Dhaka, Jan 28 (SocialNews.XYZ) Bangladesh’s Labour Appellate Tribunal has granted bail to Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, chairman of Grameen Telecom, along with three other top officials of the company in labour law violation case.

Earlier, Bangladesh Anti-Corruption Commission's (ACC) panel lawyer Khurshid Alam Khan had requested various stakeholders including former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to monitor the ongoing trial against Yunus before criticising the Bangladesh government.

"She (Hillary Clinton) will gain a better understanding after visiting the labour court. Criticising us without witnessing the proceedings is unjust," Khan had said.

The alleged labour law violations by Yunus included failing to give permanent jobs to 101 workers and employees, not forming a workers' participation fund and welfare fund, and failing to provide 5 per cent of the company's dividend to workers.

The Department of Inspection for Factories and Establishment had said that several labour laws have been violated by Yunus when they raided the Grameen Telecom company last year.

On January 1, a Dhaka court sentenced Muhammad Yunus, Grameen Telecom CEO Md Ashraful Hassan, Managing Director M Shahjahan and Trustee Nurjahan Begum to six months in jail over labour law violations.

On September 9, 2021, a case was filed by the Department of Inspection for Factories and Establishment against Yunus and three others for violating labour laws.

Sheikh Marina Sultana, judge at Dhaka Labour Court-3 had announced the verdict.

Yunus was facing more than 100 other charges over labour law violations and alleged graft.

The court has also imposed a fine of 5,000 Taka under one section and 25,000 Taka under another section against Yunus, in default of which they would have to spend an additional 10 and 15 days in prison.

The labour court gave them one month to file an appeal in the High Court to challenge the judgement.

They filed an appeal against a Dhaka court verdict with the tribunal after appearing there at around 10:45 am. The officials also filed the bail petitions on Sunday morning.

Source: IANS

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New Delhi, Jan 28 (SocialNews.XYZ) On January 22, by participating in the Pran Pratishtha ceremony at the Ram Temple in Ayodhya, Narendra Modi became the first Prime Minister to not only play a key role in such a grand temple Pran Pratishtha ceremony but also actively engage in a 11-day special ritual, fasting, and austerity.

It is evident that PM Modi, by undertaking this initiative, has endeavoured to establish Lord Ram in the minds of the people.

While speaking during the Pran Pratishtha ceremony, PM Modi, BJP leaders and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh chief Mohan Bhagwat, emphasised the importance of achieving several years' agendas.

The efforts of PM Modi and Mohan Bhagwat are crucial not only because the BJP aims to win over 400 seats with more than 50 per cent of the votes in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, but also because despite various efforts the opposition parties are failing to unite.

Since the resolution to openly support the Ram Janmabhoomi movement was made at the 1989 Palampur Convention, the BJP has consistently benefited, except for the 2004 and 2009 Lok Sabha elections.

Although the party's growth was largely limited to the northern states, this time the BJP has linked Lord Ram with the nation's pride, Hindutva, nationalism, a developed India, a vishwa guru, the anticipation of centuries, and the agenda for the next thousand years.

The party initiated a cleanliness and voluntary service campaign in temples across the country, created a festive atmosphere similar to Diwali on January 22, and is now planning to take people to Ayodhya to visit Lord Ram, making it clear that the BJP's popularity is rapidly increasing.

After the Pran Pratishtha ceremony of Ram Lalla in Ayodhya, the BJP will now launch the 'Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Darshan' campaign for the next two months to bring people from all over the country to Ayodhya for the darshan of Ram Lalla.

The party's preparation for this campaign is extensive, involving ministers, MPs, MLAs, senior leaders of the organisation, and even booth-level workers.

Party leaders will connect with people in their respective areas who wish to visit Ayodhya, while leaders and workers deployed in Ayodhya will assist devotees in visiting the Ram Temple and Ram Lalla.

The party's plan is to facilitate the darshan of Ram Lalla for more than 25,000 people every day, and the Vishwa Hindu Parishad is actively participating in this campaign.

The party plans to take 6,000 Ram devotees from each Lok Sabha constituency to Ayodhya for the darshan of Ram Lalla.

The impact of this campaign is expected to be felt throughout the country. The party believes that due to this campaign, they may gain advantage not only in Karnataka but also in states like Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Kerala.

The Chief Ministers of BJP-led states will also visit Ayodhya with their ministers to have darshan of Ram Lalla after January 31.

While the BJP is determined not to leave any stone unturned in its preparations for the Lok Sabha elections, especially with regard to the Rath Yatra for Ram Lalla, the party is also making efforts to capitalise on the achievements of the Modi government, development, and welfare schemes, in order to fully benefit from the popularity of PM Modi.

PM Modi is simultaneously engaging in social engineering by mentioning not only Lord Ram but also Shabri, Hanuman Ji, Jatayu, and Nishad.

He is also connecting with more than 7 crore first-time voters who are going to vote for the first time in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.

He is explaining to them that their vote can stabilise India and create a government with a significant majority, enhancing India's prestige worldwide.

Along with this, the Prime Minister is consistently discussing the development of his favourite four sections -- women, youth, farmers, and the poor.

While the party has prepared a nationwide plan to facilitate the darshan of Ram Lalla for Ram devotees following PM Narendra Modi's instructions, it is also working on the 'Knowledge' formula to address the concerns of the four sections.

The BJP is striving for a historic victory with the slogan 'Abki baar 400 paar', 'Teesri baar Modi Sarkar'.

The party has also launched a campaign song 'Sapne Nahi Haqeeqat Bunte Hai, Tabhi Toh Sab Modi Ko Chunte hai (He weaves realities, not dreams; That is why people choose Modi), ientred around the popularity of Modi.

Source: IANS

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Bhopal, Jan 28 (SocialNews.XYZ) With the ‘Pran Pratishtha’ of the idol of Ram Lalla -- the childhood form of Hindu deity Lord Ram was consecrated in a huge ceremonial event in the presence of over one lakh VIP guests in Ayodhya on January 22, an impression is being created that Lord Ram has returned to his birthplace as Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who performed the rituals has already mentioned.

The country’s majority community -- Hindus -- had been waiting for the last several decades for this auspicious occasion which took place in a jubilant atmosphere created by the ruling BJP and its allies, the RSS and the VHP. It came ahead of the upcoming Lok Sabha election, and an obvious discussion on whether it will impact the general election has to arise.

Madhya Pradesh, which is being called the ‘laboratory' of the BJP-RSS, shares a special bond with Lord Ram’s life journey as the prince of Ayodhya earned the name of Maryadapurushottam during his 14 years' exile in the forest of Chitrakoot in MP. Chief Minister Mohan Yadav has now announced that the state government will develop Chitrakoot on the lines of Ayodhya. A ‘Ram Van Gaman Path’ is already being developed.

In the forthcoming Lok Sabha election later this year, the ‘Pran Pratishtha’ ceremony is obviously going to be a crucial weapon for the BJP to target the opposition Congress led by the new state unit chief Jitu Patiwari. To what extent this religious development is going to convert into Lok Sabha seats for the saffron party, lies in the future. However, the ruling BJP has made elaborate plans to gain politically.

In fact, the Ram Lalla temple issue reached the neighboring state of Madhya Pradesh much before the ‘Pran Pratishtha’ ceremony was conducted at Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh. Posters on the Ram Lalla temple were put up during the campaign for the assembly election in the state, and an objection raised by the Congress then had led to political barbs being exchanged among the top leaders of the BJP and the Congress.

In the Lok Sabha elections in 2014 and 2019, the BJP won 27 and 28 seats respectively out of the total 29, and this time, the saffron party has targeted to win 29 seats. In its new campaign ‘Gaun Chalo Abhiyan' led by the state BJP chief V. D. Sharma, which will kick off soon, the ruling BJP will take the success of the Ram Lalla temple issue to every door step.

A day before the ‘Pran Pratishtha’ ceremony, CM Mohan Yadav, who is largely acting on the directions of the BJP’s central leadership -- Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah -- sent five lakh ladoos to Ayodhya, the ‘prasad’ being prepared by Ujjain’s Mahakaleshwar temple. “Emperor Vikramaditya from Ujjain went to Ayodhya and rejuvenated the place and built a Lord Ram temple, which was later demolished by Mughal emperor Babar. By the order of the Supreme Court, the temple is being revived. In other words, being built afresh,” Yadav had said.

Source: IANS

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Mumbai, Jan 28 (SocialNews.XYZ) The ruling MahaYuti alliance of the Shiv Sena-Bharatiya Janata Party-Nationalist Congress Party (AP) has dual reasons to cheer for and before the upcoming Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabha elections this year in the state, plus the civic elections.

These are the recently consecrated imposing new Lord Ram Temple in Ayodhya, and the just-resolved Marathas quotas issue – the latter threatened to upset all political calculations if left hanging.

A senior Mumbai BJP leader said that “the mood among the people in urban centres like Mumbai is buoyant” after the inauguration of the Balakram Mandir on January 22.

“Mumbai has some chilling memories of the time when the illegal structure in Ayodhya was demolished on December 6, 1992, and its repercussions were felt here with the two-phased bloody riots of December 1992-January 1993,” said the party leader.

There was even a backlash in the form of the March 12, 1993 serial bomb blasts in Mumbai – considered the worst-ever terror attack in the country which officially left 257 dead, much higher than the 166 deaths in the November. 26, 2008 terror strikes that shook the world.

As per tentative plans, the ruling allies would highlight the Lord Ram Temple as a major achievement of the saffron government in the state and the Centre, and the crowning glory of the 10-year rule of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, he said.

Whether this could lead to an alienation of some sections of the polity, the leader argued that it’s the culmination of the aspirations of the country’s majority population after five centuries with the support of the PM, “then why should anybody object”.

On the Marathas reservation issue, a Thane leader said that the politically dominant community has got something to rejoice over after waiting for over seven decades for their rightful share in government jobs and education, and this will have “a significant impact” on the elections, though there are several hurdles left to be cleared.

Aware that the SS-BJP-NCP(AP) are perched on a high ground ahead of the elections, the Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) allies, Congress-Shiv Sena (UBT)-Nationalist Congress Party (SP) are seeking to draw attention to “the real issues of bread-and-butter” instead of emotional, sectarian or religious politics.

“The Lord Ram Mandir task is over, the PM should now talk of work”, was the blunt refrain of SS-UBT president and ex-chief minister Uddhav Thackeray.

He added that Lord Ram is not the private property of any leader or any party, but the BJP has even tried to hijack Lord Ram for political gains.

“Now the time has come to ‘free Lord Ram’ from the clutches of the BJP,” roared Thackeray in Nashik, on the occasion of Balasaheb Thackeray’s 98th birth anniversary on January 23.

Launching more barbs, Thackeray said the BJP keeps asking “what the Congress did in 75 years”, but now they have to reply “what has Modi done in 10 years”, and advised the PM not to just keep mouthing ‘Jai Shri Ram’ but also live up to Lord Ram’s ideals.

Congress state president Nana Patole has made it clear that the masses are concerned about inflation, unemployment, women and safety, the distress in the agriculture sector and other burning issues.

He said that the BJP has pushed these issues behind and tried to divert attention through the ‘mega event management show’ at the Lord Ram Temple inauguration or the publicity blitzkrieg for questionable achievements.

“The BJP will have to heed the real problems confronting the masses and not simply keep harping on religious, caste or emotional issues…The Opposition leaders are being hounded and their voice is being suppressed through the misuse of central probe agencies,” said Patole.

NCP (SP) working president Supriya Sule cited a report tabled in Parliament that mentioned how 95 percent of the ‘I.C.E.’ cases (IT-CBI-ED) are targeted against the Opposition parties in the country, and warned that the people will not forget these aspects while casting their vote.

As both sides attempt to create their own narratives before the elections, there are certain stark political realities that could also affect the public perception like the ongoing crises plaguing the national opposition’s I.N.D.I.A. bloc, with divisions in Punjab, West Bengal, and possibly some other states.

However, the MVA leaders are confident that ‘Roti will weigh over Ram’ in the public mind and the BJP would be compelled to speak and seek votes on ground realities rather than religion and caste in the poll campaign.

(Quaid Najmi can be contacted at: q.najmi@ians.in)

Source: IANS

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Bhubaneswar, Jan 28 (SocialNews.XYZ) People across the country and in Odisha celebrated the historic consecration of the Ram temple at Ayodhya with pomp and show, and devotional programmes at various religious places.

Spontaneous celebrations in both rural and urban areas across Odisha marked the momentous occasion on January 22.

So much so that the euphoria took the Opposition BJP in Odisha by surprise and it appeared very upbeat.

“We were not expecting the Ram temple consecration to get such a massive support from the people throughout the state. This will have an unprecedented impact on the forthcoming general elections, which will take everyone by surprise,” said Jatin Mohanty, General Secretary, BJP, Odisha.

The saffron party is planning to cash in on the widespread euphoria surrounding the consecration of the Ram temple among the people of the state.

It is pertinent to mention that the BJP had successfully leveraged the temple issue during the recently-concluded Assembly elections in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan.

“Whatever political impact the Ram mandir issue is going to make, it will go in favour of the BJP, as everyone knows that the party is attached to the movement and has been supporting it for a long time,” added Mohanty.

Though he denied the need for the party to put in extra efforts to let people understand its contribution towards the Ram mandir movement, the BJP leader however added that the issue would naturally come up when the party workers interact with people in the run up to the elections.

Some experts also hold the same view, predicting a major gain for the saffron party in the elections due to the consecration of the Ram temple.

Political analysts assert that the BJP may win more seats in both, the Lok Sabha and state Assembly.

“The BJP workers are energised with the unprecedented response of the people, especially the impromptu celebrations in rural pockets on the occasion of the ‘Prana Pratishtha.’

“Though, the Ram mandir movement in the 1990s helped the BJP emerge as a major political power in India, yet it failed to make significant inroads in Odisha. However, this time the BJP succeeded in connecting people on the ground with the issue,” said veteran journalist Rabi Das.

Meanwhile, Surya Narayan Mishra, former head of department of Political Science at Utkal University, asserts that there is no doubt that the BJP has consolidated its traditional vote bank with the temple’s consecration.

He said that the BJP may also garner the support of some neutral voters who are unhappy with the present BJD Government.

Notably, the BJP won 23 seats in the 2019 Assembly elections while its vote share rose from 18.2 per cent in 2014 to 32.49 per cent in 2019. Significantly, the saffron party had managed to win only 10 seats in the 2014 Assembly elections.

Similarly, the BJP’s vote share increased to 38.4 per cent in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls as against 21.9 per cent in the 2014 general elections. The party grabbed eight Lok Sabha seats in 2019.

On the other hand, the BJD recorded a marginal decrease in its vote share in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. The BJD received 44.8 per cent of the total votes in 2014 which dipped to 42.8 per cent in 2019.

Professor Mishra also cautioned that the people of Odisha have always voted intelligently without getting swayed by any political movements or caring for who was ruling the state during any elections.

“They have never voted on religious and caste lines and don’t get affected by any political movement. A closer scrutiny of voting patterns in the state for the past many decades makes it clear that the voters in Odisha have several times voted differently during the elections to the Lok Sabha and the state Assembly. This time, too, they may follow the same precedent. However, it is too early to predict conclusively,” Mishra added.

Source: IANS

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Hyderabad, Jan 27 (SocialNews.XYZ) Ram Mandir may be a key factor for BJP in north India but the issue is not likely to give it any electoral mileage in Telugu states.

Despite the best efforts by the BJP leadership in both the states to cash in on the issue of Pran Pratishtha, the saffron party’s prospects in the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections may not get any boost, say political analysts.

The party tried to create a hype by organising live telecast of January 22 event at Ayodhya and conducting rallies and other programmes at few pockets, especially in Telangana.

BJP, RSS, VHP and other right-wing organisations held the programmes in certain towns and at a few places this also led to mild tension.

Analysts say that BJP may not get votes in Telugu states because of Ram temple as there is big difference between how people in north and south view the entire issue.

Unlike Hindus in other parts of the country, those in the Telugu states don’t find themselves spiritually attached to the temple at Ayodhya.

Most of the Hindus in both Andhra Pradesh and Telangana prefer to visit Tirumala temple once or twice every year rather than travelling to Ayodhya.

“There is general aversion among Hindus in the Telugu states to the kind of politics BJP and other Hindutva organisations have played over the issue for the last 3-4 decades,” said political analyst P. Pavan.

Majority of people see the entire issue of Ram temple more as a political issue than religious. They have not liked the way Pran Pratishtha was done by a politician instead of a priest.

The Telangana BJP unit along with other outfits went all out to draw mileage from Pran Prathishtha. Some villages and towns had turned saffron as they put of flags, banners and cut-outs and also organised live screening of the event.

At the live screening in Hyderabad, Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan was invited along with Union Minister and state BJP president G. Kishan Reddy.

The BJP has also arranged special trains for its activists to reach Ayodhya for darshan. Under Sri Ram Mandir Darshan Abhiyan (campaign for darshan of Sri Ram temple), 17 trains would go to Ayodhya beginning January 29 covering the 17 Lok Sabha constituencies in the state.

The trains, known as special 'astha' (faith) trains, originate either from Secunderabad or Kazipet.

The first train, covering Secunderabad Parliamentary constituency represented by Kishan Reddy, would leave Secunderabad station for Ayodhya on January 29 and return to the city on February 2.

However, analysts believe these attempts may not yield any positive result for the party in terms of seats or votes.

The saffron party may go to voters with the image of Ayodhya by projecting construction of Ram temple as a major achievement but this may not garner them votes.

They recall that even at the height of the Ramjanbhoomi movement it was not a big issue in Telugu states.

“They can’t ask people to vote on the Ram temple issue. Hindus here ask what the BJP has done for the temple at Bhadrachalam which is linked to Ramayana,” said another analyst Palwai Raghavendra Reddy.

In the campaign for recently held Assembly elections in Telangana, the BJP leaders had raised the issue of Ram temple. At the election rallies, Union Home Minister Amit Shah had declared that the temple is going to be inaugurated and promised free travel to Ayodhya.

In the election manifesto, the BJP promised that if voted to power, it will introduce free Ram Mandir and Kashi Yatra for senior citizens.

However, political observers say there were not many takers for this promise. If BJP has increased its tally of Assembly seats and vote share, it was not because of the Ram temple issue.

“There will be no change in the situation in Lok Sabha elections. There may be other factors which may help BJP increase its vote share but it will not be Ram temple,” said Pavan.

In 2023 Assembly elections, the BJP almost doubled its vote share compared to 2018 polls. The saffron party significantly improved its tally of seats from one to eight.

The BJP also managed to double its vote share from 6.98% in 2018 to almost 14%. However, compared to the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, the vote share of BJP has come down.

This time BJP contested 111 seats and left eight segments for its ally Jana Sena Party (JSP), which drew a blank.

The saffron party had won just a single seat in the 2018 Assembly elections. It had later improved its tally to three after winning two seats in the by-elections.

In 2019, the BJP had polled 19.45% votes and bagged four out of 17 Lok Sabha seats in Telangana. It had contested alone and this was the highest number of seats won by the party in two decades.

For 2024, the saffron party has set a target of 10 seats. Like in the previous elections, the BJP will seek the mandate for Modi.

“The BJP’s narrative will be around Modi. They will tell the voters that their vote will not be for an individual MP but for Modi as the Prime Minister for another term,” said Raghavendra Reddy.

BJP appears nowhere on the scene in neighbouring Andhra Pradesh where the political space is occupied by regional players. The saffron party has no MP or MLA in Andhra Pradesh.

The BJP’s vote share in 2019 polls was less than one per cent and the situation has not changed for the party.

The saffron party is still in a dilemma on joining the TDP-JSP alliance to take on ruling YSRCP.

Source: IANS

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Raipur, Jan 27 (SocialNews.XYZ) The politics surrounding Ayodhya's Ram temple is gaining momentum in Chhattisgarh, which is considered the birthplace of Lord Ram's mother Kaushalya.

Apart from being the maternal home of Lord Ram, the tribal state is also associated with Shabari.

The BJP, which recently came to power after winning the Assembly elections, is eyeing the 11 Lok Sabha seats of the state. At present, nine seats are held by the saffron party while two are with the Congress.

Now, with the Lok Sabha elections drawing closer, the BJP is targeting to win all 11 parliamentary seats in the state.

Ahead of the elections, the 'Pran Pratishtha' of Ram Lalla in the Ayodhya temple seems to have a deep impact on the politics of the state.

Considering the close bond that the state shares with Lord Ram, the previous Congress government led by Bhupesh Baghel proposed the development of the ‘Ram Van Gaman Path’, work was done on it and statues of Lord Ram were also installed.

Now, the ruling BJP, along with the development of the Ram Van Gaman Path, is also emphasizing on the development of other places associated with Lord Ram.

The Vishnu Deo Sai-led BJP government had sent rice grain and vegetables to Ayodhya on the occasion of the 'Pran Pratishtha' ceremony, which were offered as prasad there. A team of doctors was also sent to Ayodhya.

Apart from this, a team of 60 workers has been recently sent from the state capital Raipur to Ayodhya to serve the Ram devotees for 60 days. The team will organise ‘Bhandara’ for 60 days in Ayodhya.

In the Republic Day function on Friday, Chief Minister Sai, while mentioning the relationship between Lord Ram and Chhattisgarh, said that “unwavering devotion towards Lord Ram is our identity and we follow Raghukul's tradition – thus the promises made are being fulfilled”.

The BJP even fiercely attacked the Congress for “refusing to attend the Pran Pratishtha ceremony”, claiming that the grand old party has been opposing the temple at Ram Janmabhoomi since the beginning.

On the other hand, Congress has been accusing the BJP of doing politics in the name of the Ram temple.

Chhattisgarh Congress President Deepak Baij said that the BJP has “always been doing politics in the name of Lord Ram and asking for votes but the Congress never did politics in the name of Lord Ram”.

“Lord Ram is associated with our faith, he is in our hearts. Even Shankaracharya opposed the consecration of Ram temple but his words were also ignored. This is an insult to religious gurus,” he said.

Political analysts in the state believe that in the Lok Sabha elections, the BJP, besides counting on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s face and his welfare schemes, will not lag behind in making the Ram temple a key poll issue.

They say that when there was a Congress government in the state, it also left no stone unturned in the development of places related to Lord Ram, but it lagged behind in publicizing them.

Now as the Ram temple has been inaugurated, the BJP is actively trying to an atmosphere in its favor in view of the elections.

Source: IANS

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Ranchi, Jan 27 (SocialNews.XYZ) On the day of the Pran Pratishtha ceremony of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya, the wave of religious fervour that swept through the Hindi heartland was not limited to just Ayodhya but Jharkhand, with its population of nearly four crore people, was equally immersed in the spirit of Ram.

Every corner of this state was infused with a sense of devotion. If the impact of this surge of emotions continues for the next three to four months, the BJP could hope for enthusiastic results in its favour.

However, on the other hand, the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM)-Congress-RJD coalition, led by Hemant Soren, counters the BJP's Ram wave by tapping into the state's local sentiments, making the battle neither one-sided nor easy here.

Jharkhand has 14 Lok Sabha seats. As of today, 12 of these seats are with the BJP-All Jharkhand Students Union (AJSU) coalition.

In the 2014 elections, the BJP had won the same number of seats. Despite efforts to focus on emotive issues like the Ram temple this time, maintaining the 2014 and 2019 scores for the third time is a significant challenge.

The state BJP President, Babulal Marandi, claims, "This time, we will win all 14 Lok Sabha seats in the state. The country is now with the BJP. Just as the BJP achieved victories on tribal majority seats in the Assembly elections of Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, and Madhya Pradesh, similar results will come in the Lok Sabha as well as the state Assembly elections in Jharkhand. The people, troubled by corruption in the Hemant Soren Government, are in the mood to remove him from power."

During the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP coalition, led by Raghubar Das in Jharkhand, had a favourable position. The results were in line with expectations -- they won 12 out of 14 Lok Sabha seats and secured a lead in 54 out of the state's 81 Assembly seats in terms of votes.

Encouraged by this, Das had chanted the slogan of 'Abki baar 65 paar' in the subsequent 2019 Assembly elections. However, the coalition led by Hemant Soren turned the tables, defeating the BJP and forming the government.

While leading the government for the last four years, Hemant Soren has taken several decisions for the welfare of tribals and the indigenous people of Jharkhand.

Due to these measures, he has strengthened his grip on the core voters of his party, compared to the previous government.

Despite actions by agencies like the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), conflicts with the Raj Bhavan on several important issues, legal and court entanglements related to mining leases, and continuous attacks by the Central and state BJP leaders, Soren has kept the coalition government stable.

Moreover, after each such incident, he engages with his supporters, voters, and activists, launching strong attacks on the Central Government and the BJP.

For instance, when the ED questioned him for nearly seven hours regarding the alleged Ranchi land scam on January 20, immediately afterward, he came out of his residence and stood on the car's bonnet, addressing a large gathering of his supporters and workers, saying, "I have not committed any theft. We have answered all their questions. We will never let Jharkhand fall into the hands of corrupt people. The government was formed with great difficulty. Since its formation, there has been a conspiracy against us. We have thwarted these conspiracies along with the state's development."

Through proposals such as providing a monthly pension of Rs 1,000 to people from Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes and women of all categories above the age of 50; a seven-year relaxation in the maximum age limit for SC/ST candidates in the JPSC civil services examination; convening a special session of the Assembly to pass the Sarna-Adivasi Dharam Code in the census; reservation of up to 75 per cent for local people in jobs paying up to Rs 40,000 in private companies, and increasing reservation for SC/ST and OBCs, the Hemant Soren government has built a strong narrative in favour of local issues and sentiments.

However, it is difficult to say how effective the Soren Government's campaign will be in the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections in Jharkhand. There is a short interval of only three to four months between the Lok Sabha and Assembly elections in Jharkhand, and the voting patterns in both these elections have been quite different.

In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP received nearly 51 per cent votes in the state.

The JMM and the Congress had to settle for just one seat each. However, in the subsequent Assembly elections a few months later, the BJP's vote share decreased to 33.37 per cent, resulting in the party being ousted from power in the state.

Before this, in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP had received 41 per cent votes, winning 12 seats. The Congress was completely wiped out from the state, while the JMM had secured only two seats.

In the Assembly elections held in November of the same year, the BJP's vote share remained at 31.28 per cent. However, it won 37 out of 81 seats, forming the government in coalition with AJSU. Two months later, the BJP also managed to bring eight MLAs from Jharkhand Vikas Morcha (JVM) into its fold, governing for the full five years.

Senior journalist Surendra Soren said, "The voting pattern in Lok Sabha and Assembly elections in Jharkhand has never been the same. National issues become quite effective in Lok Sabha elections, while small local issues also play a significant role in reversing results in Assembly elections."

However, this time the BJP has a powerful emotional issue like the Ram temple. Prime Minister Narendra Modi's charismatic leadership is also a factor. The party has initiated a strategic campaign at the village and booth levels to influence the masses.

From February 4 to February 11, the party has planned a programme called "Gaon Chalo Abhiyan". During this period, BJP leaders and workers will embark on a 24-hour journey to 32,000 villages across the state.

Amar Bauri, state BJP leader, said, "There is an atmosphere of spontaneous support in every village for Prime Minister Modi's leadership. Party workers will visit every village as Modi's ambassadors. The journey is from the resolution of the Pran Pratishtha ceremony to its fulfillment. There is tremendous enthusiasm among the people."

Source: IANS

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Panaji, Jan 27 (SocialNews.XYZ) BJP leaders in Goa are in a jubilant mood post the consecration ceremony of the Ram temple in Ayodhya and are stating that nobody can stop them from winning 400 plus seats in the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections. However, the Opposition is pointing out that there should not be a place for religion in politics.

On the consecration day Hindu organisations and the BJP held rallies across the state and citizens also participated with zeal.

Only one or two Opposition leaders participated in the celebrations but the rest of the leaders of the Opposition parties distanced themselves from the rallies and did not even wish the people on social media.

Sources said that Congress MLA Carlos Alvares Ferreira welcomed a rally by some Hindu groups in his constituency Aldona.

Another Opposition MLA and President of Goa Forward Party Vijai Sardesai also celebrated the day at his residence by inviting people from all faiths.

Vijai Sardesai said that ‘Ram Rajya’ means inclusivity and pluralism, not one-sided governance.

“‘Ram Rajya’ means inclusivity and pluralism, not one-sided governance. I celebrated the occasion with a Deepotsav along with members of the Hindu, Christian and Muslim community, all together. I believe this is the true spirit of ‘Ram Rajya’ in which all sections of society are treated justly, fairly and respectfully,” Sardesai, former Deputy Chief Minister in the BJP-led Government (last term), said.

“While we welcome Ayodhya being developed into a centre for spiritual tourism, on lines of Mecca and Medina for Islam and Rome for Christianity, we in Goa must preserve our age-old culture of tolerance and coexistence and usher in real ‘Ram Rajya’ in the state,” he said.

“Jai Shri Ram is not the slogan to vote for one party. It is a slogan to imbibe values of Ram and bring ‘Ram Rajya’. He doesn’t belong to just one party. One party is chanting slogans and trying to show that Ram is only theirs. There is no Ram Rajya today, in Goa we know that the concept (of Ram Rajya) has not become a reality. Our role is to see whether our conscience is clean and we can live together,” Sardesai said

Earlier he had said that 'Ram Rajya' means not just cleaning temples, but welfare of the people.

According to political analysts, Opposition MLAs failed to wish the people or participate in rallies held by Hindu organisations fearing it would benefit the BJP.

While taking the credit, BJP had managed the rallies so well that every party leader was present for the rallies and programs in the temples and interacted with the public.

BJP’s General Secretary and former MLA Damodar Naik blamed the Congress for the delay in the construction of the Ram temple.

“The Congress created hurdles in the construction of the temple. They hoodwinked people over this issue. But we resolved the issue by giving alternative space to the Muslim community to build a mosque. We could do it the constitutional way. Congress instigated people that untoward incidents will occur after construction of the temple, but nothing of that sort happened because we handled it carefully,” Naik said, adding that it was ‘Modi's Guarantee’ to hand over the temple to the people.

“Definitely the Ram temple construction will help us to gain votes. I would say our votes will be doubled and we will cross the 400 seat mark. Even in Goa it will now be easy to win both the seats. Since this development many people have started joining BJP because now they are confirmed that we can deliver,” Naik further said.

AAP Goa President Amit Palyekar said that BJP tried to derive political dividend out of this occasion. “BJP doesn’t do anything without any political benefit. They have tried to garner votes through this, but we will have to wait and watch whether people will allow them to grab the opportunity,” Palyekar said.

“It was like a BJP event. Lord Ram was not center stage, but Lok Sabha election was. Let us accept that the temple has been constructed. But I feel that even if we construct 100 temples, the question remains of the income source of people. Today, the BJP has failed to create jobs and give education, or proper health facilities. Middle class people are suffering. We will take these issues to the people. Finally, the people have to decide,” he said, adding that the middle class is suffering the most in the BJP regime.

Palyekar alleged that the BJP initiated a program to clean temples to gain political mileage, whereas “our temples are always clean. I visit temples regularly but never see dust in temples. If they wish to bring ‘Ram Rajya’ then it should become ‘Ram Rajya’. Don’t do politics over gods, it should stop.”

The Congress incharge of four North East states, Girish Chodank, said that the BJP was trying hard to cash in on the Ram temple to gain votes as they had failed in all aspects.

"This is a perfect example of how the BJP is baffled by the wrath of the public over its failures. This forced them to use Lord Ram to cover up issues facing the people. Goans and people of India are prudent enough to know that BJP uses the religion card and divides people. If they really want ‘Ram Rajya’ and Hindu ‘Rashtra’ then why are they not resolving the issue of Bhoma by saving villages and our culture? When they have a way to construct a bypass then why are they destroying a village which has three temples by expanding the National Highway?" he said.

"BJP is cheating people of the nation by not providing employment, through inflation and by giving fake promises of bringing back black money and depositing Rs 15 lakh each in the public’s account. The people of the nation have not forgotten that," he said.

Source: IANS

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Lucknow, Jan 27 (SocialNews.XYZ) It is a perfect recipe – more perfect than what the BJP had imagined it to be.

With careful planning, the BJP has managed to bring the Ram temple in Ayodhya to the centre of the electoral narrative and the response from the common man will make sure that it stays there till the elections are held, sometime in April-May.

The ‘Pran Pratishtha’ ceremony reached every household in India through live telecast and streaming on January 22.

Temple memorabilia is on sale across the country, making sure that there is a bit of Ram Lalla in every heart, every house.

The surging crowds that reached Ayodhya after the consecration ceremony on January 22, was more than what the BJP expected.

The Yogi Adityanath Government had to stop bus services, appeal to the people to wait longer for ‘darshan’, increase darshan timings and even reschedule Ayodhya-bound trains.

Crowds that are pouring into the holy city from all parts of the country, will, perhaps, make sure that the BJP reaches its target of 50 per cent vote share – or maybe even more.

The manner in which the BJP has built up the temple narrative, has put the Opposition in the anti-Hindu camp.

“It is clear – if you have declined the invitation to the ‘Pran Pratishtha’ ceremony, you are perceived as anti-Ram. For the moment, the BJP and Ram are almost synonymous and you cannot separate the two. Even the VHP which spearheaded the entire Ayodhya movement seems to have taken a back seat. VHP leaders’ presence was not very visible at the ceremony,” opined a political analyst.

A senior BJP Legislator said, “If this is so, then we have toiled for it. Yogi Adityanath put infrastructure development in Ayodhya on the fast track and ensured that the development of the holy city took place faster than the temple construction. Prime Minister Modi also ensured that the airport, railway station and other facilities came up in record time. Those who are going to Ayodhya, are seeing the magnificent temple and also a new Ayodhya.”

The BJP is now planning to take groups of devotees from every Assembly constituency to offer prayers at the Ram temple. The campaign will continue till Holi, which falls on March 25.

After a gap of about a week, Ayodhya will start celebrating Chaitra Navratri which will culminate in Ram Navami on April 17 – celebrations for which will again be on a grand scale.

The BJP clearly visualised and pushed the temple plank to the doors of the Lok Sabha elections and a host of programmes will broaden the outreach.

These include the likes of the Kalash Yatra, Ayodhya Darshan, Mandir Deep Jyoti, distributing booklets among the people on the history of the Ram temple movement, and reaching out to people to sport the Ram flag in their homes and vehicles.

Besides, the BJP has also unveiled a 'Gaon Chalo' campaign as part of the party's bid to go to the rural parts of India.

The Opposition, on the other hand, has not only failed to counter the temple narrative set by the BJP but has even started imploding.

The INDIA bloc seems to be cracking up sooner than expected with JD-U, Trinamool Congress and AAP baring their fangs. In this situation, the road to victory in 2024 seems to be getting smoother for the BJP.

The Ram temple has been fed into the BJP’s cultural-nationalism discourse and ‘Jai Shri Ram’ is the all-important war cry for the upcoming general elections.

Source: IANS

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Patna, Jan 27 (SocialNews.XYZ) Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar is expected to give his resignation on Saturday afternoon and sources say he might take oath for the eight time as the Chief Minister of Bihar on Sunday.

The biggest question that is being asked is what prompted Nitish Kumar to switch from the INDIA bloc to NDA and the simple answer is the Ram temple’s consecration in Ayodhya and the way it has created a wave in favour of the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the country.

Sources said that Nitish Kumar was feeling insecure in the INDIA bloc as several political experts, including Prashant Kishor had said that if the JD-U stayed in the Opposition alliance it would not get even five seats in Bihar.

In fact Prashant Kishor claimed that if the JD-U won more than five seats, he would apologize before the country.

Also, Nitish Kumar feels that his future does not look bright in the INDIA bloc. He spearheaded the formation of the INDIA bloc but failed to be the prime ministerial candidate of the alliance.

As several leaders of the INDIA bloc were not in favour of Nitish Kumar, they ignored him.

This was apparent in the second meeting in Bengaluru when Nitish Kumar returned to Patna without participating in the press briefing. He was ignored in the third meeting in Mumbai as well.

Soon after that Nitish Kumar showed his anger in a CPI rally in the first week of October by publicly blaming the Congress party for delaying the seat sharing and not looking at the working of the INDIA bloc.

At that time, the Congress party was busy with the elections of Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and Telangana. And after it lost the three states, Nitish Kumar was relentless in his attacks on the grand old party on the subject of seat sharing.

Plus, Nitish Kumar was not comfortable with the RJD and the Congress party in Bihar. He always thinks that the future of his party is brighter within the NDA rather than with the Mahagathbandhan.

He was the Chief Minister of Bihar for a long time with the help of the BJP. He was also the Union Minister during the Atal Bihari Vajpayee Government.

Plus, there is a buzz in Bihar’s political circles about issues like Tejashwi Yadav going to Tirupati Balaji with the family in a chartered plane, Cabinet Ministers under the RJD quota not taking decisions without consulting him and Tejashwi Yadav ignoring the public meetings of Nitish Kumar.

Also, there were rumours that Tejashwi Yadav might break the JD-U to form the government in Bihar. This could be the reason why Nitish Kumar took control of the party and became the National President of the JD-U by replacing Lalan Singh.

All these issues combined with the wave of support for the BJP after the Ram Temple consecration could have triggered Nitish Kumar’s desire to exit from the Mahagathbandhan.

That he was turning against his alliance partners became evident when on the day of Karpoori Thakur’s 100 birth anniversary, Nitish Kumar while addressing a gathering targeted dynastic politics.

Though he did not take the name of any leader but it was clear that he was targeting Lalu Prasad Yadav and Rahul Gandhi. He also talked about Jungle Raj during the Lalu-Rabri Government before 2005.

Nitish Kumar also claimed that he was walking on the path of Karpoori Thakur and not promoting any of his family members just like Karpoori Thakur did in his life.

After Nitish Kumar, referred to dynastic politics Rohini Acharya, the second daughter of Lalu Prasad Yadav put up three posts targeting the Bihar Chief Minister on X.

Though Rohini Acharya deleted the posts after a couple of hours but it was good enough to show the point of view of the Lalu family on the ongoing tussle between them and Nitish Kumar.

She said in the first post: “Some people declare themselves as socialist stalwarts but their ideology changes like the wind.”

Though Rohini Acharya did not name anyone but it was clear who she was targeting.

In the second post Rohini Acharya said, “Showing anger won’t help as none of their own were qualified enough to carry forward their legacy. Their intentions are not right.”

In the third post she said that “some people do not do any introspection on their shortcomings, and fling mud on others.”

Following these posts, an angry-looking Nitish Kumar presided over the Cabinet meeting on Thursday.

Rohini Acharya stayed in the Cabinet meeting for 15 minutes and did not interact with any leaders of the RJD, including her brother Tejashwi Yadav. Later in the day she deleted the posts.

So, clearly all was not right in the Mahagathbandhan and the wave of support across the country for the BJP after the consecration of the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya seemed to have pushed an unhappy Nitish Kumar right into the saffron camp.

Source: IANS

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Gandhinagar, Jan 27 (SocialNews.XYZ) The recent ‘Pran Pratishtha’ ceremony at the Ram temple in Ayodhya has sparked a political and social ripple effect, particularly in Gujarat, where the BJP is leveraging the event to consolidate its position ahead of the forthcoming general elections this year.

Soon after the consecration ceremony, BJP National President JP Nadda, while inaugurating the election office in Gandhinagar, underscored the party's achievements under Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Nadda cited a substantial poverty reduction in India, with reports from the IMF and NITI Aayog supporting this claim.

He emphasised that the BJP's continued governance was essential for fulfilling Modi's vision of eradicating poverty.

The BJP's campaign strategy in Gujarat is multifaceted, focusing on economic achievements and social, religious and cultural aspects.

The inauguration of election offices across all 26 Lok Sabha constituencies in the state indicates the party's commitment to a robust electoral presence.

Nadda’s mention of the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana, which aims to provide quality housing for all, highlights the party's focus on welfare schemes.

Another significant development was the induction of around 1,500 former leaders and members from the Congress and other parties into the BJP, a move that strengthens the saffron party’s position in Gujarat.

This influx of new members, which includes notable figures like Indrajitsinh Thakor and Vipul Patel, indicates a strategic consolidation of support for the BJP.

The BJP's narrative around the construction of the Ram temple plays a pivotal role in their political strategy.

Gujarat BJP chief CR Patil emphasised Modi's commitment to social harmony, suggesting that the peaceful construction of the Ram temple exemplifies national unity and cultural pride.

The BJP's ideology of ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam (the whole world is a family)’ welcomes members from various political backgrounds, indicating a broad-based approach to the party’s expansion and inclusivity.

This strategy appeals to a broader electorate, transcending traditional party lines.

In contrast, the Opposition's response to this narrative is not explicitly outlined in the State due to a lack of leadership, internal conflicts in the Congress party, and the resignation of party members.

The impact of the Ram temple and the associated cultural symbolism on the BJP's prospects in Gujarat and other states is likely to be significant.

The temple's construction has long been a cornerstone of the BJP's cultural and political agenda, resonating deeply with a large section of its support base.

In Gujarat, a state with a strong BJP presence, this could further bolster the party's chances in the forthcoming elections.

Overall, the BJP's strategy in Gujarat post-‘Prana Pratishtha’ appears to be a blend of highlighting developmental achievements, cultural pride, and a broad-based political approach.

This strategy, coupled with the emotive appeal of the Ram temple, could strengthen the BJP's position in the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections.

Source: IANS

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Bengaluru, Jan 27 (SocialNews.XYZ) The Karnataka BJP, once humiliated for being in disarray, has managed to bounce back in the state amidst the euphoria created by the inauguration of the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya.

Post the Ayodhya event, shedding its defensive approach, the state BJP unit delivered a formidable blow to the Congress by successfully pulling former CM Jagadish Shettar back into its fold ahead of the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.

Every town, village, and city, including the IT capital Bengaluru, was inundated with saffron flags, posters, buntings, and cutouts of Lord Ram before and after January 22.

The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) reached out to every doorstep with 'Mantrakshate' (sacred grains of rice from Ayodhya) and posters of Lord Ram. Karnataka, known as the birthplace of Lord Hanuman, the greatest devotee of Lord Ram, saw every village organizing special worship in every temple.

Even Congress leaders concede that the euphoria swept everyone's hearts, challenging the image that the Congress government managed to build through the implementation of guarantee schemes.

After the arrival of Jagadish Shettar, former Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai claimed that many leaders from the Congress would join the BJP soon. He said that it was only the beginning, as there would be a 'Ghar Vapsi' of not only BJP leaders but also important Congress leaders. "The Congress would likely divide into factions."

Sources in the BJP explained that the party's state President B.Y. Vijayendra and Parliamentary Board Member B.S. Yediyurappa have been given a free hand to strengthen the party.

According to Yediyurappa, the BJP is working towards winning more than 25 out of the total 28 seats in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.

Leader of Opposition, R. Ashoka says that there would be a 'Congress choro' trend in Karnataka in the coming days. "The Congress leaders used to claim that BJP leaders joined them. Now, they will be gagged. They do not have leadership, and that is why the Congress is trying to pull our leaders," he adds.

The ruling Congress party seems to be losing momentum. Events such as the "naked parade" of a Dalit woman in Belagavi district, the gangrape of a Muslim woman by moral policing vigilantes in Haveri district, and communal clashes in Shivamogga and other places have raised serious questions on the ruling party.

Infighting in the Congress is also escalating, with Minister of Cooperation K.N. Rajanna and Minister for Home G. Parameshwara raising a banner of revolt against the party high command over appointments to boards and corporations. Minister Rajanna has even that he is "not a slave".

Unable to take action as both identify with Chief Minister Siddaramaiah's camp and hail from oppressed classes, Deputy Chief Minister and party's state President Shivakumar has pointed fingers at the high command.

Fearing backlash, Siddaramaiah chanted the 'Jai Shri Ram' slogan during a programme on January 22 and claimed that the slogan did not belong to any particular party or person. The Chief Minister allowed tilak to be applied to his forehead and flaunted it throughout the programme.

The move surprised many as Siddaramaiah had been criticized for not showing reverence to Hindu rituals at temples. "The slogan 'Jai Shri Ram' is the slogan of the whole society. Some think the slogan is their property. The slogan is about showing reverence to Shri Ram, which is to be echoed by everyone," Siddaramaiah said, asking the crowd to chant the 'Jai Shri Ram' slogan.

Political analyst Basavaraj Soolibhavi tells IANS that it’s not only through the Ram Mandir that the BJP is trying to create its wave. "The BJP has been pursuing politics of religion and using the religious feelings for its gain continuously. Ram Mandir is one of the party’s agendas."

"It won’t stop here. The inauguration of Ram Mandir has created a frenzied mood among devotees and followers. It might lead to incidents of attacking symbols of other religions. The attack on Dharwad’s Idgah Maidan tower is one such incident. The BJP has systematically reached out to the bottom of the society through the Ram Mandir inauguration in Ayodhya,” he adds.

Soolibhavi says the Congress party has never tried to shed its image and pursue active politics. Most of the time, it came to power due to the anti-incumbency factor and negativity surrounding other parties. "It is not able to come to power by winning over people with its principles, agendas, and ideologies."

"Though guarantee schemes are implemented by the Karnataka Congress, 'Modi's guarantee' by the Prime Minister is popularized more among people. Every department of the Central government is involved in systematically disseminating the welfare programmes. The chances of winning 15 to 20 seats in Lok Sabha elections out of 28 seats are looking bleak for Congress. There is an equal fight now in the state," he concludes.

Source: IANS

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Chennai, Jan 27 (SocialNews.XYZ) The Tamil Nadu unit of the BJP was banking on the Ram temple ‘Prana Pratishtha’ at Ayodhya to get it the much-needed breakthrough in Tamil politics.

With the BJP’s national leadership clamouring for 400 plus seats and a 50 per cent vote share, the Tamil Nadu unit of the party wants to chip in as well with a few seats.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during his 11-day fasting period before the consecration function was in Tamil Nadu for three days prior to his departure to Ayodhya.

Modi made public visits to prominent temples in Tamil Nadu including the Ranganathananda temple at Trichy, the Rameswaram temple and the Arulmigu Ramaswamy temple at Dhanushkodi.

Modi bathed in all the 22 wells in Ramanathaswamy temple, Rameswaram and also took a dip in the sea while chanting mantras.

These public displays will indeed have an impact in Tamil Nadu and the BJP is expecting to gain tremendously in the state, riding piggyback on the Ram temple wave generated across India.

The party is expecting five seats from the state, which includes Kanniyakumari and Coimbatore where the BJP had won earlier.

However, the ground situation for the 2024 general elections is not good for the BJP in Tamil Nadu if it has no alliance with the AIADMK.

Being the principal Opposition party, the AIADMK is a powerful force in Tamil Nadu politics even now.

It lost the 2021 Assembly elections to the DMK by a small margin even after being in power for ten years continuously.

The arrogance of the Tamil Nadu BJP state President, K Annamalai, an IPS officer-turned-politician was the root cause of the breaking of the AIADMK-BJP alliance.

Annamalai had criticised the doyen of all the Dravidian movements of Tamil Nadu, C. Annadurai, aka Anna, the first Chief Minister of the state from a Dravidian party.

Annadurai is highly respected in the state and many social welfare schemes that have put Tamil Nadu in the top league in the social index were charted out by him.

KR Mukundan, Director, Institute of Policy and Social Studies, a think tank based out of Kanniyakumari told IANS, “The public visits of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to prominent temples in the state, have given a big boost to the fortunes of the BJP in Tamil Nadu. However the party leadership should understand that they should not hurt Dravidian pride. Annamalai did that and his immature actions led to the AIADMK leaving the NDA alliance. This orphaned the BJP because without a Dravidian major it is very difficult for the BJP to make a mark in the elections here.”

Mukundan added that he would not be surprised if the BJP drew a blank in the 2024 general elections in the state after the high-pitch political drama carried out by Annamalai recently.

Sources in the AIADMK and BJP told IANS that some channels were working towards a patch up between the two parties but the arrogance and one-upmanship of Annamalai was working as a roadblock.

However, sources in the BJP central leadership told IANS that Union Home Minister Amit Shah would be directly communicating with Edappadi K. Palaniswami (EPS) to bring the prominent Dravidian party back into the NDA fold.

If the alliance with the AIADMK materialises, the BJP may be able to win a minimum of three seats, including in its strong turfs of Kanniyakumari and Coimbatore and one more seat in South Tamil Nadu. However, the party leadership and think tanks are focusing on winning a minimum of five seats if the alliance materialises.

It may be recalled that in the 2019 general elections, where the DMK alliance won 38 of the 39 seats in Tamil Nadu, the DMK front received a whopping 53.15 per cent of the vote share while the AIADMK-led NDA alliance garnered 30.57 per cent.

In the NDA alliance the AIADMK could secure 19.39 per cent of the votes while the BJP could fetch only 3.66 per cent votes. This shows how difficult it will be for the BJP to contest on its own in Tamil Nadu without support from either of the Dravidian parties.

It may be recalled that the BJP won four Assembly seats in the 2021 Assembly elections through a political alliance with the AIADMK. While the AIADMK garnered 33.29 per cent of the votes winning 66 Assembly seats, the BJP won four seats and got only 2.62 per cent vote share.

These figures clearly show how important the AIADMK is for the BJP in Tamil Nadu electoral politics.

While the BJP has been able to create an impressive show vis-à-vis the Ram temple, the ground realties will create major hurdles in the onward march of the saffron party in the state.

Even though Annamalai is considered a good leader, his arrogance with the alliance partners and even the media has not gone down well with the national leadership of the party. However the BJP central leadership is trying to take a median path and to capitalise on the Ram temple euphoria in the country.

Source: IANS

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Kolkata, Jan 27 (SocialNews.XYZ) The nationwide euphoria over the Ram Temple’s inauguration seems to have spurred the West Bengal BJP leadership to weave that ecstasy into its campaign for the forthcoming Lok Sabha polls this year.

While it is too early to predict how far this strategy will help the saffron camp achieve its target of winning 35 out of 42 seats in West Bengal in the general elections, as of now the state unit of the BJP has outlined a two-pronged strategy to successfully turn the fervour into votes.

The first part of the strategy is to spread the message that the inauguration of the Ram temple is evidence that Prime Minister Narendra Modi fulfills the promises that he makes to voters.

State BJP leaders have started claiming that just as the promise of the Ram temple has been fulfilled, the promise of freeing West Bengal from the “triple-cancer” of corruption, violence and underdevelopment will also be fulfilled in the near future if the people of the state vote overwhelmingly to ensure Modi’s third term as the Prime Minister of India.

The second part of the strategy is to highlight how the Opposition (read Trinamool Congress) through its attempt to create a counter-narrative has insulted the sentiments of millions of Indians, including those from West Bengal, associated with the Ram temple.

Apart from this, the state BJP is chalking out its constituency-wise blueprint by dividing the 42 Lok Sabha seats into three categories.

State BJP insiders said that the first category includes those Lok Sabha constituencies where the victories are more or less guaranteed, going by the trend of the 2019 Lok Sabha polls and the 2021 Assembly polls.

The second category includes those Lok Sabha constituencies where the probability is 50:50 or even 60:40 with the swing marginally tilting towards the Opposition in case of the latter.

According to the state leadership of the BJP, an organised campaign programme and the choice of the right candidates can swing the votes into the saffron camp.

That is exactly why, said a state committee member of the BJP, the party leadership is in favour of announcing its candidate list after the Trinamool Congress.

“This will help us field the right candidates for this second category of constituencies after doing the SWOT analysis of the Trinamool Congress candidates there,” the state committee member said.

The final and third category includes those constituencies, where the BJP is way behind the Trinamool Congress, both in terms of organisational strengths and in terms of vote shares in 2019 and 2021.

However, in a couple of seats in this category as well, like the Diamond Harbour constituency in South 24 Parganas District, the BJP is expecting a miracle propelled by the twin factors of the consolidation of majority votes and a sharp division in the minority votes because of the emergence of the All India Secular Front (AISF) factor.

The Trinamool Congress, on its part, seems to be treading cautiously, in combating these strategies of the saffron camp.

The line that the Trinamool Congress is taking is that the BJP has deliberately over-hyped and over-publicised the Ram Mandir inauguration issue to divert attention from other burning issues like inflation, rising unemployment and more importantly non-payment of central dues to the state government.

As pointed out by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee at the end of the party’s Harmony Rally in Kolkata on January 22, this euphoria over the Ayodhya consecration event is a bid to divert attention from the plight of the poor in the country.

“What has been happening since morning, it seems like publicity for yet another freedom movement has started. But what will happen tomorrow? My only plea is that religion should not be observed on the sacrifice of poor people,” Mamata Banerjee said at the rally.

On somewhat similar lines the Trinamool Congress’ General Secretary and Lok Sabha member Abhishek Banerjee issued an appeal to the people to keep religion aside while going to the polling booths.

“You can vote for the Trinamool Congress or CPI-M, or for the Congress or the BJP. But do not vote in the name of religion. Rather vote in the name of the services provided to you. Neither the Prime Minister nor the President, neither the Chief Minister nor the Governor is ultimate in democracy. Only people have the final word in democracy,” he said.

In West Bengal the Congress and the CPI-M-led Left Front have restricted their respective attacks so far to describing the BJP and Trinamool Congress as clandestine beneficiaries of each other on this issue of “exploitation of religion for politics.”

The state leaderships of the Congress as well as the Leftist camp have accused both the BJP and the Trinamool Congress of peddling “competitive communalism” for political benefits.

Source: IANS

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Agartala, Jan 27 (SocialNews.XYZ) Though the January 22 'Pran Pratishtha' ceremony of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya is likely to help the BJP attain electoral gains in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls in a few northeastern states, particularly in Assam and Tripura, the saffron party is still much ahead of the Congress-led opposition INDIA bloc.

The organisational base of the Congress, which governed several northeastern states for many decades, started declining in the region after 2018 as the saffron party gradually took over the lost base of the grand old party. The BJP also strengthened its hold in the region ever since the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led NDA government came to power at the Centre in 2014.

After the Assembly elections in the five northeastern states in 2022 and 2023 – Manipur, Tripura, Meghalaya, Nagaland and Mizoram – the Congress’ position has further weakened in the region, while the BJP has only bolstered.

Political pundits said that though the BJP is in an advantageous position in the electoral battle ahead of the ensuing Lok Sabha elections, the Ram Mandir issue would definitely help the party in a few northeastern states, including Assam and Tripura, to consolidate its electoral strength.

“After the Pran Pratishtha ceremony in Ayodhya, the BJP would get electoral benefits in the upcoming general elections in Assam and Tripura and also in the Christian-dominated states to deal with their anti-incumbency factors,” political commentator Sekhar Datta told IANS.

He said the BJP would also try to gain electoral mileage by capitalising the NDA government’s developmental schemes implemented in the northeastern states since the Modi government came to power 10 years ago.

Datta said: “During the past 10 years, not only infrastructure development, the northeastern region also witnessed all-round development in all sectors besides taming of the decades long insurgency problems in most of the northeastern states. The BJP certainly focuses on these matters in a big way.”

Of the 25 Lok Sabha seats in the eight northeastern states, currently 14 (56 per cent) are with the BJP while the Congress has 4 (16 per cent).

The other Lok Sabha seats are held by the local and regional parties.

Out of the 498 MLAs in the eight northeastern states, including Sikkim, the BJP has 184 legislators (36.94 per cent) in seven states -- Assam (63), Arunachal Pradesh (41), Manipur (32), Tripura (32), Nagaland (12), Meghalaya (2), Mizoram (2).

On the other hand, of the 498 MLAs in these eight states, the Congress has only 44 legislators (8.83 per cent) in six states -- Assam (26), Manipur (5), Meghalaya (5), Mizoram (1), Arunachal Pradesh (4) and Tripura (3).

The BJP has no representation in the Sikkim Assembly while the Congress has no legislators in Nagaland and Sikkim Assemblies.

The Congress had drawn a blank in the 2018 Assembly polls in Tripura and in Nagaland (both in 2018 and 2023). However, the party secured three seats in the Assembly polls held in Tripura last year in a seat adjustment deal with the CPI-M-led Left parties.

Though the BJP periodically achieved electoral success in a few northeastern states, the saffron party's first state victory in the region was in Assam in 2016, two years after the Modi government came to power at the Centre in 2014.

In the 2019 parliamentary polls, the BJP in Assam increased its tally from 7 in 2014 to 9. Across northeast India, the BJP, which won eight seats in 2014, increased the seat tally to 14 in 2019.

Together with its allies, the BJP won 18 out of the 25 seats in the eight northeastern states, the best ever performance by the saffron party in the region.

Withdrawal of the Armed Forces (Special Power) Act, 1958 from most parts of the region, promulgation of the Inner Line Permit and signing of accords with several militant outfits in the region are also likely to help the BJP garner electoral support.

While the agitations against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) put the BJP in a slightly awkward position, the Central government is tactfully going ahead with the sensitive issue.

The BJP is also likely to get electoral benefit in the Lok Sabha polls as the party is running governments in four of the eight northeastern states – Assam, Tripura, Manipur and Arunachal – while it is part of the governments in Meghalaya and Nagaland and its ally is running government in Sikkim.

In the November 7 (2023) Assembly elections in Mizoram, the new party Zoram People’s Movement (ZPM) headed by former Congress leader and IPS officer-turned-politician Lalduhoma wrested power in the Christian-dominated state, handing a humiliating defeat to BJP’s ally Mizo National Front (MNF).

ZPM supremo Lalduhoma has announced that his party will not join any national-level alliance with the BJP-led NDA or the Congress-led INDIA bloc.

Since 2014, the Congress suffered majors setback as prominent party leaders in the northeastern region left the grand old party.

They include Himanta Biswa Sarma, Sushmita Dev and Ripun Bora (Assam), Manik Saha and Ratan Lal Nath (Tripura), N. Biren Singh (Manipur), Pema Khandu (Arunachal Pradesh), Neiphiu Rio (Nagaland), and Mukul Sangma and Ampareen Lyngdoh (Meghalaya).

Political analyst Satyabrata Chakraborti said that the regional parties had emerged in the region highlighting the local and regional issues.

“Due to a lack of proactive leaders and central leaders' inactivity, the Congress gradually lost ground to the BJP and the regional parties,” he told IANS.

Chakraborti, also a prominent writer, said that the Congress could not succeed in effectively dealing with insurgency, unemployment, connectivity, infrastructure development and solution to the diverse ethnic issues.

"The Congress also failed to exploit even whatever good steps were taken by the Congress governments at the Centre, including setting up of tribal autonomous councils in several northeastern states and making special safeguarding positions in the Constitutions,” he said.

The political expert said that there is no big sign that the Congress would revive its position in the region with a multiplicity of around 400 tribes and diverse religions.

(Sujit Chakraborty can be contacted at sujit.c@ians.in)

Source: IANS

The post BJP expects Ram Mandir to buoy its vote share across NE states appeared first on Social News XYZ.

Chandigarh, Jan 27 (SocialNews.XYZ) Firmly believing that the Ram Temple Pran Pratishtha ceremony in Ayodhya is a strategic political move, the BJP leadership in Haryana led by Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar is eyeing a substantial vote bank uptick from religious fervour by ensuring a second successive win not only in the state’s 10 Lok Sabha seats but also a record third successive term months later in the assembly elections.

However, the main Opposition Congress seems to lack a clear strategy.

“The entire country and crores of people from across the world have participated in today’s happiness. Today has marked the beginning of a new era,” was the first reaction of Khattar, an RSS man, soon after the Pran Pratishtha ceremony in Ayodhya on January 22.

Missing no opportunity to take a potshot at the political rivals in the Hindi belt, Khattar added, “He (Rahul Gandhi) should have come to Ayodhya like others, but he rejected the invitation. He always looks for a political angle in everything; this is not politics, it’s a matter of people's faith.”

In a first in the state's electoral history, the ruling BJP made a clean sweep by winning all 10 Lok Sabha seats in the state in May 2019, while the Congress and Om Prakash Chautala’s Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) had faced humiliating defeats.

Months later, Khattar was sworn in as the Chief Minister when the BJP formed the government, the state’s first non-Congress government at the helm for the second consecutive term.

This year both the parliamentary and assembly elections are likely to be slated in May and October.

Political observers believe both the parliamentary and assembly polls will be a straight fight between Khattar’s principles of ‘Ram Rajya’ to run state affairs and his arch rival and senior Congress leader Bhupinder Hooda, who is working hard to return to power amid the party’s internal ‘war of supremacy’.

Responding to the Ram Temple Pran Pratishtha ceremony, Leader of Opposition Hooda told the media that Lord Ram is the symbol of everyone’s faith and former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi was the first to open the doors of the Ram Temple.

“Rajiv Gandhi, in coordination with Bir Bahadur Singh, got the locks of the temple opened after which the foundation stone was laid in Ayodhya on November 9, 1989. Lord Ram should not be associated with any party, he is worshipped and revered by everyone,” he said in an address to advocates in Rohtak.

In his war of words with the BJP-JJP government, he said that the alliance has completely failed to deliver on public expectations and implement even their election manifestos.

Contrary to the confusion within the Congress over the boycott of the Ram temple event and the lack of a clear strategy, the entire saffron brigade is flaunting religious symbolism by building the Hindutva narrative and highlighting Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s role in this historic moment.

“Ram Rajya,” will be the slogan for the forthcoming polls, a senior BJP leader told IANS.

“In the last 10 years, good governance has been practiced, and the concept of Ram Rajya is now prevalent not only in the whole country but also in the states,” Chief Minister Khattar was quoted as saying a day ahead of the Pran Pratishtha ceremony.

He said those who obstruct the construction of the Ram Temple and disrespect him will face consequences.

After the temple inauguration, the Chief Minister expressed his emotional response by saying the Pran Pratishtha program moved him deeply.

At a program in Karnal, Khattar, a grounded organisational man known for his simple lifestyle, said, “We used to affirm our commitment to Lord Ram, vowing to build the temple there. As descendants of Lord Ram, we have fulfilled that promise, and today, on January 22, 2024, a new dawn has emerged.”

Describing the day as one of joy and happiness, he began the program by singing the lines of a Ram bhajan. Amid chants of Jai Shri Ram, the Chief Minister danced with a child to celebrate the moment.

Joining in, Karnal Member of Parliament Sanjay Bhatia, said, “With 500 years of struggle and sacrifices made by our elders, the dream they envisioned has finally been realized with the construction of the grand Ram Lala temple at the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi.”

Education Minister Kanwar Pal became emotional while watching the live broadcast of the Pran Pratishtha ceremony.

“The 21st century will be India’s best era, as envisioned by our elders. After the Pran Pratishtha ceremony of Lord Ram, a new era has begun,” he said.

However, no senior Congress leader from the state has visited the Ram temple since its consecration.

Ahead of the consecration, state Congress leader and MP Deepender Hooda visited the Hanuman Garhi Temple in Ayodhya along with the Uttar Pradesh party leadership.

“This is not my first visit to Ayodhya and the Ram Temple. I visited the temple one year ago too on the occasion of Makar Sankranti to seek blessings of Lord Ram,” he said, adding “Lord Ram belongs to everyone. The BJP should not politicise the Ram Temple consecration ceremony.”

In October 2019, the saffron party, which won 40 seats and was six short of a majority in the 90-member Assembly, formed the government in alliance with the then newly formed Jannayak Janta Party (JJP) led by Dushyant Chautala, who is Khattar’s deputy in the government.

(Vishal Gulati can be contacted at gulatiians@gmail.com)

Source: IANS

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