BJP, Congress eye bigger share of seats in Magadh region
Gaya: Following Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s meeting in Bodh Gaya on Aug 22 and the positive response to Rahul Gandhi’s Voter Adhikar Yatra in the Magadh division, the bargaining position of both national parties has improved within their respective alliances. Political observers said in the 2020 assembly elections, both parties played second fiddle in NDA and Mahagathbandhan, respectively. In 2020, JD(U) led the NDA in Magadh by contesting 11 of the 26 seats, while the BJP fielded candidates in 10. BJP secured three of these 10 seats in four districts of the division but did not contest in Jahanabad. JD(U), however, failed to win any of the 11 seats it contested in Magadh. Even in Ghosi, long considered Jagdish Sharma’s stronghold, his son Rahul suffered a decisive defeat to CPI(ML) candidate Ram Bali Yadav, who had been seen as an underdog throughout the campaign. In Rafiganj, JD(U) candidate Ashok Kumar Singh slipped to third place. Within the NDA, HAM(S) emerged as the most successful with Jitan Ram Manjhi’s party winning three of the five seats it contested in Gaya, Jahanabad and Aurangabad. In the Mahagathbandhan camp, CPI(ML) achieved a perfect strike rate by winning both Ghosi and Arwal. Congress secured three of the seven seats it contested. Over the past five years, and particularly in recent months, political fortunes in the region have shifted. Gaya district BJP chief Prem Prakash argued that BJP’s growing strength must be reflected in seat-sharing. “BJP was much stronger now and this strength must be reflected in the distribution of seats based on the winnability of the candidates. Moreover, unlike other parties inside and outside the alliance, BJP has got a leader like Prem Kumar, the undisputed EBC leader of Bihar,” said Prakash. In 2015, senior BJP leader and former Union minister Shah Nawaz Hussain, while addressing an election rally in Gaya, had presented Kumar as BJP’s potential CM face. Congress functionaries also believe their position warrants a larger share of seats. Vijay Kumar Mithu, former AICC member, said, “Based on traction, Congress definitely deserves more than the seven seats it contested in 2020. The party would demand at least one more SC seat as it has significantly strengthened itself in recent times and though it has become more popular in all social groups, its footprint was most pronounced among the Dalits and EBCs.” Ali Hussain, principal of a Gaya-based college and a political science teacher for nearly two decades, observed that the rival coalitions would eventually need to adjust. “Sooner or later, the rival coalitions will have to recalibrate their strategy in view of the ground realities,” 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
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi to tour flood-hit border districts of Punjab
Chandigarh: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi will visit flood-affected areas in Punjab on Monday. He will land in Amritsar on a chartered flight in the morning and will take a return flight on the same plane from Pathankot after visiting flood-affected areas in border districts, an official said. As per his schedule, the Raebareli MP is set to go to flood-affected Ghonewal, Ajnala, Gurchak, and Makoura before heading to Pathankot. Punjab Congress president Amrinder Singh Raja Warring said Gandhi had always batted for the interests of farmers, raising their issues and slamming the BJP-led Centre govt for favouring corporates. “Now that floodwaters have receded, it is an appropriate time for him (Rahul Gandhi) to have a first-person account of the damage suffered by farmers. He will meet flood-affected farmers and people, and his visit is expected to force the govt to give immediate and adequate relief to farmers,” Warring said. Warring reiterated that the Rs 1,600-crore financial assistance announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his visit to Punjab was “peanuts” and that “so far not even a rupee has been given from the promised amount”. Leader of opposition and Congress MLA from Qadian, Partap Singh Bajwa, too said the visit was expected to force both govts, in the state and at the Centre, to “take the rehabilitation of flood-affected people seriously”. “We would request him (Rahul Gandhi) to take up the matter with the PM and tell him to rethink the relief amount as it is meagre. We would also urge him to get clarity from the PM on disaster funds as the PM said Rs 12,000 crore was lying with Punjab, the state govt said it received Rs 1m500 crore, and the CAG report mentioned that by March 31, 2023, Punjab had Rs ,9041 crore in disaster funds,” Bajwa said. He added Gandhi would visit flood-affected areas in assembly constituencies of Dera Baba Nanak, Ajnala, and Dinanagar. Union minister of state for railways and food processing industries Ravneet Bittu, in a post in Punjabi, took a dig at Rahul Gandhi’s recent foreign visit. “When the elections for Vice-President were happening, you were busy enjoying your holidays. And when Punjab was drowning and people were crying, you were living it up in Malaysia!” In an apparent reference to the Congress leader’s scheduled visit to Punjab on Monday, Bittu said in the post, “These visits don’t seem to be about alleviating people’s pain but rather for staging political drama.” Bittu to Gandhi: ‘What breed of horse are you?’ Union minister of state for railways and food processing industries Ravneet Bittu termed visit “political drama”. In a post on X, Bittu said, “It is said that Rahul Gandhi ji is coming to Punjab! Rahul often says that Congress has all kinds of horses – racehorses, wedding horses, even lame horses. But Rahul ji, can you or your party leaders, especially the leaders of Punjab, tell the people what breed of horse you are?” 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
Rajasthan: Dalit farmer’s field fence burnt in Balotra, caste abuses and death threats alleged
Dalit farmer assaulted and threatened in Tapra village of Balotra; field fence burnt, police accused of delaying action Rajasthan: A tense situation prevails over the field of a Dalit farmer in Tapra village of Balotra district. It is alleged that the nearby farm owner not only set the field fence on fire, but also hurled caste abuses and threatened to kill him. The incident took place in the field of Chhagna Ram Meghwal, where Mohanlal Bhil was working in the field. The victim Mohanlal says that the neighboring farm owner, Ummed Singh, was constantly pressurizing him and tried to attack him several times. The victim’s side also claims that they have a video of the incident, in which the accused Ummed Singh is seen openly hurling caste abuses, beating him and threatening to kill him with a sword. Recently, the accused set the farm fence on fire, causing great damage. In this case, Mohanlal Bhil has lodged an FIR in the police station. However, the villagers allege that the police delayed taking action by two days and have not yet shown the required seriousness in the matter. Villagers demand strict action The Dalit community and the people of the village have united and demanded from the administration that strict action should be taken against the accused. They say that such incidents are creating an atmosphere of fear in the society. They have also expected the police to take this matter with sensitivity and take immediate and fair action on the complaints of the Dalit community, so that the victim’s family can get justice. Sharvan Kumar Courtesy : Hindi News
Tamil Nadu: Class 12 Dalit student stripped and beaten, two arrested: Know the full story
Class 12 student stripped and beaten in Chennai, two arrested including former BJP leader . Chennai: The Secretariat Colony police have arrested two people under the Scheduled Castes/Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act for assaulting and misbehaving with a Class 12 student. The incident took place when the boy went to meet a Class 10 girl student at her home. The arrested accused have been identified as Saravanan and his brother Logesh. According to the police, Saravanan was earlier reported to be an office bearer of a political party. The police said that the girl’s mother has also lodged a complaint against the boy under the POCSO Act. The mother alleges that the boy exploited her daughter, although no case has been registered in this matter yet. What is the whole matter? According to the police, the 17-year-old boy and the girl studied in the same school in Choolaimedu and were friends since then. Later, the schools of both of them were separated, but they remained in constant touch through social media. On Friday, when the boy went to meet the girl at her house in Secretariat Colony, some of the girl’s relatives locked him in a room. After this, they called Saravanan. It is alleged that Saravanan and Logesh together beat up the boy brutally and took off his clothes. Later, he was released. Rajan Chaudhary Courtesy : Hindi News
Teen Dalit stripped, assaulted in Chennai; Two arrested
The Class 12 boy was in a relationship with his classmate from a different caste. A 17-year-old Dalit boy was allegedly stripped, assaulted, and abused for visiting a girl at her home in Chennai on Friday, September 12. Two men have been arrested. According to the police, the teenager was in a relationship with the girl from a different caste. They were classmates and studied in a school located in Choolaimedu, a significant residential and commercial neighbourhood in Central Chennai. When her parents became aware of the relationship, they sent her away to live with her grandmother in Secretariat Colony. However, the teenagers continued to stay in contact through social media even after moving to different schools. On Friday, the boy went to Secretariat Colony to visit her and was caught red-handed by the two accused, Logesh and his brother Sravanan. The Dalit teenager was violently attacked. Local reports suggest Sravanan was affiliated with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Based on the Dalit boy’s parents’ complaint, a case was registered under the SC/ST Act along with other sections related to assault, wrongful confinement, and criminal intimidation. The duo was arrested on the same day. Posted by Veena Nair Courtesy : The Siasat Daily Note: This news is originally published on https:/thesiasatdaily.com/bha and is used purely for non-profit/non-commercial purposes, especially human rights
UP Banda: People of Dalit colony yearning for electricity, reality of Banda district
Chaube Purva of Gram Panchayat Naugaon of Tehsil Naraini of Banda district of Uttar Pradesh is still immersed in darkness. Here about 30 Dalit families are waiting for electricity facility for generations. People say that despite complaining and applying many times, electricity did not come. Poles and wires were installed in the village, but the transformer was not installed. Children’s studies have stopped, people are troubled in the heat and there is a fear of snakes and scorpions. Courtesy : Hindi News
Mad scramble for Dalit candidates in Kerala: Congress may pay price for neglect
Kodikunnil, first elected to the Lok Sabha in 1989, remains an MP, while Sudhakaran has held sway since his Wandoor debut in 1982. KOCHI: As Kerala races towards the assembly election next May, the Congress is in a desperate eleventh-hour search for Dalit and tribal candidates. The scramble has laid bare a bitter truth: The party has failed to groom and promote leaders from the scheduled castes and scheduled tribes, leaving itself exposed in 16 reserved constituencies (14 SC and two ST). The shift from the past could not have been starker. Until the mid-1980s, the Congress was never short of stalwarts from backward communities. The likes of Vella Eacharan Iyyani, M P Thami, K K Balakrishnan, K Raghavan Master, Damodaran Kalassery, P K Velayudhan, K K Madhavan, T K C Vaduthala, Kittappa Narayana Swamy and Dr M A Kuttappan gave the party both legislative heft and grassroots presence. These leaders emerged not just as candidates, but as mass figures who commanded respect. But as factionalism deepened in the late 1980s and ‘90s, Dalit and tribal representation shrank. “The main reason for the failure of Congress to promote SC/ST leaders was the endless feud between the ‘A’ and ‘I’ groups. It choked the rise of new leaders and created a vacuum that remains unfilled even today,” said political analyst Dijo Kappen. That vacuum is now haunting the party. For decades, the leadership has relied on a handful of “safe” names — most notably Kodikunnil Suresh and Pandalam Sudhakaran. Kodikunnil, first elected to the Lok Sabha in 1989, remains an MP, while Sudhakaran has held sway since his Wandoor debut in 1982. Both men have effectively blocked the entry of younger leaders, according to critics. “Congress is finding no names beyond Kodikunnil and Sudhakaran. With issues clouding Remya Haridas as well, the party has only itself to blame,” remarked Ramesh Mathew, a former journalist and long-time Congress watcher. Indeed, the bench is worryingly thin. The party has no ready replacements for the 16 reserved constituencies. Meanwhile, the CPM and the BJP are making visible efforts to cultivate Dalit and tribal candidates, intensifying the Congress’ anxiety. A senior Congress source admitted the crisis, but insisted change was coming. “The AICC wants new names from fishermen, SC and ST communities, not the tired old set such as Kodikunnil and [T N] Prathapan. We have identified promising new faces, and there will be a visible generational shift in 2026,” the leader told TNIE. Sources said Sajithamol, the widow of M G Kannan, who was vice-president of the Pathanamthitta District Congress Committee (DCC) and district panchayat member, who passed away in May this year. at the age of 42, will be among the Congress picks from the backward community for the assembly election. The stakes are high. In the 140-member House, the 16 reserved seats can prove decisive. Losing ground on this front could cripple Congress’ chances of returning to power. Leaders like P R Sona from Kottayam — educated, with a doctorate, and active in community work — represent the kind of profile the party should have nurtured years ago. Instead, the neglect of grassroots Dalit leadership has left Congress scouring the state at the last minute for candidates with credibility, said sources. The irony is stark. A party that once produced giants like K K Balakrishnan — who held multiple ministerial portfolios, including harijan welfare and transport — and Kuttappan, a staunch Ambedkarite who fought his way into the assembly despite factional sabotage, is today struggling to find even a handful of recognisable Dalit leaders. As the countdown to the polls begins, Congress is discovering that decades of ignoring and sidelining its Dalit and tribal leaders cannot be wished away in a frantic candidate search. The past is catching up fast — and the party may pay a heavy price. Rajesh Abraham Courtesy : TNIE Note: This news is originally published on https:/thenewindianexpress.com/bha and is used purely for non-profit/non-commercial purposes, especially human rights
Dalit teen allegedly attacked, stripped for meeting girl in Chennai
Police said Saravanan also made casteist slurs during the attack. The boy is currently undergoing treatment at Kilpauk Medical College (KMC) The Secretariat Colony police in Chennai on Friday, September 12, arrested two men under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act for allegedly assaulting, stripping, and verbally abusing a 17-year-old Dalit teen who had gone to meet a girl at her relatives’ residence. The arrested men have been identified as Saravanan, reportedly a former Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) functionary, and his brother Logesh. Police said the incident took place after the girl’s relatives confined the boy in a room and then called Saravanan for intervention. The boy, who belongs to the Scheduled Caste (SC) Hindu Adi Dravidar community, and the girl, who is from the Most Backward Class (MBC) Vanniyar community, had been friends for years. Though they later joined different schools, they continued to stay in touch through social media. When the boy went to visit her, Saravanan and Logesh allegedly stripped and assaulted him. Police said Saravanan also made casteist slurs during the attack. The boy is currently undergoing treatment at Kilpauk Medical College (KMC) Hospital. The police have registered a case against the accused, under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act and Sections 296(b) (obscene act or singing), 115(2) (voluntarily causing hurt), 109(1) (attempt to murder) and 351(3) (criminal intimidation) of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). Written by:TNM Staff Courtesy : TNM Note: This news is originally published on https:/thenewsminute.com/bha and is used purely for non-profit/non-commercial purposes, especially human rights
Charlie Kirk shooter Tyler Robinson lived with a transgender partner, claims report
The roommate who revealed texts with Tyler Robinson that helped law enforcement conclude that Tyler was indeed the shooter of Charlie Kirk is a transgender person, reports claimed, making a major revelation. The authorities have not revealed the transgender person’s identity, but the person is part of the investigation. The partner is in the process of transitioning from a male to female, Fox News reported. It is interesting that Tyler fired his shot targeting Charlie Kirk when Kirk was asked a question about transgender mass shooters. “Do you know how many transgender Americans have been mass shooters over the last 10 years?” Charlie Kirk was asked. “Too many,” Kirk said. “Do you know how many mass shooters there have been in America over the last 10 years?” Kirk was asked in a follow-up question. “Counting or not counting gang violence?” Kirk asked seeking clarification on the question, when the bullet hit his neck and he collapsed. He was taken to a hospital where he underwent surgery. He did not survive the injury. — BrookeSingman (@BrookeSingman) ‘This is now officially trans violence’ — bennyjohnson (@bennyjohnson) The revelation that Tyler has a trans partner gave a new turn to the assassination as MAGA commentators claimed this to be trans violence. MAGA commentators said more is to come out soon about the assassination and Charlie Kirk was absolutely right that there were too many trans shooters in America now. The revelations gives a probable motive to the investigators, though as of now they are seeing it as a political killing, as Tyler told pals and family members that he did not like Charlie Kirk much as he was hateful. Tyler did not like that Charlir Kirk was coming to the Utah Wave University for this event. Utah Guv Spencer Cox claimed that Tyler was deeply indoctrinated with left ideologies — though the Robinson family is Trump supporters. Are there too many transgender shooters in America? What was Charlie Kirk’s view on transgender people? According to fact-checking website PolitiFact, Charlie Kirk was wrong when he said there were too many trans shooters in the US and data showed trans people conduct a very small percentage of mass shootings. Charlie Kirk had a very strong feeling against transgender people and called them “an abomination”. In one speech, he described trans people as a “throbbing middle finger to God.” He also opposed gender-transforming surgeries and said doctors who perform those are like Nazis committing atrocities. “One issue I think that is so against our senses, so against the natural law and dare I say a throbbing middle finger to God, is the transgender thing happening in America right now,” he said during a speech posted in 2023 by Right Wing Watch. 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
Charlie Kirk assassination: FBI says shooter Tyler Robinson’s transgender partner ‘had no idea’; fully cooperating in investigation
The partner of Tyler Robinson, the 22-year-old accused of assassinating US President Donald Trump ally Charlie Kirk, is cooperating fully with investigators and had no knowledge of the alleged plan, senior FBI officials told Fox News Digital. Robinson, who lived in St George, Utah, shared an apartment with the individual, described by officials as a male transitioning to female. The FBI confirmed the two were in a romantic relationship. One FBI official said the partner has been “extremely cooperative,” stressing that the person “had no idea” Robinson was planning to target Kirk. The partner has not been accused of any wrongdoing, according to Fox News. — nicksortor (@nicksortor) Apartment searched, digital evidence seized Investigators revealed they obtained text messages and communications between Robinson and the partner, which helped them identify Robinson as the suspect. Agents also seized computers and other evidence from the couple’s apartment, which has been sent to FBI headquarters in Quantico for analysis. While the Bureau declined to say whether Robinson’s partner could face charges, a spokesperson emphasised the scale of the probe. “The FBI is investigating a record number of tips. Every connection, every group, every link will be investigated, and anyone involved in this matter, anywhere in the world they might be, will be brought to justice,” the spokesperson told Fox News. The apartment is located in the same southern Utah community where Robinson’s parents live, about four hours from Utah Valley University in Orem. It was on the university’s campus that Kirk, 31, was fatally shot on Wednesday while addressing a crowd. Authorities believe Robinson fired a single round from the roof of a building roughly 200 yards away. 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