Rahul to visit Chaibasa on March 31 to address Congress dist presidents of 2 states
Ranchi: Congress MP and leader of opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, will make a day-long visit on March 31 to address newly appointed district party presidents of Jharkhand and Odisha, the state Congress unit announced here on Saturday. State Congress president Keshav Mahto Kamlesh said the party has decided to organise 10-day training camp from March 22 to 31 for the newly inducted district presidents in Chaibasa (West Singhbhum). “Rahul Gandhi will attend the programme to interact and guide all of us on the concluding day,” he said. Kamlesh said the Congress, which is part of the ruling alliance in Jharkhand, is conducting the programme as part of its ‘Sangathan Srijan Abhiyan’ (organisational rebuilding and strengthening) which was initiated about a year ago in the state. Kamlesh added that during the training, district presidents will be acquainted with the party’s rich history in various fields, will be trained to strengthen the party at the grassroots, establish better communication and coordination with workers, leadership capacity, among others. “This training camp will be significant for further strengthening the party in Jharkhand. During this period, district presidents will go on field visits for two days and establish communication with the people,” he said, adding that 35 district presidents from Odisha and 25 from Jharkhand will take part in the programme. On the party expelling former minister Yogendra Saw for three years for speaking against chief minister Hemant Soren and the alliance govt after the Hazaribag administration demolished his house two days ago to pave the way for NTPC’s coal mine project’s expansion, Kamlesh said, “No one is above the party and its set principles.” 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
Sharp inflation in offing after assembly polls, alleges Rahul
NEW DELHI: Warning of sharp inflation in the coming weeks, Congress’ Rahul Gandhi on Saturday said the Modi govt will hike the prices of petrol, diesel and LPG after the coming assembly elections, as he accused BJP of lacking strategy and direction to manage the country’s economy. Congress also accused the Modi govt of “moral cowardice” and “betrayal of civilisational values” for its “failure to condemn” the US-Israel attack on Iran. In a post on X, Rahul said the weakening of the rupee, which is “heading towards 100” against the dollar, and a sharp rise in industrial fuel prices are signs of looming inflation. “Govt may call it ‘normal’, but the reality is: Production and transport will become more expensive, MSMEs will be hit the hardest, prices of everyday items will go up, and FII money will flow out even faster, putting more pressure on the stock market. In other words, it’s certain to have a direct and deep impact on every family’s pocket,” he said. Meanwhile, with the war in West Asia completing 21 days, Congress spokesperson Jairam Ramesh said, “PM Modi has not been able to use his much-vaunted friendship with US President Trump and Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu to bring about a ceasefire.” He said, “Has the Modi govt condemned or criticised or deplored the brutal efforts of the US and Israel to force a regime change and state collapse that could lead to civil war in Iran? The answer is no.” 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
Reinventing Kanshi Ram
How the Dalit icon’s radical politics is being softened ON MARCH 15, India’s political class performed a familiar ritual of remembrance, except that this time it carried an unmistakable edge of competition. Across party lines, leaders queued up, on social media and at memorials, to pay tribute to Kanshi Ram, the founder of the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and one of the most consequential mobilisers of Dalit political consciousness in post-Independence India. Describing him as a symbol of “empowerment and hope”, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi urged the government to confer the Bharat Ratna on him. Two days earlier at a public meeting in Lucknow, Gandhi also said that had Jawaharlal Nehru been alive, Kanshi Ram would have become a Congress chief minister. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, in a message on X, described the BSP founder as a “pioneer of social justice” who “dedicated his entire life to the upliftment of the Dalits, the exploited, and the deprived”, offering his “humble tributes” to the Dalit icon. Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav called Kanshi Ram a “hero of social change” and highlighted how he “secured a dignified place for the Bahujans within Indian society”, while also reiterating the need to carry forward the struggle for social justice envisioned by him and BR Ambedkar. BSP chief Mayawati paid homage to her mentor but also used the occasion to attack other parties for what she described as selective remembrance. She said that tributes to Kanshi Ram had become an “opportunistic fashion”, accusing parties like SP and Congress of invoking his legacy only for electoral gain. “It is due to Congress’ anti-Dalit mindset and mentality that BSP had to be created in the fit place,” she said. With crucial state elections on the horizon, not least in Uttar Pradesh, invoking Kanshi Ram has become as much a gesture of reverence as a signal of intent. His project of consolidating Dalit assertion, once seen as disruptive to established political hierarchies, is now claimed by parties that once stood in opposition to it. As a result, in this choreography of commemoration, the line between homage and appropriation keeps on blurring. The scramble carries an added urgency as every major party begins recalibrating its Dalit outreach. As the Dalit vote remained decisive in a fragmented electoral landscape, Kanshi Ram offered a potent symbol. For decades, he represented a distinct strand of political thought: organisational pragmatism, sharp anti-upper-caste rhetoric, and the creation of BSP, designed to convert the numerical strength of the “Bahujan” into power. Unlike Ambedkar, whose legacy now carries near-universal reverence, Kanshi Ram was once a more polarising and openly confrontational political figure. The “Ambedkarisation” allows parties across the spectrum to appropriate the BSP founder without inheriting the radicalism of his original project. What this produces is a subtle but consequential reframing—Kanshi Ram is no longer invoked primarily as a disruptor of caste hierarchies, but as a precursor to a more consensual, development-inflected politics of inclusion. His sharper edges, like his critique of entrenched social power, his insistence on independent Dalit political assertion, and his scepticism of upper-caste-led parties, are softened or omitted altogether. In their place emerges a curated Kanshi Ram: a social reformer rather than a political insurgent, a figure who can be seamlessly inserted into broader narratives of welfare, governance, and national progress. It is a process not unlike the earlier ‘sanitisation’ of Ambedkar, whose radicalism was gradually subsumed within a consensual national canon. This transformation also reflects the changing incentives of electoral competition. As Dalit voters become more mobile and less tethered to a single party, their symbolic capital has expanded. Political actors are therefore less interested in replicating Kanshi Ram’s autonomous model of mobilisation, which required long-term cadre-building and ideological discipline, and more in selectively borrowing from it features like the language of dignity, the invocation of representation, and the optics of outreach. The result is a shift from structural challenge to rhetorical accommodation. For example, for BJP, it means including Kanshi Ram in a calendar of Dalit icons. For SP, it entails celebrating March 15 as “Bahujan Divas” in all districts of Uttar Pradesh. With Dalit vote expected to play a decisive role in the 2027 Uttar Pradesh elections, the question is no longer who follows Kanshi Ram’s politics, but who gets to redefine it. In that contest, memory itself becomes a site of negotiation; it is a negotiation shaped not by fidelity to his methods, but by the strategic needs of the present. When Kanshi Ram began organising government employees in the 1970s, he was not seeking moral recognition but building the infrastructure of power. Born in 1934 in a Ramdasia Sikh family in Punjab, he worked briefly as a government scientist before turning to activism after encountering the writings of Ambedkar. But while Ambedkar had emphasised social reform and constitutional rights, Kanshi Ram was preoccupied with electoral arithmetic. He founded organisations with names that sounded like molotov cocktails: the All India Backward and Minority Communities Employees Federation (BAMCEF), and later, the Dalit Shoshit Samaj Sangharsh Samiti, or DS-4. Their purpose was clear: mobilise the oppressed majority—Dalits, Other Backward Classes and minorities—against what Kanshi Ram called the domination of the “15 per cent”, shorthand for upper castes. His most famous formulation captured the spirit of the project: “Jiski jitni sankhya bhaari, uski utni hissedari”, or, in other words, representation proportional to population. Democracy, he believed, was fundamentally a numbers game, in which the Bahujan, if it voted in unison, could rule. In 1984, he founded BSP, the vehicle that would convert this theory into power. The party’s early years were marked by sharp rhetoric and relentless grassroots mobilisation. Kanshi Ram travelled ceaselessly across North India, addressing small gatherings in dusty villages and industrial suburbs. His speeches were unsparing. He mocked Congress for co-opting Dalit leaders and accused upper castes of monopolising the state. For supporters, he was a revolutionary organiser, while for critics, he remained a divisive populist. More than four decades ago, when Netrapal Singh
Thakur, Dalit, Brahmin: Uttarakhand CM’s new Cabinet balances caste, regions
The Dhami Cabinet is now at its full strength, with 12 members. Inducting new faces into the Cabinet highlights the BJP’s strategy of balancing social and regional equations in the state ahead of the 2027 Assembly elections. Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has expanded his Cabinet, inducting five new faces. The Dhami Cabinet is now at its full strength, with 12 members. Inducting new faces into the Cabinet highlights the BJP’s strategy of balancing social and regional equations in the state ahead of the 2027 Assembly elections. While two ministers belong to the Thakur community, the newly-expanded Cabinet has one member each from the Dalit, Brahmin and Punjabi communities. The Garhwal region and the plains are represented by two ministers each, while the Kumaon region has a lone representative. Khajan Das hails from the Dalit community and has previously served as a minister. In the 2022 Assembly elections, the senior BJP leader won his seat by a margin of 11,163 votes. His political journey began in 2007 when he was elected from Dhanaulti. Bharat Singh Chaudhary, MLA, Rudraprayag Bharat Chaudhary (66) belongs to the Thakur community. Chaudhary is known for his strong command over Hindi, English, and Sanskrit. Before joining the BJP, he unsuccessfully contested the 2012 Assembly elections as an Independent. Ram Singh Kaida, MLA, Bhimtal (Nainital) Ram Singh Kaida, who began his political career with the Congress, contested the 2017 Assembly election as an Independent and won. Later, he gravitated toward the BJP and formally joined the party in 2021. Madan Kaushik, MLA, Haridwar Madan Kaushik is a five-time MLA. A former president of the BJP state unit, he has held various portfolios in previous state governments. Hailing from the Brahmin community, Kaushik commands a strong support base in the Haridwar region. Pradeep Batra, MLA, Roorkee A businessman with interests in hotels, retail and other sectors, Pradeep Batra is a third-term MLA from Roorkee. Batra, who won the 2012 Assembly election on a Congress ticket, joined the BJP prior to the 2022 polls. Ankit Sharma Courtesy : India Today Note: This news is originally published on https:/indiatoday.com/bha and is used purely for non-profit/non-commercial purposes, especially human rights
‘Now only into writing fiction’: Former Army chief Gen MM Naravane after uproar over unpublished memoir
NEW DELHI: Former Army chief General MM Naravane said that he would only write fiction now. The statement came at a book signing event on Friday. Naravane’s unreleased memoir ‘Four Stars of Destiny’ created an uproar in Parliament last month with Lok Sabha leader of opposition Rahul Gandhi used excerpts from the book published in a magazine and accused PM Narendra Modi of “not fulfulling responsibility” during the 2020 India-China military clashes in Ladakh. “I’ve always been writing from time to time, not only military reports but also for various academic journals of the Army. I had also written a few short stories, one of which was even published in the Femina. I am now only into writing fiction,” he added. “My book ‘The Cantonment Conspiracy’ was released last year, and I’m glad to say that the book is relatively well for a first-time author who had no idea how to write. It has been an interesting journey to write this book and transition from being a soldier to being a storyteller. So I enjoyed writing it, and I’m sure all those who read it will enjoy reading it too,” he said. During the Motion of Thanks on the President’s Address on February 2, the Lok Sabha saw heated exchanges after Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi attempted to quote a magazine article featuring excerpts from an unpublished memoir by Naravane. Gandhi’s remarks were interrupted by defence minister Rajnath Singh, who objected to citing material from an unauthenticated and unpublished book. Members of the ruling benches also opposed the move, intensifying the confrontation in the House. The dispute escalated further when Opposition MPs moved a no-confidence motion against Om Birla, alleging that Gandhi was not being allowed to speak. However, the motion was later defeated through a voice vote during the second phase of the Budget Session of Parliament. 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
‘Team UDF is Team Keralam, people ready for change’: Rahul Gandhi’s message ahead of Kerala polls
NEW DELHI: Leader of opposition Rahul Gandhi on Fruday pitched the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) as a unified and people-centric alliance ahead of the Kerala assembly elections, saying the coalition represents both experience and fresh leadership rooted in local realities.”Each candidate reflects the voice, the aspirations and the trust of the people of Keralam. This is a collective of experienced leaders and young change-makers – a strong team of men and women who understand the intricacies of the constituencies they represent,” Rahul said in a post on X. “For me, Keralam is home and the people of Keralam are family. I owe a great debt to the people for everything they have taught me and for the love and warmth they have embraced me with – I will always be your partner,” it added. Projecting the election as a moment of political shift, Rahul said, “The message from Keralam is clear — the people are ready for change, they seek a government that listens, understands, and delivers with honesty.” He also expressed confidence in the UDF’s prospects, saying, “Along with the coming UDF government, I will do everything to help build a better future for this beautiful state. Keralam will win. UDF will lead.” Kerala will go to the polls on April 9 to elect a new 140-member Assembly, with results scheduled for May 4. The contest has largely crystallised into a three-way battle between the CPI(M)-led Left Democratic Front (LDF), the Congress-led UDF, and the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA). The LDF, led by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, is seeking a rare third consecutive term, banking on its governance record over the past decade. The BJP, under state president Rajeev Chandrasekhar, is attempting to regain ground after losing its only seat in Nemom in 2021. While the outgoing Assembly was dominated by the Left with 99 seats against the UDF’s 41, the opposition is hopeful that shifting political currents and localised anti-incumbency could narrow the gap. Nearly 35 constituencies saw victory margins of less than 10,000 votes in the last election, making them key battlegrounds this time. 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
Uttam Nagar: Rahul targets BJP, Sachdeva strikes back
New Delhi: Congress functioanry Rahul Gandhi on Thursday said Uttam Nagar does not want “bloodshed” and urged people not to fall into the trap of violence bei-ng stoked there, referring to a murder on Holi at the we-st Delhi locality. He alleged that BJP and its ecosystem seize upon every opportunity to “fan hatred”. “The people of Uttam Nagar have paid a heavy price for the violence — on one side, a young man, Tarun, lost his life, and on the other, an entire family is facing persecution. They don’t want any more bloodshed,” Rahul said on X. Targetting BJP, he said, “They want the country to remain entangled in Hindu-Muslim tension so that people cannot ask why the PM is being forced to hand over the country’s defence, energy security, food security and strategic sovereignty to America — and that’s why, in broad daylight, riot-like conditions are once again being created in the nation’s capital.” “An appeal to residents of Delhi: Do not fall for any provocation — the strength of the country lies in our unity, brotherhood and love. Jodo, jodo, Bharat Jodo…” he said. Hitting back, Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva said that it would have been better “if instead of issuing an irrelevant appeal to Delhiites, Rahul Gandhi had first condemned the killers of Tarun in Uttam Nagar during Holi days violence”. “It is sad that Gandhi kept silent for almost two weeks and has today put the blame on BJP, instead of condemning the killers of Tarun,” he added. 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
Alld HC: Implead centre in Rahul’s citizenship case
Lucknow: A Lucknow bench of Allahabad high court heard the case of Rahul Gandhi’s citizenship dispute on Thursday and asked the petitioner to implead the central govt as party in the case . As soon as the hearing began, senior advocate SB Pandey, representing the central govt, requested the court not to conduct the hearing in open court as the documents received from the home ministry were of a highly confidential nature. The single bench of Justice Rajiv Singh accepted his request and heard the case in his chamber. Following the hearing, the court passed an order requiring home ministry under secretary Vivek Mishra and assistant section officer Pranav Rai to appear with the relevant records. TNN 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
Bus Body Code issue: Rahul flags cost burden; Gadkari stresses safety
NEW DELHI: On Wednesday, road transport minister Nitin Gadkari had surprise visitors at his chamber in the Lok Sabha. Leader of opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi and party general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, accompanied by a delegation of small truck and bus body builders from Rajasthan reached his office seeking relaxations in the Bus Body Code as they flagged new standards and excessive fees could drive many small manufacturers out of business. Officials said Gadkari, in response, said that the decision to tighten safety norms was taken following a spate of bus fire incidents which have claimed lives. “The minister said relaxing any norms that would pose risk to passengers can’t be allowed and there is a need for professionalism in building bus and truck bodies in the country. However, he said that govt will take steps to make the process of getting approval easy,” one of them said. People who were present in the chamber during Gandhis meeting with Gadkari said that the minister highlighted the need to shift from using “hammers” (hathoda) in building bus bodies to improve the system so that there are no compromises made in safety parameters. “Rahul said that the people engaged in bus body building using hammers have skill and talent. All this happened on a lighter note,” said one of them. During the discussion, the minister pointed out that authorities had issued notices to manufacturers on seven occasions, but the lack of corrective action forced govt to take strict measures. Following the meeting with Gadkari, Priyanka Gandhi told reporters, “The truck and bus body builders faced the problem that they have to incur significant expenses to obtain licenses, and the process is also extremely time-consuming. Gadkari has assured us that he will resolve their issues expeditiously.” 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
‘Anti-Ambedkar’ BJP used money power, deployed ‘agent RO’ to defeat dalit activist in Haryana Rajya Sabha: Congress
NEW DELHI: Congress on Tuesday said the governing BJP employed “money power, threats and misuse of returning officer” to win the Haryana Rajya Sabha election at any cost, as it slammed the rival for again “exposing its anti-Ambedkar character” by trying to steal the parliament membership of grassroots Dalit activist Karamvir Boudh. After scraping a victory in the Haryana RS polls, despite cross voting by five Congress MLAs and four of its votes declared invalid, Congress MP Deepender Hooda said BJP had appointed Gujarat deputy CM as the observer for the polls which showed that the BJP leadership wanted to win the election irrespective of the tactic used. “BJP tried to murder democracy in the dark of night. All the four votes declared as invalid were completely valid. They had even been put in the tray of valid votes by an official. But this was done by a blatantly partisan RO (returning officer) to contrive the numbers in favour of BJP,” he told a press conference with Congress’s scheduled castes department chairman Rajendra Pal Gautam. Deepender said Congress will take strong action against the MLAs who cross voted and betrayed the party, adding that people will not forgive the legislators who betrayed their mandate. He said BJP wanted to engineer cross-voting by nine or seven Congress legislators while securing two votes of INLD. He said INLD, “which is B-team of BJP”, declared its decision to abstain from polling barely half an hour before the voting ended, because it was sure that Congress was winning the election. He said when BJP’s “game of pressure and money” failed, BJP employed its third strategy of fixing the play through RO. “RO worked as a BJP agent,” he added. 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