. He added that after the assembly elections there might be a new equation in the state and the regional parties will not be in a strong position here.
Author: TNN
Source: The Times Of India
Saturday, July 31, 2010
Lalu assails Nitish, Congress
Lalu assails Nitish, Congress
RJD supremo Lalu Prasad today accused his arch rival Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and the Congress of 'usurping' reins of power in Bihar from his party under a 'larger conspiracy' to weaken the cause of social justice and said people had realised it by now and would force them to 'bite the
dust.'
"We didn't lose but Nitish and Congress usurped the reins of power from our hand to thrust upon difficulties and miseries on the people under a large conspiracy to weaken the social justice", Prasad said while addressing a gathering on the occasion of JD(U) leader Virendra Kumar Choudhary joining his party.
To buttress his point, Lalu said his framing in 'false and fabricated' cases of multi-crore rupees fodder scam, imposition of President's rule by the Congress in 2005 which saw the worst-ever jail-break in Jehanabad that defamed Bihar at that time vindicated his charge.
Prasad also identified LJP president Ramvilas Paswan's decision to go alone at the hustings in 2005 also contributed to the electoral reverses the RJD had faced. ''But we are happy that Paswan ji is with us'', he said and added that the people of the state had made up their minds to ensure that ''Nitish's alliance and Congress bite the dust.''
Referring to the allegations pertaining to the multi-crore rupees fodder scam, Prasad alleged that the Chief Minister was facing similar charges at present.
"Why is he (Kumar) worried about a CBI probe into the allegations of corruption against him", Prasad asked and said Kumar had now lost confidence.
Author: Press Trust Of India
Source: Hindustan Times
RJD supremo Lalu Prasad today accused his arch rival Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and the Congress of 'usurping' reins of power in Bihar from his party under a 'larger conspiracy' to weaken the cause of social justice and said people had realised it by now and would force them to 'bite the
dust.'
"We didn't lose but Nitish and Congress usurped the reins of power from our hand to thrust upon difficulties and miseries on the people under a large conspiracy to weaken the social justice", Prasad said while addressing a gathering on the occasion of JD(U) leader Virendra Kumar Choudhary joining his party.
To buttress his point, Lalu said his framing in 'false and fabricated' cases of multi-crore rupees fodder scam, imposition of President's rule by the Congress in 2005 which saw the worst-ever jail-break in Jehanabad that defamed Bihar at that time vindicated his charge.
Prasad also identified LJP president Ramvilas Paswan's decision to go alone at the hustings in 2005 also contributed to the electoral reverses the RJD had faced. ''But we are happy that Paswan ji is with us'', he said and added that the people of the state had made up their minds to ensure that ''Nitish's alliance and Congress bite the dust.''
Referring to the allegations pertaining to the multi-crore rupees fodder scam, Prasad alleged that the Chief Minister was facing similar charges at present.
"Why is he (Kumar) worried about a CBI probe into the allegations of corruption against him", Prasad asked and said Kumar had now lost confidence.
Author: Press Trust Of India
Source: Hindustan Times
CM is anti-Maithili'
CM is anti-Maithili'
PATNA: The state Congress chairman of its media department Prem Chandra Mishra on Friday dubbed CM Nitish Kumar's interest in Mithila and its cultural icon Vidyapati as phoney.
The CM on the day visited Vidyapati's birth place Bisfi village in Madhubani district. Mishra alleged that the CM, in fact, had no interest in the promotion of Maithili language. He also said that the Nitish government, in 2007, removed Maithili language and literature from the curriculum of Bihar Secondary Examination Board (BSEB), and placed it as an optional subject.
Dubbing the CM as anti-Maithili, Mishra also said that the government removed Maithili language from the BSEB's curriculum, and in its place included Bangla language. This only reflected the prejudice of the CM towards Maithili language, he added.
According to him, after inclusion of Maithili in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution, it was included in the curricula of the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) and Bihar Public Service Commission (BPSC). In the situation, it should not have been removed from the curriculum of the BSEB, Mishra said, adding that the Congress was not opposed to Bangla and Urdu languages, but the removal of Maithili from the school curriculum was not justified.
Author: TNN
Source: The Times Of India
PATNA: The state Congress chairman of its media department Prem Chandra Mishra on Friday dubbed CM Nitish Kumar's interest in Mithila and its cultural icon Vidyapati as phoney.
The CM on the day visited Vidyapati's birth place Bisfi village in Madhubani district. Mishra alleged that the CM, in fact, had no interest in the promotion of Maithili language. He also said that the Nitish government, in 2007, removed Maithili language and literature from the curriculum of Bihar Secondary Examination Board (BSEB), and placed it as an optional subject.
Dubbing the CM as anti-Maithili, Mishra also said that the government removed Maithili language from the BSEB's curriculum, and in its place included Bangla language. This only reflected the prejudice of the CM towards Maithili language, he added.
According to him, after inclusion of Maithili in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution, it was included in the curricula of the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) and Bihar Public Service Commission (BPSC). In the situation, it should not have been removed from the curriculum of the BSEB, Mishra said, adding that the Congress was not opposed to Bangla and Urdu languages, but the removal of Maithili from the school curriculum was not justified.
Author: TNN
Source: The Times Of India
Cong revives ‘war room’ to mull Bihar strategy
Cong revives ‘war room’ to mull Bihar strategy
Buoyed by the success in the Lok Sabha elections, the Congress has revived its “war room” at Gurdwara Rakabganj Road in New Delhi to work out a strategy for the coming Bihar Assembly elections. Besides, it is taking stock of the ground situation in the state.
The Congress managers are confident to check the Mandalite leaders — chief minister Nitish Kumar and RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav who are not in a position to win the elections on their own.
The ruling Janata Dal (U) is depending on the BJP despite Mr Kumar distancing from hardliners like the Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi. But he wants their support to get votes of the upper castes.
Mr Kumar knows that he cannot get votes of Yadavs, Bhumiars. The Congress strategists know very well Mr Kumar’s limitations and his appeal limited to some backward castes.
The Congress “war room” is buzzing with activity again as leaders hold strategy sessions with the aim of replicating the party’s impressive performance in Uttar Pradesh in the last Lok Sabha polls.
Senior leaders including Mr Pranab Mukherjee, Mr Ahmed Patel, Mr Digvijay Singh, Mr Prithviraj Chavan and AICC general secretary in-charge of Bihar Mukul Wasnik have been holding frequent meetings at the “war room” in a ministerial bungalow on Gurdwara Rakabganj Road.
The leaders have been finalising the campaign strategy and the issues to be taken up in the run up to the polls in the state, where the party is out of power for nearly two decades. The party currently has only 10 MLAs in the 234-member Assembly and won two out of the 40 Lok Sabha seats in general elections last year.
The technologically well-equipped Centre will serve as a hub of party activities and will also look after the publicity material.
“Nitish Kumar is obviously our main target of attack,” said a party strategist. The Congress plans to expose his duel stand on secularism and claims of a good governance. In the last Lok Sabha elections, the Congress was unprepared. It was depending on Lalu Prasad Yadav whose RJD was part of the UPA. But his attempt to belittle by offering two seats had changed the situation. The RJD had received a major jolt in the general elections.
Author: Age Correspondent
Source: The Asian Age
Buoyed by the success in the Lok Sabha elections, the Congress has revived its “war room” at Gurdwara Rakabganj Road in New Delhi to work out a strategy for the coming Bihar Assembly elections. Besides, it is taking stock of the ground situation in the state.
The Congress managers are confident to check the Mandalite leaders — chief minister Nitish Kumar and RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav who are not in a position to win the elections on their own.
The ruling Janata Dal (U) is depending on the BJP despite Mr Kumar distancing from hardliners like the Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi. But he wants their support to get votes of the upper castes.
Mr Kumar knows that he cannot get votes of Yadavs, Bhumiars. The Congress strategists know very well Mr Kumar’s limitations and his appeal limited to some backward castes.
The Congress “war room” is buzzing with activity again as leaders hold strategy sessions with the aim of replicating the party’s impressive performance in Uttar Pradesh in the last Lok Sabha polls.
Senior leaders including Mr Pranab Mukherjee, Mr Ahmed Patel, Mr Digvijay Singh, Mr Prithviraj Chavan and AICC general secretary in-charge of Bihar Mukul Wasnik have been holding frequent meetings at the “war room” in a ministerial bungalow on Gurdwara Rakabganj Road.
The leaders have been finalising the campaign strategy and the issues to be taken up in the run up to the polls in the state, where the party is out of power for nearly two decades. The party currently has only 10 MLAs in the 234-member Assembly and won two out of the 40 Lok Sabha seats in general elections last year.
The technologically well-equipped Centre will serve as a hub of party activities and will also look after the publicity material.
“Nitish Kumar is obviously our main target of attack,” said a party strategist. The Congress plans to expose his duel stand on secularism and claims of a good governance. In the last Lok Sabha elections, the Congress was unprepared. It was depending on Lalu Prasad Yadav whose RJD was part of the UPA. But his attempt to belittle by offering two seats had changed the situation. The RJD had received a major jolt in the general elections.
Author: Age Correspondent
Source: The Asian Age
Friday, July 30, 2010
JD-U in catch-22 over Lallan
JD-U in catch-22 over Lallan
Caught in a classic catch-22 situation, the JD(U) is searching for answers to deal with party heavyweight and Lok Sabha MP Rajiv Ranjan (Lallan) Singh, who is working behind the doors to provide much needed oxygen to the Congress in Bihar. Further testing nerves of the JD(U), Mr Singh has dared the party to take action against him
and has even made his intent clear to appear on the dais when Congress president Sonia Gandhi visits Bihar. Though acknowledging the fact that Mr Singh has become a loose canon and is spearheading attacks on Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar, the JD(U) leadership does not want to expel him on two counts, as it will allow him to continue as a Lok Sabha member and secondly the party does not want to gift the Congress a formidable upper caste leader.
Speaking to this newspaper, Mr Singh revealed that he asked JD(U) chief Sharad Yadav “when would he be expelled” to which he got an answer in negative. “We will not expel you,” Mr Yadav reportedly told Mr Singh. “I am going to share the dais with Mrs Gandhi when she visits Bihar. What will you do then,” Mr Singh reportedly asked Mr Yadav to which he was told that the party would take a call on the matter at that time only.
Representing the Munghyr Lok Sabha seat from Bihar, Mr Singh hails from the land-owning Bhumihar caste, which is up in arms against Mr Nitish Kumar, for having attempted to implement a scheme, which indirectly gives rights to share-croppers (bataidaars) on the land they till. He was also a close confidante of Mr Kumar till he quit the party posts.
Sounding bullish on prospects of the Congress in Bihar, Mr Singh said that the upper caste has conviction that if Mr Kumar returns to power he would implement the “Bataidaairi scheme”. “Nitish has lost the crowd. He has divided castes in the state. People are looking for an alternative and the Congress stands a chance to emerge as the single largest party in the state,” Mr Singh told this newspaper.
Further substantiating his claims, Mr Singh stated that the Congress could weave around an equation of upper castes, Muslims and dalits, which would be an effective foil to vote base of either the JD (U)-BJP combine or RJD-LJP alliance.
Author: Manish Anand
Source: The Asian Age
Caught in a classic catch-22 situation, the JD(U) is searching for answers to deal with party heavyweight and Lok Sabha MP Rajiv Ranjan (Lallan) Singh, who is working behind the doors to provide much needed oxygen to the Congress in Bihar. Further testing nerves of the JD(U), Mr Singh has dared the party to take action against him
and has even made his intent clear to appear on the dais when Congress president Sonia Gandhi visits Bihar. Though acknowledging the fact that Mr Singh has become a loose canon and is spearheading attacks on Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar, the JD(U) leadership does not want to expel him on two counts, as it will allow him to continue as a Lok Sabha member and secondly the party does not want to gift the Congress a formidable upper caste leader.
Speaking to this newspaper, Mr Singh revealed that he asked JD(U) chief Sharad Yadav “when would he be expelled” to which he got an answer in negative. “We will not expel you,” Mr Yadav reportedly told Mr Singh. “I am going to share the dais with Mrs Gandhi when she visits Bihar. What will you do then,” Mr Singh reportedly asked Mr Yadav to which he was told that the party would take a call on the matter at that time only.
Representing the Munghyr Lok Sabha seat from Bihar, Mr Singh hails from the land-owning Bhumihar caste, which is up in arms against Mr Nitish Kumar, for having attempted to implement a scheme, which indirectly gives rights to share-croppers (bataidaars) on the land they till. He was also a close confidante of Mr Kumar till he quit the party posts.
Sounding bullish on prospects of the Congress in Bihar, Mr Singh said that the upper caste has conviction that if Mr Kumar returns to power he would implement the “Bataidaairi scheme”. “Nitish has lost the crowd. He has divided castes in the state. People are looking for an alternative and the Congress stands a chance to emerge as the single largest party in the state,” Mr Singh told this newspaper.
Further substantiating his claims, Mr Singh stated that the Congress could weave around an equation of upper castes, Muslims and dalits, which would be an effective foil to vote base of either the JD (U)-BJP combine or RJD-LJP alliance.
Author: Manish Anand
Source: The Asian Age
EC de-recognises RJD as national party
EC de-recognises RJD as national party
NEW DELHI: Lalu Prasad's Rashtriya Janata Dal(RJD) has been de-recognised as a national party by the Election Commission, a decision that comes ahead of the assembly polls in Bihar.
Five other parties also lost their recognition as a state party.
EC sources said today that while the parties may retain their symbol, they would lose facilities like utilising public broadcaster like All India Radio and Doordarshan for poll-eve broadcasts and free copies of electoral rolls.
The RJD which is a recognised party in Bihar, Jharkhand, Manipur and Nagaland lost its national party recognition following its poor showing in Jharkhand where the party has been derecognised, the sources said.
To get the national party status, a party should be recognised as a state party in at least four states.
Vaiko-led MDMK is among the five parties which lost its state party recognition in Tamil Nadu where assembly polls are due by May next year.
The Election Commission also withdrew recognition to Janata Dal (United), Samajwadi Party, Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) and Arunachal Congress in some states following their poor poll performance.
The Arunachal Congress lost its state party status in Arunachal Pradesh, PMK in Puducherry and Samajwadi Party in Uttaranchal and Madhya Pradesh. JD(U), a recognised party in Bihar and Jharkhand, lost its recognition in Jharkhand.
However, PMK will continue to be accorded the state party status in Tamil Nadu and Samajwadi Party a similar privilege in Uttar Pradesh.
Trinamool Congress and Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), which were also served notices earlier, sought more time to present their case, EC sources said.
The Commission had earlier issued notices to these seven parties asking them to explain why their recognition in some states should not be withdrawn as they failed to fulfil EC's conditions for being declared as a State Party.
The notices were served based on their performance in polls to Lok Sabha or State Legislative Assemblies since last year.
The EC conditions for getting recognition include that the total number of valid votes polled by all the candidates of a party at the last Lok Sabha or assembly election should not be less than six per cent of the total votes polled.
Author: PTI
Source: New Indian Express
NEW DELHI: Lalu Prasad's Rashtriya Janata Dal(RJD) has been de-recognised as a national party by the Election Commission, a decision that comes ahead of the assembly polls in Bihar.
Five other parties also lost their recognition as a state party.
EC sources said today that while the parties may retain their symbol, they would lose facilities like utilising public broadcaster like All India Radio and Doordarshan for poll-eve broadcasts and free copies of electoral rolls.
The RJD which is a recognised party in Bihar, Jharkhand, Manipur and Nagaland lost its national party recognition following its poor showing in Jharkhand where the party has been derecognised, the sources said.
To get the national party status, a party should be recognised as a state party in at least four states.
Vaiko-led MDMK is among the five parties which lost its state party recognition in Tamil Nadu where assembly polls are due by May next year.
The Election Commission also withdrew recognition to Janata Dal (United), Samajwadi Party, Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) and Arunachal Congress in some states following their poor poll performance.
The Arunachal Congress lost its state party status in Arunachal Pradesh, PMK in Puducherry and Samajwadi Party in Uttaranchal and Madhya Pradesh. JD(U), a recognised party in Bihar and Jharkhand, lost its recognition in Jharkhand.
However, PMK will continue to be accorded the state party status in Tamil Nadu and Samajwadi Party a similar privilege in Uttar Pradesh.
Trinamool Congress and Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), which were also served notices earlier, sought more time to present their case, EC sources said.
The Commission had earlier issued notices to these seven parties asking them to explain why their recognition in some states should not be withdrawn as they failed to fulfil EC's conditions for being declared as a State Party.
The notices were served based on their performance in polls to Lok Sabha or State Legislative Assemblies since last year.
The EC conditions for getting recognition include that the total number of valid votes polled by all the candidates of a party at the last Lok Sabha or assembly election should not be less than six per cent of the total votes polled.
Author: PTI
Source: New Indian Express
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Congress hopes to cash in on mismatch in Nitish media blitz and ground realities
Congress hopes to cash in on mismatch in Nitish media blitz and ground realities
NEW DELHI: As Congress looks to mark its presence in the Bihar elections due later this year, it is looking at whether a mismatch between the state government's media campaign and ground realities could make chief minister Nitish Kumar vulnerable to an "India Shining" trap.
With the party having decided that it would go it alone in Bihar without teaming up with the Lalu Prasad-Ramvilas Paswan duo, Congress is taking stock of what could be its line of attack. There is a feeling that the recent media blitz launched by the Bihar government smacks of NDA's ill-fated 2004 India Shining campaign.
While the JD(U)-BJP rule has been undoubtedly an improvement over Lalu raj, the claims made by the government may not be in sync with delivery that has been marked by the usual inefficiencies and corruption, feel senior Congress sources. Also, given Bihar's poor communication links and development backlog, delivery of welfare schemes is a challenge.
By focusing on local grouses, the Congress would hope to deflect attention from a polarising scenario where the choice is between Nitish Kumar's continuation in office or the return of Lalu Prasad and RJD. Though Lalu can count on Yadav and minority support, sections opposed to him remain hostile despite the upper castes' uneasy relations with Kumar.
Congress is trying to bring its organisation up to scratch and is hoping the prospect of contesting all 243 seats will also enthuse the party. This could bring in prospective candidates and offer the party a choice that it really did not have in the 2009 national election. The presence of observers is expected to ensure the party has a better information bank when the election is at hand.
The Congress will also expectedly attack Kumar for being in company of the BJP despite his anger and outrage over the advertisements issued on behalf of the Gujarat government during the recent meeting of the saffron party's national executive in Patna. In doing so, Congress will be echoing the Lalu-Paswan camp and may also want to quietly take credit for the resignation and arrest of close Narendra Modi aide Amit Shah.
Author: TNN
Source: The Times of India
NEW DELHI: As Congress looks to mark its presence in the Bihar elections due later this year, it is looking at whether a mismatch between the state government's media campaign and ground realities could make chief minister Nitish Kumar vulnerable to an "India Shining" trap.
With the party having decided that it would go it alone in Bihar without teaming up with the Lalu Prasad-Ramvilas Paswan duo, Congress is taking stock of what could be its line of attack. There is a feeling that the recent media blitz launched by the Bihar government smacks of NDA's ill-fated 2004 India Shining campaign.
While the JD(U)-BJP rule has been undoubtedly an improvement over Lalu raj, the claims made by the government may not be in sync with delivery that has been marked by the usual inefficiencies and corruption, feel senior Congress sources. Also, given Bihar's poor communication links and development backlog, delivery of welfare schemes is a challenge.
By focusing on local grouses, the Congress would hope to deflect attention from a polarising scenario where the choice is between Nitish Kumar's continuation in office or the return of Lalu Prasad and RJD. Though Lalu can count on Yadav and minority support, sections opposed to him remain hostile despite the upper castes' uneasy relations with Kumar.
Congress is trying to bring its organisation up to scratch and is hoping the prospect of contesting all 243 seats will also enthuse the party. This could bring in prospective candidates and offer the party a choice that it really did not have in the 2009 national election. The presence of observers is expected to ensure the party has a better information bank when the election is at hand.
The Congress will also expectedly attack Kumar for being in company of the BJP despite his anger and outrage over the advertisements issued on behalf of the Gujarat government during the recent meeting of the saffron party's national executive in Patna. In doing so, Congress will be echoing the Lalu-Paswan camp and may also want to quietly take credit for the resignation and arrest of close Narendra Modi aide Amit Shah.
Author: TNN
Source: The Times of India
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