Latest news with #Pasmanda
Time of India
3 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
BJP minority wing to ask Pasmandas to assert caste identities during census
1 2 Lucknow: In a strategic move, the BJP plans to tap the Pasmanda (backward) Muslim communities by exhorting them to assert their caste identities during the caste enumeration exercise scheduled to be undertaken along with the Census drive in 2026 and 2027. This may help them avail reservation benefits. "The community needs to be cautious of hardliner Maulanas and the opposition leaders who just want Muslims to be identified only on religious grounds," said UP BJP minority morcha chief Kunwar Basit Ali. BJP sources said that the party plans to chart out a nationwide drive to reach out to the Pasmandas, the electorally crucial bloc constituting a sizable potential of the total Muslim population which has traditionally been supportive of the opposition parties like the Samajwadi Party and Cong. This is seen as BJP's yet another strategy to blunt opposition's aggression ahead of panchayat polls due next year and subsequently the 2027 assembly elections. BJP national minority morcha president Jamal Siddiqui told TOI that the campaign would soon be rolled out after due discussion and formal approval of the party high command. He said that maximum reservation benefits have been usurped by a handful of Muslim communities while a host of socially and economically oppressed sections remain neglected. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Memperdagangkan CFD Emas dengan salah satu spread terendah? IC Markets Mendaftar Undo "Only the creamy layer among the Pasmandas have been benefited. There are scores of castes within the Pasmandas who have left behind in the road to social justice and development. They need to be supported," he said. Several Muslim communities get reservations in the Central OBC and several state OBC lists. According to a 2005 National Sample Survey Organisation survey, Muslim OBCs constitute around 41% of the total Muslim population. Muslim groups, however, claim the percentage to be much higher. In UP, communities like Nai (barber), Qureshi, Ansaris (weavers/Julaha) and Fakir get OBC reservations. In the past, PM Narendra Modi too had underscored backwardness among Pasmanda Muslims, while highlighting his govt's efforts to reach out to the most deprived sections of society with its various welfare schemes. During the BJP national executive meeting in 2022, Modi had made a special mention of the Pasmanda Muslims, suggesting the BJP workers to make special efforts to gain support of the community. This was seen as a reiteration of the party's stand in UP where CM Yogi Adityanath appointed Danish Azad Ansari, a Pasmanda Muslim from Ballia, as minister of state for minority affairs. He is the lone Muslim face in the state cabinet. Subsequently, in 2023 the BJP nominated former Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) vice-chancellor Tariq Mansoor, also a Pasmanda, as MLC before elevating him as party national vice-president.
The Hindu
3 days ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
Defending Saharanpur MP Imran Masood's remarks, U.P. Congress chief says the INDIA bloc is united
The Indian National Developmental, Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) bloc is united in Uttar Pradesh, and statements made by Congress leader and Lok Sabha MP from Saharanpur Imran Masood were not against the INDIA bloc, Uttar Pradesh Congress president Ajay Rai said on Wednesday. The Samajwadi Party (SP) and the Congress would fight the 2027 Assembly election together, Mr. Rai said. 'Imran Masood-ji's statements are not against the INDIA bloc or contrary to the [Congress] party. He is not saying that the alliance should not remain in U.P. We (the Congress and the SP) will together fight the Assembly election in 2027,' Mr. Rai told The Hindu, when asked about SP president Akhilesh Yadav's remark that 'those wishing to leave the INDIA alliance could go'. Mr. Yadav appeared to be hinting at Mr. Masood's statements over the SP-Congress alliance in the State. On more than one occasion in the past four weeks, including while speaking to The Hindu in May, Mr. Masood has maintained that the Congress-SP seat sharing formula for the Lok Sabha election would not work for the 2027 U.P. Assembly election, while he has pushed for the INDIA alliance to operate on 'equal terms'. 'We will sit and decide, our central leadership will take the call,' Mr. Rai said in response to a question on Mr. Masood's persistent stand on a reset in seat sharing. 'I have nothing to do with the statement given by anyone. Our alliance is intact. Those who want to leave the INDIA alliance can go,' Mr. Yadav said on Tuesday in response to a question from a media person. The question pertained to Mr. Masood's remarks on a reset in seat sharing between the SP and the Congress for the 2027 Assembly election in U.P. 'It's good that after my statements, he (Mr. Yadav) is meeting people of the Pasmanda and other Muslim communities,' Mr. Masood said, adding. 'I have nothing to do with Akhilesh-ji. I am a Congress worker.'
Time of India
3 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
BJP mounts pressure on Lalu to apologise over Ambedkar issue
Patna: BJP is mounting pressure on RJD chief Lalu Prasad to apologise for allegedly disrespecting the portrait of BR Ambedkar on June 11. The matter is related to Lalu's birthday on June 11. A video went viral on social media in which an RJD worker is seen placing a picture of Ambedkar as a gift near Lalu's feet on the table on his birthday. Lalu neither touched the picture nor uttered a word. Senior BJP leader and deputy CM Samrat Choudhary on Wednesday said though dalits in Congress and RJD want Lalu to apologise, but his family members resist it. BJP national spokesperson Syed Shahnawaz Hussain said the party will not rest till Lalu sought public apology for disrespecting Baba Saheb. Posters were put up at various places in Patna by the Bihar Pasmanda Foundation with a caption: "Pasmanda dalits ask, when will the Lalu family apologise?" However, RJD spokesperson Ejaz Ahmad said Lalu gave voice to the poor in Bihar and always advised their children to be educated and follow the principles of B R Ambedkar. JD(U) national spokesperson Rajiv Ranjan Prasad also said Lalu should respect the sentiments of his party supporters among the dalits and Pasmanda Muslim community and apologise. Samrat posted on X: "There is an internal turmoil in RJD and Bihar Congress over the insult of Baba Saheb. It is being discussed that dalit workers of both the parties believe that Lalu or Tejashwi Prasad Yadav should apologise by expressing public regret on the unfortunate incident of insulting Baba Saheb. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Quito: Ecuatorianos: generen un segundo ingreso con Amazon CFD. InvestIQ Registrarse Undo But the family is not ready for this. Lalu's family says come what may, they will not apologise." He further stated: "This is an internal matter of RJD. But, the way the demand for an apology from Lalu family is being made from all sides, the anger of dalit-backward workers of his party is natural. But only the family will rule," he said. BJP leaders on Tuesday submitted a memorandum to governor Arif Mohammed Khan, demanding that Lalu should publicly apologise on this subject and strict guidelines should be issued to prevent recurrence of such incidents in future. Patna: BJP is mounting pressure on RJD chief Lalu Prasad to apologise for allegedly disrespecting the portrait of BR Ambedkar on June 11. The matter is related to Lalu's birthday on June 11. A video went viral on social media in which an RJD worker is seen placing a picture of Ambedkar as a gift near Lalu's feet on the table on his birthday. Lalu neither touched the picture nor uttered a word. Senior BJP leader and deputy CM Samrat Choudhary on Wednesday said though dalits in Congress and RJD want Lalu to apologise, but his family members resist it. BJP national spokesperson Syed Shahnawaz Hussain said the party will not rest till Lalu sought public apology for disrespecting Baba Saheb. Posters were put up at various places in Patna by the Bihar Pasmanda Foundation with a caption: "Pasmanda dalits ask, when will the Lalu family apologise?" However, RJD spokesperson Ejaz Ahmad said Lalu gave voice to the poor in Bihar and always advised their children to be educated and follow the principles of B R Ambedkar. JD(U) national spokesperson Rajiv Ranjan Prasad also said Lalu should respect the sentiments of his party supporters among the dalits and Pasmanda Muslim community and apologise. Samrat posted on X: "There is an internal turmoil in RJD and Bihar Congress over the insult of Baba Saheb. It is being discussed that dalit workers of both the parties believe that Lalu or Tejashwi Prasad Yadav should apologise by expressing public regret on the unfortunate incident of insulting Baba Saheb. But the family is not ready for this. Lalu's family says come what may, they will not apologise." He further stated: "This is an internal matter of RJD. But, the way the demand for an apology from Lalu family is being made from all sides, the anger of dalit-backward workers of his party is natural. But only the family will rule," he said. BJP leaders on Tuesday submitted a memorandum to governor Arif Mohammed Khan, demanding that Lalu should publicly apologise on this subject and strict guidelines should be issued to prevent recurrence of such incidents in future.
Hindustan Times
23-04-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Rijiju urges BJP minority members to promote benefits of amended Waqf law
Mumbai: The state unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday held a brainstorming session for party lawmakers, office-bearers and minority members regarding the need to raise awareness among Muslims about benefits of the amended Waqf Act. Union minority affairs minister Kiren Rijiju, the main speaker at the event, said the amended law allowed Waqf land to be taken away from the clutches of illegal encroachers and returned to poor Muslims. 'Party workers should weed out misconceptions about the law from the minds of people using various forums and media,' he said. The BJP has been focusing on promoting the amended law among 'Pasmanda' or socially backward Muslims, claiming the changes are in favour of poor Muslims and women. Tuesday's brainstorming session was attended by Jagdambika Pal, member of the joint parliamentary committee on the Waqf (Amendment) bill, the party's national joint general secretary Shiv Prakash and various state leaders including the state BJP chief Chandrashekhar Bawankule. Rijiju, while addressing the session, elaborated on the provisions in the Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025 and alleged that some entities were opposing the law as they did not want to lose possession of Waqf lands they had encroached upon. The minister attacked West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee, claiming her remarks on the amendments led to violence in the state. 'Her act and remarks were unconstitutional,' he said. Rijiju also accused some people of trying to spread misconceptions among Muslims and said party workers should play an active role in foiling such attempts. The day's programme included a training session for around 150 Muslim BJP workers, who will travel to various parts of the state to raise awareness about the amended law among Muslims. 'We will hold thousands of mohalla meetings across the state and convince people about the changes being beneficial for them,' said Idris Multani, state head of BJP's minority cell. Former MLA joins BJP Congress leader and former Bhor MLA Sangram Thopate on Tuesday joined the BJP. He attacked the Congress on the occasion, saying he was compelled to leave as his dedication and hard work was never appreciated and he was sidelined though he deserved big posts. BJP state chief Chandrashekhar Bawankule said the induction of Thopate would help the BJP propagate its ideology among voters in Pune district.
The Hindu
21-04-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
Can Nitish Kumar Survive the 2025 Bihar Political Storm?
Published : Apr 21, 2025 19:34 IST - 9 MINS READ With just six months to go before the Bihar Assembly election, the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA), led by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, looks jaded. He faces serious questions about his health, and the NDA's social coalition appears fractured by the Rashtriya Janata Dal's (RJD) Muslim-Yadav-plus consolidation strategy. The latest blow to Nitish Kumar's Janata Dal (United), or JD(U), came when the party backed the controversial waqf amendment law. In its immediate aftermath, five Muslim leaders resigned, and the decision sparked resentment among several members of the party. The leaders who quit were Mohammad Qasim Ansari, State secretary of minority cell Mohammad Shahnawaz Malik, Bettiah (West Champaran) district vice president Nadeem Akhtar, State general secretary (minority cell) Mohammad Tabrez Siddiqui, and party member from Bhojpur Mohammad Dilshan Rayeen. JD(U) MLC Ghulam Ghaus termed the Act unconstitutional and urged President Droupadi Murmu to repeal it. Also Read | Will Nitish Kumar remain the face of the NDA in the Bihar Assembly election? Qasim Ansari's resignation letter to Nitish Kumar dominated the headlines, but senior JD(U) leaders dismissed the issue, preferring to recall that when Ansari contested the 2020 election from the Dhaka Assembly seat in East Champaran district on the kite symbol (of the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen), he had won only 499 votes. While it is true that those who resigned are not top-level leaders, their decision to quit points to a growing sense of disillusionment among Muslim voters with Nitish Kumar, who, despite his alliance with the BJP, has long enjoyed their goodwill. By backing the waqf law, the JD(U) has clearly indicated that it does not want to rock the NDA boat in the State. Muslim resentment However, the resignations do not augur well for the JD(U) in an election year, particularly when the battle lines have become sharper, with a resurgent RJD reaching out to non-Yadav communities among the Other Backward Classes in a big way and Muslims solidly backing the Lalu Prasad-Tejashwi Yadav duo. Only a few months ago, Ali Anwar Ansari, two-term Rajya Sabha member from the JD(U) and leader of the Pasmanda Muslim Samaj, resigned to join the Congress. The RJD-Congress combine is expected to use Ansari's popularity to rope in Pasmanda (backward) Muslim votes. In Bihar, power revolves around three major poles: the BJP, the RJD, and the JD(U). Smaller players such as the Congress, Chirag Paswan's Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas), or LJP(RV), Jitan Ram Manjhi's Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular), and Mukesh Sahani's Vikassheel Insaan Party add weight to whichever alliance they join. So far it has been a case of two groups coming together and forming the government. While the BJP and the RJD have never been in an alliance, the JD(U) has changed sides several times, altering the power dynamics in the State. Between 2013 and 2024, Nitish Kumar changed sides four times, earning himself the sobriquet of 'Paltu Ram', or side-switcher. After his last return to the BJP combine in 2024, Nitish Kumar has been at pains to counter growing rumours of yet another change of sides. In March, in the presence of Home Minister Amit Shah, he declared that he had 'erred twice' and promised to stay with the BJP permanently. Previously, he had given such assurances to Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself during public meetings. Modi's decision to do a small roadshow with Nitish Kumar in February in Bhagalpur was also aimed at scotching such speculation. For now, the BJP has stalled the possibility of Nitish Kumar making another switch to the RJD, but what is worrying for the saffron party is his declining political currency. JD(U) powerhouse Whether in the party or in the government, Nitish Kumar has never left anyone in doubt about where the JD(U)'s fulcrum of power lay. In December 2023, he underscored this when he secured the resignation of party president Rajiv Ranjan Singh, alias Lalan Singh, and donned the party chief role for the second time. In April 2016, Nitish had replaced the longest-serving JD(U) president, Sharad Yadav (who served 3 terms and over 10 years), against his wishes. Ironically, it was Nitish Kumar who made Sharad Yadav party president in 2006, replacing firebrand leader George Fernandes, who had been party president since 2003 and head of its predecessor, the Samata Party, since 1994 when it was formed. Nitish Kumar has always managed to gain the upper hand while handling rebellion, whether from his own aide-turned-rebel Upendra Kushwaha, R.C.P. Singh in the party, or Jitan Ram Manjhi in the government. He has also been taking the high moral ground by not promoting any family member in politics. (The nearest parallel to Nitish Kumar is Naveen Patnaik of Odisha.) There has been no charge of dynastic politics against him, until now that is. Early this year, his son Nishant Kumar emerged from the shadows and started making his political presence felt, giving rise to the speculation that Nitish Kumar was preparing to hand over the reins in view of his failing health. Videos showing him faltering and forgetting are making the rounds on social media. Ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha election, learning from their 2015 Assembly election defeat, the BJP wooed Nitish Kumar by offering him 16 seats despite the 2 his party had won in 2014. Nitish Kumar has been Chief Minister in governments supported by either the RJD or the BJP even when those parties have had a greater number of seats than the JD(U). Also Read | Bihar and the new kid on the block Now, in 2025, the BJP has again stooped to conquer, announcing Nitish Kumar as the face of the NDA in Bihar. This is a surprise, especially in light of Amit Shah's cryptic comment in a television interview earlier, saying 'we will sit together and decide', in response to a question on who would lead the coalition in Bihar. The RJD, too, despite repeated snubs, has not tired of stating that its doors are open for Nitish Kumar. Or, rather, Lalu Prasad says so, but Tejashwi Yadav opposes it. Women's support Nitish Kumar's strength lies in continued support from large sections of women voters across caste lines, thanks to steps such as prohibition, seat reservation for women in panchayats, and welfare measures like bicycles to school-going girls. In addition, through special programmes, he has strengthened his grip over non-Yadav Extremely Backward Classes and Mahadalits. The JD(U)'s hold over 15 per cent of the votes helps the NDA become a winning combination, as it adds to the BJP and other allies' 20 per cent vote share, and nullifies the RJD-Congress advantage of starting with a base of nearly 30 per cent of the votes from Muslims and Yadavs. However, one sees a decline in JD(U)'s vote share in Assembly elections. In the 2005 and 2010 Assembly elections, when it contested in alliance with the BJP, the party got over 20 per cent and 22 per cent of votes. In 2015, this dropped to 17 per cent when it was in alliance with the RJD; and in 2020, the JD(U) got just 15.7 per cent when in alliance with the BJP. The declining vote share directly translated also into a fall in the number of seats: from a peak of 115 seats in 2010, the party won 71 in 2015 and just 43 seats in 2020. In contrast, in the 2024 Lok Sabha election, it was the RJD that scored the maximum vote percentage among all parties with 22.14 per cent. Declining clout As early as 2013, in his book Bihar Breakthrough, Rajesh Chakrabarti said: 'It would, however, be a mistake to think that the population in Bihar today extols Nitish the same way as it did going into the previous election. The gains brought by the administration have already been absorbed in the general psyche and the expectations from the government are much higher than in the Lalu era. The public is ironically less grateful than expecting... at times the discontent has boiled over to a point where Nitish's convoy has been stoned during the Seva Yatra.' Nitish possibly read the writing on the wall in 2015, which is why he decided to join hands with the same Lalu Prasad whose misgovernance he had made the main plank of his politics. The victory that year of the Nitish Kumar-led Mahagathbandhan, comprising the RJD and the Congress, aided by the election strategist Prashant Kishor, was as such a more complex verdict than a simple barometer of Nitish Kumar's popularity. By 2020, the JD(U) had declined further. Now, Prashant Kishor has formed his own party. Not surprisingly, doubts are being raised in multiple quarters about Nitish Kumar's prospects of being projected as the chief ministerial candidate in 2025 and whether such a move will actually benefit the alliance. Two decades is a long period in politics and there are indications of anti-incumbency having caught up with Nitish Kumar. For instance, despite the Congress being only a minor player in Bihar, its stop-migration-give-jobs yatra that started on March 16 in Champaran has gained good traction. Champaran is the land of Mahatma Gandhi's indigo agitation during the freedom movement. The political symbolism of the venue is strong. Prashant Kishor too had started his yatra under the banner of Jan Suraaj to connect with the masses from the same place. Still a force to reckon with Nitish Kumar's supporters, on their part, cite the 2024 Lok Sabha election when JD(U) had won 12 of 16 seats it contested to buttress the point that he still counts. When doubts were being expressed about projecting Nitish Kumar as the leader of NDA in Bihar, his supporters came out in support in December last year, coining the slogan, 'Jab baat Bihar ki ho, naam sirf Nitish Kumar ka ho' (When it is about Bihar, Nitish Kumar should be the only name), during their leader's Pragati Yatra, which too started from Champaran. Clearly, 2025 is the toughest election battle that Nitish Kumar is facing. But a confident JD(U) has come out with bold posters screaming '25 se 30, phir se Nitish' (it is Nitish again from 2025 to 2030). Speaking to Frontline on Nitish Kumar's strengths and why he remains relevant, Amitabh Tiwari, political commentator and election strategist, said: 'Nitish Kumar is a force multiplier; whichever party the JD(U) aligns with goes on to form the government. Bihar's caste equations and societal conditions give him the political manoeuvrability to switch sides successfully.' Also Read | Bihar 2025: No cakewalk for BJP, RJD or Nitish Kumar He added: 'His core base has remained more or less intact and he also brings a section of the Pasmanda Muslim votes due to his secular image. This won't change because of Waqf.' He also said that the BJP has been piggybacking on Nitish Kumar for the past 20 years and does not have a leader to match him or Tejashwi Yadav. 'No BJP leader has a pan-State appeal. The BJP can't touch the magical figure on its own. Even a weakened Nitish still commands a crucial 12-15 per cent vote share. The RJD has been struggling to expand its vote base beyond Muslims and Yadavs,' he said, adding that Nitish Kumar brings acceptability and adds legitimacy to any alliance he joins. Whether Nitish Kumar can work his magic one last time and silence the naysayers is keeping all the political pundits guessing.
