OBC forum urges Rahul Gandhi to support caste census report
Mysuru: The Karnataka State Backward Classes Awareness Forum on Tuesday initiated a postal campaign requesting Rahul Gandhi, Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, to address concerns regarding certain Congress MLAs who opposed the socio-educational report, commonly known as the caste census. The forum members sent letters to Rahul requesting his intervention in implementing the report. “For the first time in Karnataka, a comprehensive social, economic, educational, and political survey of all communities was conducted through the Karnataka State Commission for Backward Classes when Siddaramaiah was the CM for the first time in 2013. The primary objective of this survey was to understand the socio-economic and educational conditions of all communities, including the oppressed, with statistical data and to ensure social justice for these sections. This survey was conducted scientifically with a cost of approximately Rs180 crore. But now a few Congress MLAs are opposing it without any valid reasons,” they alleged. “The report has now been presented and discussed in the cabinet meeting. However, it is deeply saddening that senior Congress MLAs such as Shamanur Shivashankarappa and a few others are opposing this report. Moreover, these MLAs and some leaders have made extremely derogatory statements about the report and the AHINDA communities (minorities, backward classes, and Dalits). They are demanding that the report be discarded entirely, which has caused great distress among all AHINDA sections,” said forum president KS Shivaram. “The report consolidates statistical data not only on population but also on social, economic, and educational status of AHINDA communities. It has recommended reservation categorisation and an increase in reservation for various sections. Based on the statistics in this report, the govt will be able to provide political, social, and educational representation to AHINDA communities. However, it is truly unfortunate that some Congress MLAs themselves are opposing this,” he said. The forum requests Rahul’s immediate intervention to instruct Congress MLAs to avoid creating unnecessary confusion regarding the report. Raveenandan, president, District Madivala Association, S Yogeesh Uppar, president, District Uppar Association, and others were present. Courtesy : TOI Note: This news is originally published on https://timesofindia.com and is for use by the non-military/non-commercial community, especially those in the human rights sector.
From monuments to settlements: Mayawati seeks a way back to Dalit politics in UP
From Congress to BJP, all parties are competing to woo Dalits, but will SP-BSP be able to restore their ground hold and trust or will Hindutva get an open field? What is happening in Uttar Pradesh, is it what the Dalits of Uttar Pradesh want or are political parties expecting Dalits to transform their political aspirations into power? This question is related to the recent political events in Uttar Pradesh. The first incident is of February 20, when Rahul Gandhi was on his tour of his parliamentary constituency Rae Bareilly. Where Rahul Gandhi, while addressing the gathering, put the question before the Dalits that why does Mayawati (Behenji) not participate in the elections in her old style? She should be a part of the Indian National Development Inclusive Alliance (INDIA). Congress is organizing many programs across the state to unite the Dalit community before the assembly elections to be held in 2027. The second incident is of a seminar organised by BJP in Gomtinagar, Lucknow in February itself. BJP has organised a seminar named “Samajik Nyay” on a mission to connect with Dalit youth and intellectuals against PDA (Backward, Dalit and Tribal) by Samajwadi Party, to shape the thinking of the community and change voting behaviour. This event has been organised under the patronage of BJP state secretary Dharampal Singh. Dalit students, teachers, professors were invited to this seminar. Through this, BJP wants to draw the educated Dalit community to its side. To counter the campaign of rival parties to make inroads among Dalits, Mayawati warned her supporters that the conduct, character and face of BJP, SP and Congress have always been staunchly opposed to Dr. Ambedkar. BSP’s UP unit president Vishwanath Pal said, “Cadre camps” are being organised in assembly constituencies to tell party supporters about the tactics of BJP, SP and Congress as well as the ideals of BSP. Senior party leaders and youth have been directed to participate in the camps to make them aware of the struggle of party founder Kanshi Ram and the party chief. Mayawati’s challenges Now the question is whether this strategy of BSP will be able to bring to the ground the political memory of Dalits which started from BS-4 and came to the fore in 2007 in the form of BSP government. An old BSP worker believes that BSP does not need to change the strategy to decorate the political game but there is a need to re-look and understand the old strategy. Because even today the influence of Mayawati’s political power can change the political meaning of Uttar Pradesh. Mayawati’s work still has a deep impact on Uttar Pradesh. For example, the grand memorial in Lucknow, party office, Ambedkar memorial, parks, gardens, roads and bridges etc. Obviously, this The works are still alive in the political memory of Dalits. But how to convert this memory into political practicality? This will be a tough challenge for Mayawati. According to the Lokniti-CSDS (Centre for the Study of Developing Societies) post-poll survey (Provide the Link), the party retained only 44 percent of its traditional Jatav vote, down from 68 percent in 2014, besides retaining only 15 percent of the non-Jatav Dalit vote, compared to 30 percent a decade ago. To change this political equation once again, it is necessary that Mayawati herself addresses political meetings and strengthens her reach among the youth. An ideological change has also been seen in the BSP after Kanshi Ram. The party which has come up with ‘Tilak Tarazu Aur Talwar Inko Maaro Joote Chaar’ and ‘Haathi Nahin Ganesh Hai Brahma Vishnu Mahesh Hai’ will have to visit those localities once again to gain political trust among Dalits and backward castes which used to be inhabited during the BSP government. In their survey titled ‘Political Participation of Dalits’, Dalit women believe that one day Behenji will definitely come among us and she will rule Uttar Pradesh. Despite all this, the regional parties of Uttar Pradesh do not have any political language that can agitate the common people there. For example, during the tenure of Mulayam Singh Yadav, Mayawati and Akhilesh as Chief Ministers in Uttar Pradesh, it was almost assumed that the credit for becoming the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh will go to the backward castes or Dalits. The political mood of the public was also based on these wishes. After the arrival of BJP, this story started turning upside down. A Dalit worker of BSP believes that the BJP government sees Dalits and backward castes only as votes. Political paradox in UP There are two reasons for this political paradox in Uttar Pradesh. First, there has been a change in the top leadership of regional parties, be it Samajwadi Party or Bahujan Samaj Party. Now the matter has gone beyond the image of ‘neta ji’ and ‘chacha ji’ of Mulayam Singh Yadav. Now the command has come in the hands of Akhilesh ji or Bhaiya. Who, instead of speaking the political language of the rural environment, started talking about political strategy based on the wisdom of foreign education. One result of this was that Shivpal had to form a separate party. On the other hand, SP considered its caste mobilization as its vote base. Samajwadi Party does not seem to have any strategy yet to regain its lost vote base among non-Yadavs. But the SP-Congress alliance had made a significant dent in the Dalit vote bank, which takes the party beyond the old Muslim-Yadav equation. According to the post-election survey of Lokniti-CSDS, India Block has secured 56 percent of non-Jatav Dalit votes and 25 percent of Jatav votes. The SP, traditionally seen as a party of Muslims and Yadavs, actually managed to win seven out of the 17 constituencies reserved for Scheduled Castes. Whereas in the last Lok Sabha elections, it did not get any seat. But if the political assessment of SP is done independently, then due to the lack of any political base, its position does not look better in the 2027 assembly
Akhilesh has anti-Dalit mindset, pushed to margins by UP voters: Asim Arun
Lucknow: Social welfare minister Asim Arun on Tuesday attacked Samajwadi Party Chief Akhilesh Yadav for an anti-Dalit mindset, describing him as a “symbol of divisive politics”. The former IPS officer claimed that when SP was in power in UP, officers from SC/ST communities were routinely sidelined for postings. “During the SP regime, officers from Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes were denied postings at police stations and tehsils in violation of rules. Under the Yogi Adityanath govt, postings are now made on merit. Those who are incompetent face action, while hardworking officers receive training and resources,” he said. Arun went on to allege that during Yadav’s tenure as CM, the latter went to great lengths to humiliate Dalits, and it was this very mindset that led to his political downfall. Referring to recent statements of Yadav as part of a calculated political strategy, the minister said that most SP leaders were instructed to create social divide. However, people of UP are now alert against such politics and have pushed Yadav and his party to the margins, he said. Quoting CM Yogi, he added: “Batoge to katoge, ek rahoge, to safe rahoge.” He accused SP of showing sudden concern for Dalits only after it lost power in the state, recalling how Yadav renamed districts and institutions named after Dalit icons like Bhim Nagar, Mahamaya Nagar, Jyotiba Phule, Sant Ravidas, and Mahamaya Nagar were changed under his regime. “Is this respect? No, this is an insult to social consciousness,” he said. Highlighting the achievements of the current dispensation with regard to the welfare of SCs and STs, Arun said there was record progress in scholarship distribution. Scholarships worth over Rs 4,000 crore were distributed this year, benefiting 56 lakh students. In contrast, the SP govt covered only 34 lakh students, and even then, scholarship scams were rampant,” he said. Speaking at the inauguration of the Kanpur Metro project, Arun dismissed SP’s claims that it initiated the project. Courtesy : TOI Note: This news was originally published on https://timesofindia.com/bha and is used purely for non-profit/non-commercial purposes, especially human rights.
Hatred towards language is unfair, good governance is only that which is according to the constitution: Mayawati
Mayawati said that the government must pay attention to how the children studying in government schools, especially those from the exploited and neglected poor, Dalits, tribals and backward classes, can progress in IT and skilled fields without acquiring knowledge of English. Lucknow. Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) national president Mayawati has given her reaction on the language controversy going on these days. She said that hatred towards language is unfair. BSP chief Mayawati wrote on the social media platform ‘X’ on Saturday that in the meeting held in Delhi, a deep review was done on the preparation and strengthening of the formation of BSP organization in Maharashtra, Gujarat in the west and Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala in South India and increasing the mass base of the party, and a resolution was taken to further increase the work of the party as per the guidelines with full body, mind and money. She further wrote that due to census and re-allocation of Lok Sabha seats on its basis, new education policy and imposition of language etc., it is natural for the public and national interest to be affected by the dispute between these states and the center for political interests. Good governance is that which takes the whole country along according to the Constitution. Mayawati said that the government must take care of how the children studying in government schools, especially those of the exploited and neglected poor, Dalits, tribals and backward classes, can move forward in IT and skilled sectors without acquiring knowledge of English. Hatred towards language is unfair. Earlier, she wrote in her post that it is known that like other parties, the SP is also creating an atmosphere of tension and violence by putting forward especially Dalit people of the party, and the phase of highly controversial statements, allegations and counter-allegations and programs etc., which seem to be their politics of extremely narrow selfishness. She further wrote that SP can also go to any extent here for the sake of the selfishness of Dalit votes. Therefore, along with Dalits, other backward classes and Muslim community should also avoid falling prey to the political tactics of this party by not getting influenced by them. Instead of commenting on the history of others, it would be appropriate if the opportunistic Dalits associated with such parties tell them about the goodness and struggle of the saints, gurus and great men of their society, due to which these people have become worthy of something. Courtesy : Hindi News
BJP: Rahul remarks bid to divert focus from Herald case
NEW DELHI: BJP on Tuesday claimed that Rahul Gandhi’s remarks on Election Commission, democracy and conduct of elections are an attempt to divert attention from the National Herald case. “Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul has once again questioned the credibility of EC from a foreign land. It is very unfortunate that whenever Rahul is abroad, he does not miss sharing his hateful thoughts towards India and India’s democratic systems,” Union minister Dharmendra Pradhan said in a post on social media. “…I request Rahul Gandhi ji not to hurt India’s democratic dignity on the basis of electoral victory or defeat,” he said. Courtesy : TOI Note: This news was originally published on https://timesofindia.com/bha and is used purely for non-profit/non-commercial purposes, especially human rights.
‘Nitish changes parties just for kursi’: Kharge targets BJP and JD(U) alliance
NEW DELHI: Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Sunday launched a sharp attack on Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar and the BJP during a rally in Buxar, calling their alliance “opportunistic” and accusing Kumar of frequently switching sides solely to hold onto power. “Nitish Kumar changes parties just for ‘kursi’. He has once again joined hands with the same ideology that was responsible for Mahatma Gandhi’s death,” Kharge said. The Congress chief accused the BJP-JD(U) government of failing Bihar’s people and claimed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had failed to deliver on his 2015 promise of a Rs 1.25 lakh crore special package for the state. “People of Bihar must ask, where is that money? Modi ji is running a factory of lies,” Kharge said. He also alleged that the BJP and RSS were against the poor, women, and marginalised communities, claiming that their policies are designed to divide society along caste and religious lines. — INCIndia (@INCIndia) Referring to the recent Waqf (Amendment) Bill, Kharge claimed it was another example of BJP-RSS conspiracies to polarise communities. “It is a deliberate attempt to create a wedge between groups,” he said, while urging people to see through what he described as misleading narratives. Kharge also invoked Bihar’s rich legacy, saying it was the land of enlightenment and struggle — from Buddha’s penance to Mahatma Gandhi’s Satyagraha in Champaran. “Many great leaders, reformers, and freedom fighters came from this soil. Now, we are here with the ‘Jai Bapu, Jai Bhim, Jai Samvidhan’ rally, saluting the spirit of Bihar,” he said. His visit comes just months ahead of the assembly elections, where the Congress, in alliance with the RJD and Left parties under the ‘Mahagathbandhan’, is set to challenge the BJP-led NDA. Kharge’s rally followed Rahul Gandhi’s visit to Begusarai earlier this month, where he also criticised the Centre during a ‘Samvidhan Suraksha Sammelan’ and marched under the banner of ‘Palayan Roko, Naukri Do’. Courtesy : TOI Note: This news is originally published on https://timesofindia.com/bha and is used purely for non-profit/non-commercial purposes, especially human rights.
‘Election Commission is compromised’: Rahul Gandhi rakes up voter fraud claims during US visit
NEW DELHI: Leader of opposition in Lok Sabha and Congress MP Rahul Gandhi on Sunday, while addressing members of the Indian diaspora in Boston, alleged that Election Commission is “compromised” and claimed there is “something very wrong with the system.” Citing the example of the Maharashtra assembly elections, former Congress president said, “More people voted in Maharashtra than the total number of people in Maharashtra, and this is a fact… the Election Commission gave us a figure in the evening around 5:30pm, and in two hours around 7:30pm, 65 lakh voters had voted, which is physically impossible.” “It’s very clear to us that the Election Commission is compromised, there is something very wrong with the system.” he added. This is not the first time Gandhi threw allegation on EC. Gandhi, along with many other opposition leaders had questioned the credibility of poll body repeatedly. Earlier, the sources in the Election Commission had told ANI news agency that the allegations of manipulated electoral rolls were unfounded. They mentioned that during the recent Special Summary Revision (SSR) published in January 2025, there were very few appeals or corrections sought under Sections 22 to 24 of the Representation of People Act. The SSR is a routine process to update electoral rolls, ensuring the inclusion of new voters and removal of duplicates or deceased individuals. According to officials, only 89 appeals were filed in Maharashtra, despite the presence of over 13.8 million Booth Level Agents (BLAs) across the country. With such low contestation, sources said the final electoral rolls must be considered undisputed. During his speech, Rahul Gandhi also spoke about India-US relations, expressing optimism about continued cooperation between the two nations. “We have a partnership with the US, and hopefully we will continue to work together,” he said. He also thanked members of the diaspora for supporting the Congress party abroad. “You believe, you listen to other people, and you respect them. This is what runs in the Congress party and in our family…. Thank you for carrying the flag here, it’s a very powerful thing to do…” he said. LoP Gandhi is scheduled to deliver an address at Brown University on Monday as part of his US visit. Courtesy : TOI Note: This news is originally published on https://timesofindia.com/bha and is used purely for non-profit/non-commercial purposes, especially human rights.