I’m a Brahmin & Congress’s general secretary: Rahul Gandhi to party

April 14, 2012

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New Delhi, April 14: Post Congress's poor show in UP, recrimination has been mixed with the hunt for a stable vote bank in a state where caste remains a key arbiter of power.

While UP Congress leaders are waiting to see how the party reinvents its caste appeal, the competition and jostling among social groups like OBCs, dalits and upper castes has become the party's focal point. The lament of Brahmin leaders has been particularly loud with Congress's minority-mandal push coming a cropper.

Matters came to an interesting point during a recent review meeting when the upper caste/Brahmin argument was invoked by a local UP leader saw Congress leader Rahul Gandhi rebutting the claim by remarking "I am a Brahmin...and general secretary in the party."

The comment was read as a counter to the argument that the party had ignored its traditional, albeit alienated base, in its quest to regain salience in UP. Although upper castes have lost their dominance in the state, leaders from these sections remain vocal and pushy in their advocacy.

A week after Rahul Gandhi conducted the review of the UP election, leaders are counting on two decisive steps for moving forward - action against non-performers and a clear idea on which social group to lean on. The urgency stems from the view that there should be enough time for party message to reach the grassroots for 2014 Lok Sabha polls.

The upper caste, OBC and dalit camps in Congress are vying for the leadership's attention. According to sources, Rahul's review saw leaders speaking of the need to fashion a "base vote" like Yadavs for Samajwadi Party and dalits in case of BSP. Upper castes felt Congress could not ignore its traditional catchment group, particularly as it has switched loyalties and seems open to being wooed.

The poll defeat seems to have complicated the Congress search for a social combination to renew its appeal among voters two decades after the Babri demolition pushed it to the margins. Congress pegged the election campaign on backwards and Muslims. Dalit leaders feel Rahul's strategy to win over key social group, initiated by his visits to their huts, would pay off in the long run. That has led to suspense over the Congress leadership's new choices.

The post-poll audit brought out common refrain from all contending groups: Congress needs a base vote. But sources said it was easier said than done to come up with a target constituency.

While backwards, including MBCs voted for SP, dalits stuck to BSP which, despite the scale of its defeat, was only 3% votes behind the winner. Thakurs, a dominant upper caste, sided with SP. In contrast, Congress bid to woo the Mandal classes, with steel minister Beni Prasad Verma being projected as a mascot of sorts, did not work while the approach put off upper castes.

Sources said the brainstorming evoked sharp reactions with senior leader Ram Lal Rahi saying that focusing on Jatavs and Yadavs was a waste of time as they were not ready to leave BSP and SP. Some others felt Congress needed to keep trying. A leader quoted an election survey to argue a section of Jatavs had left BSP.

No leader opposed the Muslim gambit but most felt it failed because the 4.5% quota was brought up too close to elections and the message did not percolate down to the masses.


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News Network
February 18,2020

New Delhi, Feb 18: A Delhi court today sent Sharjeel Imam, who has been named as an "instigator" by the Delhi Police in its chargesheet on violent protests against the amended citizenship act at New Friends Colony near Jamia in Delhi last year, to judicial custody till March 3.

Sharjeel Imam was arrested on sedition charges last month.

The Delhi Police has filed a chargesheet before Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Gurmohina Kaur, naming Sharjeel Imam as an instigator of the violence.

It said it has attached CCTV footage, call detail records and statements of over 100 witnesses as evidence in the chargesheet.

The court had on Monday sent Sharjeel Imam to one-day custody of Delhi Police in the case.

Protestors had torched four public buses and two police vehicles as they clashed with police in New Friends Colony near Jamia Millia Islamia in Delhi during the demonstration against the CAA on December 15, leaving nearly 60 people including students, cops and fire fighters injured.

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Agencies
January 6,2020

Lucknow, Jan 6: Undeterred by the large scale protests that claimed as many as 20 lives in the state, Uttar Pradesh government has started the process of implementing the controversial Citizenship (Amendment) Act.

According to sources in the government, the district magistrates have been directed to identify the migrants from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan, who have been living in their districts.

Sources said that the state home department has given oral instructions to the district magistrates. ''No written orders have been issued,'' said a senior official here preferring anonymity.

The official said that the district magistrates would be preparing a list containing names of those minorities, who had migrated from these countries following their persecution and had been living without obtaining the citizenship of India.

According to sources, the government expected that the migrants, who could be eligible for the Indian citizenship in accordance with the CAA, could be more in number in the districts, including Rampur, Ghaziabad, Shahjahanpur, Lucknow and some others.

''The list will be sent to the union home ministry,'' the official added.

Sources said that the state government will also inform the centre about the ''illegal Muslim migrants'' for their ultimate deportation to their countries of origin.

Different parts of UP had witnessed large scale violence last month during the protests against the CAA. At least 20 people, mostly youngsters, were killed allegedly in police firing and many others were injured. The state government had denied the charge. 

Alleged police excesses during and after the protests triggered a nationwide outrage with several rights organisations and activists slamming the BJP government and demanding a high-level probe into the allegations.

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News Network
July 14,2020

Kathmandu, Jul 14: After staking claim to Indian territories of Lipulekh-Kalapani in  a new controversial map,  Nepal Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli on Monday claimed that Ayodhya, the birthplace of Lord Rama, is in Nepal and Lord Rama was Nepali.

“Although real Ayodhya lies at Thori, city in the west of Birgunj, India has claimed that Lord Rama was born there. Due to these continuous claims, even we have believed that deity Sita got married to Prince Rama of India. However, in reality, Ayodhya is a village lying west of Birgunj,” Oli claimed at an event organised at Prime Minister's residence in Kathmandu.

The Prime Minister also blamed India of cultural encroachment by “creating a fake Ayodhya.”

“Balmiki Ashram is in Nepal and the holy place where King Dashrath had executed the rites to get the son is in Ridi. Dashrath’s son Ram was not an Indian and Ayodhya is also in Nepal,” he claimed.

In an attempt to save self from criticism, Oli questioned how Lord Rama could come to Janakpur to marry Sita when there were "no means" of communication. He further said that it to be impossible for Lord Rama to come to Janakpur from present Ayodhya that lies in India.

“Janakpur lies here and Ayodhya there and there is talk of marriage. There was neither telephone nor mobile then how could he know about Janakpur,” Oli said.

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Ahmed Ali Kulai
 - 
Tuesday, 14 Jul 2020

New controversy

 
BJP got next election Muddah

Farhan
 - 
Tuesday, 14 Jul 2020

Ab Ram Mandir Kaha Banega???

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