India News
UP verdict in perspective
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]There is no need to be overwhelmed by BJP’s superlative performance
By Parsa Venkateshwar Rao Jr
The temptation to focus exclusively on the verdict in Uttar Pradesh, and hence on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Amit Shah and the BJP is natural. UP is big and important, but it is important to remember not for India but for itself. India seems to progress very well on the economic and social front despite UP lagging far behind. But most politicians and political pundits seem to believe that UP is key Indian politics and to ruling India.
It is forgotten that from 1991 to 2009, it was not necessary for any party to win UP in order to form a government in Delhi. The BJP had won 51 from UP and 120 in Lok Sabha in 1991, 52 and 161 in 1996, 57 and 182 in 1998, 29 and 182 in 1999, 10 and 138 in 2004, 10 and 116 in 2009, 71 and 281 in 2014. When Congress led a coalition government in 2004 and 2009 with 145 and 206 seats in Lok Sabha, it had won 10 and 21 from UP.
The picture had changed in 2014, and it seemed that UP is back at the centre of Indian politics. BJP had won 71 seats in the Lok Sabha elections that year, and it enabled the party to go past the magical simple majority mark of 272 seats all on its own. The BJP managed to get 281 seats on its own. But the irony remains. Despite getting a landslide victory in UP, BJP just managed a simple majority in Lok Sabha. So, the importance of UP is simply exaggerated.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]
To interpret the victory of BJP as the victory of communal forces in UP would be a distortion of facts.
[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]The point to be remembered is that UP’s assembly elections have logic of their own, and they should not be linked with a political party’s performance in the Lok Sabha election. There seems to be an apparent connection between the 71 seats that the BJP had won in the 2014 Lok Sabha election, and the 300 assembly seats it is set to win in 2017 assembly elections. But it would be nearer truth to keep the two apart. The successive successes of the BJP in the Lok Sabha and the UP assembly elections is indeed an impressive record but there is no necessary link between the two, and the speculation that it is a sign of how the BJP would do in 2019 Lok Sabha election is a little too far-fetched.
It is a known fact that no two elections are the same. The seats won will vary, and so will the percentage of votes. The seat tally might either go down or go up, and the vote percentage may remain nearly the same. This is not to take away credit from Modi, Shah and the BJP. Their assiduous work seems to have paid off. The party could have excited communal passion here and there it could have touched on the inflammatory communal card here and there. But it did not win this assembly election or the 2014 Lok Sabha election on a communal agenda despite elements of communalism in the poll campaign. To interpret the victory of BJP as the victory of communal forces in UP would be a distortion of facts.
What seems to have contributed to the overwhelming success of the BJP can be attributed to the split in the votes of SP due to the internal feud, the increasing marginalization of Congress. The poor performance of BSP will remain a puzzle, though the vote percentage remains impressive enough.
It is necessary to look at the assembly elections in the other four states. While BJP won Uttarakhand overwhelmingly, so did the Congress in Punjab. It has been a close fight in Goa and in Manipur, where BJP has an edge in Goa and Congress in Manipur.
The defeat of SP and BSP in UP should not be interpreted to mean that BJP has wiped out political opposition in the country as a whole. BJP has indeed emerged as a dominant party in the country’s politics, a position which was occupied by the Congress till the end of 1980s. The BJP had steadily climbed to the peak from 1991 to 2014 in Lok Sabha elections. [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]
Bihar news
Bihar: 2 die, 3 lose eyesight after consuming spurious liquor in Muzaffarpur
Two people died while three people lost their eyesight in Bihar’s Muzaffarpur after consuming spurious liquor, as per the police.
Two people died while three people lost their eyesight in Bihar’s Muzaffarpur after consuming spurious liquor, as per the police.
Police have received information that two people died after their health suddenly deteriorated. In the prima facie inquiry, it has been told that they both had consumed country-made liquor. We have arrested two people. Further probe underway, the Superintendent of Police Abhishek Dixit said after two people died after allegedly consuming spurious liquor in Muzaffarpur.
According to reports, one of the victims, Dharmendra Ram, has revealed that he consumed spurious alcohol after purchasing from Shiv Chandra Paswan, who generally sells adulterated and low-quality liquor, due to which he lost his eyesight.
He started losing his vision after consuming two glasses of low-quality liquor, which cost him Rs 100.
Police, based on the victim’s statement, have arrested two people. One of the arrested persons is a local resident and has been jailed in the past as well in a liquor-related case.
For interrogation, police have also detained accused Shiv Chandra Paswan’s wife and daughter.
Police confirmed that the deaths and loss of eyesight happened due to the consumption of spurious alcohol.
Earlier this year in April, a shocking case was reported from Bihar’e Motihari district where at least 5 people died after consuming illicitly made liquor while twelve others were rushed to a local hospital in critical condition.
The incident was reported from Laxmipur Village of Motihari district in Bihar. The cases of spurious liquor creating hazardous health problems and death of people in Bihar have been in focus for quite some months now. Earlier in January this year it was reported from Siwan that four people died post consuming the spurious liquor after which the Police arrested 16 people who were involved in the storage and trading of alcohol in the state.
Purchase, sale and trade of liquor stands banned in Bihar since April 2016 after Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar took this move to impose a complete prohibition on the sale and consumption of alcohol in the state.
India News
Mann Ki Baat: PM Modi says India-Middle East-Europe corridor will become future basis of world trade
The India-Middle East-Europe corridor will become the basis of world trade for hundreds of years to come and history will always remember that the corridor was initiated on Indian soil, said PM Modi.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his 105th episode of Mann Ki Baat said that the India-Middle East-Europe corridor will become the basis of world trade for hundreds of years to come and history will always remember that the corridor was initiated on Indian soil.
On September 24 in his monthly Mann Ki Baat, PM Modi also talked about Chandrayaan-3’s success and urged all citizens to participate in the Chandrayaan-3 Mahaquiz, a unique opportunity to learn and celebrate India’s lunar mission. Let’s embark on this cosmic adventure together, he added.
PM Modi said throughout the year, programmes related to G20 were held at numerous universities in the country. Now in this series, another exciting programme is about to take place in Delhi, which is G20 University Connect Programme, he said.
Speaking about World Tourism Day, he said two days from now, 27th September, is World Tourism Day. Some people view tourism just as a means of touring and travelling, but a very big aspect of tourism is related to employment, the Prime Minister further said.
He further talked about temples in Karnataka. PM Modi said a few days ago, that Shantiniketan and the holy Hoysala temple of Karnataka have been declared world heritage sites by UNESCO. He extended his greetings to the countrymen on this feat.
During the G20 Summit in New Delhi, US principal deputy national security advisor Jon Finer announced an unprecedented and ground-breaking infrastructure initiative involving a railway and shipping corridor that will improve trade, energy, and digital connectivity.
Speaking to reporters, Finer drew an indirect but striking comparison between China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and the project, saying it will close a significant infrastructure gap and be high-standards, transparent, sustainable, non-coercive and based on the demand signal from the region instead of being an imposition.
BRI is heavily attacked for entangling nations in unmanageable debt, as well as for being opaque, forceful, and sacrificing standards.
Finer claimed that the project is consistent with the greater West Asian agenda of the Joe Biden administration.
India News
Man seeking job in Indian Army attempts to breach PM Modi’s security in Varanasi
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s security was breached in Varanasi after a BJP worker jumped in front of PM Modi’s convoy asking for a job in Indian Army.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s security was breached in Varanasi. An Indian Army aspirant jumped in front of PM Modi’s convoy, asking for a job in defence. Later, he was held by the police.
After laying the foundation stone of the International Cricket Stadium on Saturday, PM Modi with CM Yogi attended the evening musical show at Rudraksh International Cooperation and Convention Centre.
From there, PM Modi was travelling to Lal Bahadur Shastri Airport, when the incident took place. A man who tried to breach the Prime Minister’s security has been identified as Krishna Kumar, who hails from Ghazipur, allegedly a BJP worker. He is the son of a senior BJP worker Bharat Kumar.
According to reports, Kumar was frustrated as he failed the medical test after clearing the physical test. Kumar tried many times in the past to get recruited into the Indian Army. He also appealed to many people for help but everything failed.
After all this, he decided to meet the Prime Minister in Varanasi regarding his job in Indian Army. Krishna Kumar was waiting for the PM’s convoy to pass at least for an hour, the moment Modi’s convoy crossed beside Kumar, he jumped carrying a file with him asking for a job in Indian Army.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on September 23 laid the foundation stone of the International Cricket Stadium in Varanasi’s Ganjari, Uttar Pradesh.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath was present for the occasion in Varanasi.
Varanasi, PM Modi’s parliamentary constituency also witnessed big names from the cricket fraternity on the occasion. The names include Sachin Tendulkar, Kapil Dev, Ravi Shastri, Sunil Gavaskar, Dilip Vengsarkar, Madan Lal, Gundappa Viswanath, and Gopal Sharma.
PM Modi also inaugurated 16 Atal Awasiya Vidyalaya built across Uttar Pradesh, during the programme.
The Varanasi International Cricket Stadium is a step towards realising PM Modi’s vision to develop a modern and world-class sports infrastructure.
