BJP set to win all 5 seats in Uttarakhand —BJP chief Tirath Singh Rawat

Arvind Kumar

Non-performance of successive Congress Governments in Uttarakhand—first headed by Vijay Bahuguna and then by new Chief Minister Harish Rawat—and failed to provide succour to the natural disaster victims of Kedarnath have emerged as the major issues in the Lok Sabha elections in this hilly state. The disaster victims, their relatives, village men and the other people concerned are up in arms against the ruling Congress in four districts of Uttarkashi, Chamoli, Rudra-prayag and Pithoragarh.

A bitter acrimony among the cabinet ministers of Harish Rawat and their internecine factionalism is also hampering development in the entire state, particularly in the affected areas, said Uttarakhand BJP president Tirath Singh Rawat while talking to Organiser. He stressed that Harish Rawat has proved to be even a bigger failure than the former Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna. Therefore under the charismatic leadership of Shri Narendra Modi. BJP is set to win all five Lok Sabha seats in Uttarakhand, claims Shri Tirath Singh Rawat.

“During the past one month, the new CM had been making a number of announcements regarding various schemes, especially regarding rehabilitation and reconstruction in the disaster-affected regions, but no work could be seen on the ground. It seems all the announcements are mere election stunts.” Shri Rawat said adding, “Laying foundation stones would not heal wounds of the disaster victims who have for past nine months been awaiting some concrete measures to rebuild their shattered lives, but in vain.” He accused CM Harish Rawat of postponing the Panchayat elections also under pretext of Supreme Court ruling, as it would have served as the prior indicator of the Lok Sabha election results.

The state BJP chief also charged the State Government of being steeped in corruption; an instance of its large-scale bribery has surfaced recently in teachers’ appointments. All over state Rs 8 to 14 lakh were taken as bribe in their appointments; when 86 such cases came to the notice of Pauri DM, he summarily ordered cancellation of all those appointments. Still, the State Education Minister Mantri Prasad Naithani directed the Garhwal Commissioner to reappoint all the teachers, still nothing is being done in the matter and the minister is in utter frustration, he added.

Congress is facing a tough time in the state as no less than five members of Harish Rawat’s council of ministers, out of total eleven, chose to stay away from the first-ever cabinet meeting held on March 5 following their dissatisfaction over distribution of portfolios. Two cabinet members—Amrita Rawat and Harak Singh Rawat—are obviously angered and terrorised by Harish Rawat’s ‘Machiavellian’ moves due to being hit by him where it hurts the most, as latent scandals against both the ministers have mysterious come out in wide open in span of a fortnight, just to shut them up and keep under tight leash. Amrita Rawat has allegedly provided horticulture subsidy to her husband Satpal Maharaj and her son Suyash Maharaj. Opposition BJP leader Ajay Bhatt has demanded a CBI enquiry into the scandal and Smt Rawat’s removal from the State Cabinet.

Another Minister Harak Singh Rawat also had found himself suddenly caught in a political storm when a woman filed FIR in Delhi on February 24 for sexual harassment. All the disgruntled ministers alleged he had retained no less than 16 plum departments with himself, including the PWD, Disaster Management and Rehabilitation, Corruption Eradication, Vigilance, and Information Technology. The single Department of Disaster Management and Rehabilitation had funds to the tune of Rs 8,000 crore, they alleged.

Virag Pachpore

Dissatisfied by the Congress and other multi-communal secular parties all through these years, the Muslims are now finding a new friend and ally in the ‘Hindu’ BJP. The response of Muslim voters to the BJP in Rajasthan, MP and Chhattisgarh in just concluded Assembly polls raised the hopes of the party to elucidate their support in the Lok Sabha polls too. The Economic Times in its analysis of the Assembly elections said over 15 to 35 per cent Muslims in these states voted for the BJP for the first time.

Buoyed by this encouraging response the BJP decided to go full steam to garner Muslim votes to ensure its victory in 2014 Lok Sabha polls. The joint meeting of Muslim Rashtriya Manch (MRM) and BJP Minority Cell in New Delhi on February 25 last marked a turning point in attracting Muslims to BJP. The meeting was attended by over 500 Muslims of whom over 350 belonged to MRM. The effect of that meeting is now becoming visible.

Over 7000 Muslims of Nagpur Lok Sabha Constituency gathered at Chitanvis Park in the heart of the city on March 8 for the meeting addressed by former Union Minister and BJP’s Muslim face Shahnawaz Hussain, former Rajya Sabha Chairperson Najma Heptullah, office-bearers of BJP Minority Cell namely Vice-President Irfan Ahmad and Treasurer Inayat Hussain, Jamal Siddiqi, Nagpur, and BJP’s Lok Sabha candidate Nitin Gadkari. This was probably for the first time that such a large number of Muslims have gathered here to listen to their counterparts in BJP. This is seen as an indication of the Muslim masses tilting towards the BJP in the recent days.

Janajati Surakshya Manch demands

Don’t give tickets to converted tribals

Samanwaya Nanda

 Bhubaneswar: Odisha Unit of Janajati Surakshya Manch, working for protection of the rights of tribals in the State, appealed all political parties don’t give tickets to converted tribals. A delegation of Manch led by its convener Panu Majhi met leaders of all political parties of the State including ruling Biju Janta Dal, Congress and Bharatiya Janata Party.

“Delegation of Janajati Surakshya Manch comprising of Trinath Majhi, Ranjan Swain, Jaychandra Majhi, Laxmikanta Dash went to the offices of various political parties in the State and submitted a memorandum to their leaders. We appealed them not to give tickets to tribals who have been converted through this memorandum”, said Panu Majhi, convener Janajati Surakshya Manch.

“Tribals have certain traditions, rituals and customs. But unfortunately converted tribals do not follow the traditions, rituals and customs of the tribal society. Tribals do not accept converts as members of their communities.

The unfortunate thing is that converted tribals are availing dual benefits of Schedule Tribes as well as minorities. So we demand not to give tickets to converted tribals. If any political party gives ticket to converted tribals, Janajati Surakshya Manch will protest vociferously,” Shri Majhi added.

It may be noted that tribal leader Kartik Oraon in 1970 handed over a memorandum signed by 235 Lok Sabha MPs to the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi asking for converts to Christianity and Islam to be removed from the benefits of ST quota. In 2010 a memorandum signed by 28 lakh tribals was submitted to the President of India demanding the same.