Monday, December 29, 2025

Soft-spoken Saini played a pivotal role in tipping the scales

By
Tehelka WebDesk
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The script for the BJP’s stunning Haryana win was penned by none other than PM Modi when he replaced CM Khattar with Nayab Saini, an OBC leader. Saini pacified sarpanches and ensured that public grievances were redressed at special camps held by DCs.  A report by Pawan Kumar Bansal

Prime Minister Narender Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s strategy worked and lotus bloomed in Haryana for the third consecutive term by overcoming strong anti-incumbency sentiments. The Congress, which was hopeful of forming the government, by riding the anti-incumbency wave paid the price for remaining a divided-house.

Meanwhile, the Congress has alleged “glaring discrepancies“ related to some EVMs in the polls. The party spokesman, Jairam Ramesh, has described Haryana results as “murder of democracy” and Rahul Gandhi has commented that he had got complaints of electoral malpractices from so many of their candidates. He however added that they would continue the fight for social and economic justice and truth and keep raising their voice. A top delegation of Congress party comprising former CMs Bhupinder Singh Höoda and Ashok Gehlot, Haryana Congress Chief Uday Bhan and other senior leaders, including KC Venugopal, Jairam Ramesh, Ajay Maken and Pawan Khera met Election Commission’s officials and handed a memorandum alleging “glaring discrepancies“ related to some EVMs in the polls while demanding probe.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi while congratulating the people of Haryana has commented that people of Haryana have reposed faith in the double engine Haryana government. Although a few days ago, a confident Haryana CM Nayab Saini and party’s face in the election had proclaimed victory adding that system was with them. The election results have proved that it was a bi-polar contest between BJP and Congress.

Sensing strong anti-incumbency sentiment prevailing in the state, Narender Modi, who knows the nitty-gritty of Haryana politics, and Union Home Minister Amit Shah had taken over the command. The script for victory was penned by Modi when he replaced CM Manohar Lal with Nayab Saini, a leader from the Other Backward Classes (OBC) with a significant population in the state.  Soft-spoken and easily accessible to people and party-workers, contrary to his predecessor Manohar Lal’s style, Nayab Saini succeeded in winning confidence and support of party workers. He pacified sarpanches and ensured that grievances of the people, particularly relating to mistakes in property IDs and Parivar Pahchan Patras are rectified at special camps at district level under the chairmanship of deputy commissioners.

Not only this, as part of the strategy, Manohar Lal was kept away during the campaign and even his posters were not considered good for use during the election campaign. Modi and Shah projected Nayab Saini as party’s CM face while BJP selected party candidates strictly on winnability critirea. The Congress, on the other hand, gave free hand to the former CM Bhupinder Singh Hooda, who managed a major chunk of tickets for his supporters by bypassing even Deepak Bavaria, the party’s incharge of Haryana who admitted that he failed to get tickets even for loyal Congressmen. He was heckled by the party workers and was admitted to hospital.

Hooda succeeded in denial of ticket to Dr Ajay Chaudhary, a close aide of senior leader Kumari Selja from Narnaund constituency which annoyed her no end. The alleged casteist remarks by the supporters of Höoda against Selja added fuel to fire and she suddenly stopped campaigning for the party. Although both were present in the rally addressed by Rahul Gandhi and they held hands together with Rahul Gandhi but much damage had already been done. Shikhir Gupta, data-scientist, has described the total surrender of the party high-command before Bhupinder Singh Höoda in distribution of tickets as the main reason for Congress’ defeat, adding that it gave an impression that Congress is dominated by only one leader and one caste.

The Aam Adami Party, which contested all the ninety seats lost security deposits of its candidates in large number of constituencies. Election results are significant as about a dozen ministers of Nayab Saini have bitten the dust.

Meanwhile, for the first time, the family members of former CM, Bhajan Lal (Bhavya Bishnoi) lost from Adampur constituency which has always been family’s stronghold. Bijender Singh, former MP and son of former Union Minister Birender Singh, who had joined politics after quitting his job as an IAS officer of Haryana suffered a heartbreaking loss as he lost by a razor-thin margin of 34 votes from Uchana assembly constituency. Dushyant Chautala, former Deputy CM, also lost from Uchana. Savitri Jindal of Jindal steels Limited won from Hisar as an independent candidate and has now given support to BJP. Her son, Navin Jindal is BJP MP.

Awaiting a pro-people regime amid Myanmar junta’s crackdown

By
Nava Thakuria
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While the ruling junta in Mynamar plans for a national election by next year, the electoral process in the country has remained mired in controversy since its independence in 1948. Civil society groups see this move as a ploy for false legitimacy and hoax democracy.  A report by Nava Thakuria

India’s eastern neighbour Myanmar (also known as Burma and Brahmadesh) today faces a civil war following a military coup on 1 February 2021, which was orchestrated by General Min Aung Hlaing to dethrone democratically elected Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy (NLD) government in Naypyitaw.

The Buddhist majority nation is still under military rule despite escalating protests across the South Asian country. Lately, the anti-junta agitation turned violent where the civilians taking up arms to bolster the resistance efforts of various minority armed outfits.

They have systematically targeted the armed forces and their close relatives in response to military atrocities on the Burmese civilians. Since the military coup, over 5,500 civilians have been killed, nearly 27,000 arrested and more than 3.3 million have been displaced. The junta soldiers created a reign of terror with relentless airstrikes on populated areas, setting many villages and urban localities on fire across the country of 55 million people. But it has not deterred the resistance forces from attacking the military bases in many localities and many towns have already gone under the control of armed groups.

Many bases were even abandoned by the soldiers and some soldiers even joined the anti-junta forces. A number of towns, precisely bordering India, have gone under the control of armed groups.
Even though the junta has gradually lost control over the entire land and its people, it plans for a national election by next year. The junta-controlled Union Election Commission also already started preliminary preparations for the polls including a countrywide census. However, the electoral process in the ethnically-diverged country remains doubtful since its independence in 1948. The powerful armed forces often dictate the political leadership where the military-drafted 2008 Constitution made the situation more critical for the pro-democracy activists, as it reserved a sizable number of seats in Parliament and regional assemblies for the military persons and their associates.
Amending the Constitution still becomes difficult as the country continues to be ruled by the junta and by different batches from time to time. Unless there is a crack in the military fraternity and their political standing, Myanmar will not be able to modify the Constitution and hence it may not be possible to conduct a free, fair and participatory election both in national and regional levels. So a free, fair and participatory election to form a stable and progressive regime in the poverty-stricken country under the ill-designed Constitution cannot be expected at this moment.
Progressive Voice, an umbrella organization of pro-democracy civil society groups, recently claimed that the military junta is teetering on the brink of collapse and the ‘sham election is nothing more than its desperate ploy for false legitimacy and hoax democracy’. It expressed anger that certain international actors like China, Thailand, Russia, Laos and India are backing the junta’s hoax election plan, which is like insulting the unprecedented sacrifices and tireless efforts of the people’s resistance movement to build a new federal democratic in Myanmar. This problematic approach will only allow the junta to continue to terrorize the people and bring the country back under military tyranny, asserted the organization.
“In reality, it is not remotely possible for the junta to hold a vote, given the lack of control it has in large parts of the country.  Any sustainable solution for Myanmar’s crisis and for the achievement of sustainable peace must be identified, agreed on, and led by the people of Myanmar while international actors must rally all its support behind the Myanmar people. They are committed to break the vicious cycle of violence and impunity and no longer seek to resume the pre-2021 democratic transition façade. Instead, the people are pursuing a genuine change to form a federal democratic regime, which is equal, sustainable, and inclusive in nature,” said Khin Ohmar, founder & chairperson of Progressive Voice.
However, India has to deal with the situation carefully as the country’s north-eastern region shares a land border of over 1,600 kilometers with Myanmar along with a 700 km maritime boundary in the Bay of Bengal. New Delhi has also invested in the Kaladan Multi-Modal Transit Transport Project, which is identified as a major development initiative inside Myanmar with an aim to connect the land-locked northeast India with the port in Sittwe, the capital of Arakan State. Moreover, New Delhi is also looking for the India-Myanmar-Thailand highway for connectivity and business.
It’s widely assumed that a pro-people democratic regime will be installed in the land of Golden Pagod soon for their own interest as well as the entire western part of the south Asian region.  

Supreme Court to consider plea for Jammu and Kashmir statehood restoration

By
Tehelka WebDesk
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The Supreme Court of India (SC) has agreed to consider hearing a plea seeking the time-bound restoration of statehood for Jammu and Kashmir. The apex court had earlier upheld the abrogation of Article 370 and directed that assembly elections be held in the region by September 2024.

On October 17, a bench led by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud, along with Justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra, responded to a request for an urgent hearing made by senior advocate Gopal Sankaranarayanan. 

“There is a Miscellaneous Application (MA) for restoring statehood. It was noted in the judgment that this should be time-bound,” Sankaranarayanan told the court. The CJI replied, “I will deal with it.”

Sankaranarayanan is representing Jammu and Kashmir academic Zahoor Ahmad Bhat and socio-political activist Khurshaid Ahmad Malik, who are petitioning for immediate directions to the Centre to restore the region’s statehood.

The plea highlights that although the Solicitor General had previously assured the court that statehood would be restored, no steps have been taken in the past 10 months. The petition warns that further delays could harm the federal structure of the country.

In December 2023, the Supreme Court upheld the abrogation of Article 370, which had granted special status to Jammu and Kashmir. During that ruling, the court emphasized that statehood for the region should be restored “at the earliest.”

Maharashtra polls: BJP woos Dalits, Buddhists, dispels opposition’s disinformation on reservation

By
Nitin Mahajan
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Learning from its mistakes in Lok Sabha polls and elated after the Haryana Assembly elections win, the Bharatiya Janata Party has implemented its plans to expand the party’s voter base, targeting the significant Buddhist Dalit community in Maharashtra.

Apart from micro-managing its traditional voters, the party has been making significant outreach towards the Buddhists and Dalits in the state. And for that the party has deployed senior Union Minister Kiren Rijiju to work on the false narratives forged against the saffron party for years. 

A tribal Buddhist himself, Rijiju has been on the ground for almost three months in the state meeting the leaders, voters and influential people of the community. 

“There was a time when the Opposition had created a narrative against BJP for being anti-Dalit and anti-Ambedkar. The minister has worked with the people to show them what Jawahar Lal Nehru’s Congress did to Baba Saheb Ambedkar despite Mahatma Gandhi saying that the Central Cabinet can’t be complete without Ambedkar,” said a source. 

There had been instances ahead of the Lok Sabha polls wherein a narrative was spread by the opposition parties regarding BJP’s alleged plan to remove reservation from the Constitution. This had reportedly led to a backlash by the community against the BJP, causing it to lose Dalit community votes across the nation, leading to the saffron front’s worst ever performance in the past three general elections.  

The most significant aspect of the outreach by the party is to dispel the disinformation campaign being propagated by the opposition that BJP is planning to do away with reservation. In fact, it has been shown, with evidence from the historical archives, that Congress top brass never supported reservation, sources said.  

“Coming from someone of their own community, the outreach is expected to have more impact when Rijiju talks about the party and Narendra Modi government’s plans for the community. The message being sent across is that Lord Buddha wasn’t a non-Hindu. He got Nirvana and thus Buddhism came into being,” a senior leader said.

“Buddhism is not against Hindu tenets of life. Why should they hate Hinduism? There is intent to explain to the community that if they didn’t get respect and were alienated, it was because of social ills propagated by certain parties to divide the country,” the leader added.

The outreach for wooing the Buddhist Dalits in Maharashtra is significant as there are over 1.5 crore Scheduled Caste voters in the state and out of these Buddhist Dalits number about one crore.

The total population of the community is 10 percent and it impacts 200 seats out of 288 Assembly seats in the state and are spread across various regions including Marathwada, Latur, Vidharbha and Mumbai, said the source. 

All 288 constituencies in Maharashtra Assembly are scheduled to go for polls in a single phase on November 20, and the counting of votes will be done on November 23.

‘Make me CM again’ Kejriwal makes an emotional appeal to Delhi voters

By
Tehelka WebDesk
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New Delhi: Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convener Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday made an emotional appeal to Delhi voters to re-elect him as the Chief Minister in the upcoming Assembly elections.

The legislator from the New Delhi Assembly constituency accused the BJP of conspiring to halt development in the national capital and sought public support to defeat it.

In a letter addressed to Delhiites, Kejriwal hit out at the BJP, claiming that he was jailed for five months not because he indulged in corruption but due to his efforts to improve the city’s infrastructure and services.

“I believe you will re-elect the AAP government in Delhi to continue all the work. With your vote, I will again take on the responsibility of Chief Minister and continue to work for you as before, ” he wrote in Hindi.

“They kept me in jail for five months. Why did they arrest me? When you know the real reason, you will be shocked. Everyone knows that I haven’t committed any corruption. Kejriwal cannot indulge in corruption. So why did they arrest me? It’s because of the work I’m doing for you in Delhi and the services I’m providing, that they wanted to stop. They arrested me to halt these services, ” said Kejriwal.

The former Delhi Chief Minister argued that the BJP is envious of the work done in the capital as they are “unable to replicate” similar achievements in other states.

“I have done such work in Delhi that has never been done before in the country. They have governments in 22 states, but they are unable to replicate the work done in Delhi. People in those states have started asking them why similar work isn’t being done there. They don’t have an answer, ” he stated.

Kejriwal claimed that after AAP’s success in Punjab, the BJP plotted to block the party’s good work in Delhi.

The BJP is afraid that if the AAP continues to expand its influence nationwide, it could become a threat to it, he said.

“For the past 10 years, they have tried to stop Delhi’s work through the LG, but I didn’t let any of your work get stopped. I am educated, and having been an officer in the government, I know how to get things done. When they failed in that, they arrested me, ” he said.

Accusing the BJP of attempting to harm his health while he was in jail, Kejriwal alleged, “They were so afraid of my good work that they made every effort in jail to prevent me from coming out healthy. They stopped my medication. I’m a diabetic and have been taking insulin injections four times a day for the past ten years. They stopped my injections in jail, which could have damaged my kidneys and even caused my death.”

The former Delhi CM further emphasised that while he was imprisoned, numerous developmental works, such as road repairs, sewer cleaning, and improvement in water supply, were halted. However, he assured the people that all halted works would be resumed.

“Their conspiracy failed again, but now they are planning to somehow come to power and stop all the work in Delhi, ” he warned, adding that it was now up to the people to prevent this from happening.

He also painted a grim picture of what could happen if the BJP came to power in Delhi.

“They will first stop your free electricity. Power cuts, which used to happen before our government, will return. They will ruin government schools and hospitals. Mohalla Clinics will be shut down. Free medicines, tests, and treatments will be discontinued. Your free water supply will be stopped. Free bus rides for women will end. Senior citizens’ pilgrimages will be cancelled. The ‘Farishte’ scheme, which provides free treatment to accident victims, will be terminated, ” he wrote.

Kejriwal accused the BJP of leaving the 22 states under their rule in “shambles, ” with long power cuts, expensive utilities, and deteriorating government schools and hospitals.

“I went to jail only for you. If I hadn’t done all this work for you and provided you with these services, they would have never sent me to jail. If Manish Sisodia hadn’t built good schools for your children, he would never have gone to jail. If Satyendar Jain hadn’t arranged free medicines and treatment for you in Mohalla Clinics and hospitals, he would never have gone to jail, ” Kejriwal wrote, referring to his party colleagues.

“I, Manish, and Satyendar went to jail for you – and we have no regrets. Our entire lives are dedicated to the country and society. But what concerns us is that the work we have done with hard work and honesty over the past ten years, along with you, should not be stopped now, ” he added.

Concluding his letter, Kejriwal urged the people of Delhi to vote for AAP to protect the progress made in the city.

“You can only save the work being done in Delhi and the facilities you are receiving with the power of your vote. I am confident that together, we will defeat the BJP’s conspiracy to stop the work in Delhi in the upcoming Assembly elections, ” he said.

Global silence prevails as Palestine tragedy unfolds

By
Humra Quraishi
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It’s hard to believe that we still perpetuate the hyped propaganda of peace forums and platforms! None of the so-called world leaders have shown any urgency for a ceasefire or even for truce talks. by Humra Quraishi

Once again, we are focusing on the human tragedies unfolding in the Middle East. With Lebanon now on the hit list of Israel’s military might, one is left asking: Where are the superpowers? Why don’t we see a united world front, taking on the violence and killings? Where are the political rulers? Can’t they hear human cries! Can’t they see dead forms of babies and adults and the elderly? Can’t they see buildings and homes and hearths destroyed? Can’t they visualize the offshoots? Can’t they grasp the far reaching consequences of the ongoing killings?

The havoc and destruction continue in and around Gaza, with killings devastating the Palestinian population and ongoing tragedies unfolding. When all they want is to live on their own homeland, which was robbed off them and with that they were made to sit like hapless refugees on their own land. Today even that basic right to survive seems ripped off, snatched from them, as hundreds are dying, if not already dead!

It gets difficult to even describe its impact on psyches…that is, of those left alive, destined to witness the mass killings! And if one were to see shots and videos of hundreds of the Palestinian children killed in Gaza, then words cannot describe the turmoil and pain hitting the very soul.

It’s hard to believe that we humans, living in a supposedly developed and civilised world, still perpetuate the hyped propaganda of peace forums and platforms! None of the so-called world leaders showed any urgency for a ceasefire or even for truce talks. Tell me, how many more will perish in targeted attacks before the ongoing killings can be halted. Though most of the political rulers of the world are fathers and grandfathers, they seem little bothered about the ongoing killings and deaths in Gaza. Is this the so-called developed world? Is this the world that talks of peace? Is this world fit enough for humans to survive in, where even infants and new-born children are not spared?

As fears and apprehensions grow of Palestinians getting hounded from their very own homeland, it is absolutely urgent that there ought to be an immediate  halt to these  killings and targeted onslaughts on the  hapless civilian population in and around  Gaza and  Lebanon and along the borders. An immediate ceasefire and truce talks are urgently needed.

Today, it is shocking to see the balancing acts of the rulers of the day. Several heads of State have rather openly and blatantly even sided with Israel; perhaps, because of the rather too obvious expansionist plans. But in their synthetic speeches these rulers should confine their preferences to themselves and to their governments. Why drag the masses? After all, the masses are not naïve and are mature enough to see the brutalities and killings spreading out. They are also well aware of the just and legitimate demand of the Palestinians. 

Each time I see shots and videos  of  hundreds killed in explosions,  homes  and  buildings bombarded, dying  children and  fleeing  families, entire settlements  razed to the  ground, one can’t help but wonder: who all are behind these mass scale killings… annihilating humanity in every possible way?

Noam Chomsky

And as Noam Chomsky detailed during the  course of an interview  with me – “In  the  Reagan  years  alone,  the US-sponsored state  terrorists in Central America left hundreds  of thousands  of tortured and  mutilated corpses, millions orphaned  and four countries in ruins. In the same year, western-backed South African depredations killed 1.5 million people. I  need  not  speak  of  West Asia or  much  else…All  of  this, however, is barred from the  annals of  terrorism by a simple device, the term ‘terrorism’ like  most  terms of  political  discourse  has two  meanings  –  a  literal one and a propagandistic one. Needless to add that the propagandistic version is preferred and pursued by the US.  Terrorism is terrorism that is directed against the US and its friends and allies.” Chomsky also drew  parallels between the US and the Nazis, “The  Nazis, for   example, bitterly condemned terrorism and conducted what they called counter-terrorism  against  terrorist  partisans. The  US basically agreed and it organized and conducted  similar counter  terrorism in the post war years.”

Asfandyar Wali Khan

And during  the  course of an earlier interview with me, Khan Abdul Ghaffar  Khan’s  grandson, Asfandyar Wali Khan, had  come up with this rather simplistic and uncomplicated  explanation to the growing turmoil in today’s world:  “ If you have two badmashes (bad guys! ) in a  village it’s okay, because the two will be busy settling scores with each other. But there will be chaos and confusion if there is only one badmash left! That’s the trouble in today’s world. There is only one badmash left! Also, where’s the leadership of calibre in today’s Muslim world…”  He had also detailed that religion was  used by  Americans  in Afghanistan to create their  base, otherwise Afghan  struggles had  been  based  on  nationalism and not religion. “Also, the ongoing atrocities against the Palestinians are  hurting  the Muslims the world over. Post 9/11, the situations in Iraq and Afghanistan are  being looked at as if they are similar, which is not the  case. The true  essence and meaning  of  Islam is being overshadowed  in this  chaos which is  unfortunate, for  Islam stands  for   justice and   peace.… it’s a known fact that way back in early 90s, madrasas and other religious  institutions had been set  up along the Afghan- Pakistan  borders,  by the  CIA under the various camouflages.”

And  if one were  to  focus on Latin  American countries, it’s best to grasp what the well-known Mexican writer and columnist Juan Miguel De Mora had to tell me during  the  course of an interview whilst he was  visiting New Delhi  in 2004. When I had  queried about the US,  he began by quoting two former Mexican  presidents: “Mexican  president General  Porfirio  Diaz had  said way back (he was president till 1910) ‘Poor Mexico so far from God and so close to the US.’ Then, another Mexican President  – Adolfo Lopez  Mateos  had  said that  the  biggest problem faced  by  Mexico is  ‘the  US.’ Together with that, Mora came  up with  his own comments: “But  in  my  opinion both Mexican presidents  were too diplomatic. President’s Bush‘s democracy is like Stalin’s and I have been writing in my columns that Bush’s policies are a danger to humanity.” 

And in 2001, I asked Libya’s erstwhile ruler, Colonel Muammar Gaddafi’s son, Saif  al-Islam, to comment on the ‘terror tags’ heaped by the western powers on his father and  on his government, along the strain that they are funding  terror groups. He had told me, “It all depends on your perception. Many liberation leaders were viewed as being terrorists but later, they became heroes. In the sense, when Nelson Mandela was in trouble we helped him out, when Mugabe was having problems we helped him too, so does that mean we helped terrorist outfits!  Mind you, both these men fought liberation wars and later emerged as heroes. In fact, in my own country’s war for liberation from the Italians, we lost about three-quarters of our population, so realize the problems involved …it’s all a matter of perception and image.”

Who all are lacing or equipping Israel with arms is another of the factors we don’t wish to dwell on.

In this context, let’s try to focus on these two very significant and revealing news reports! In May 2024, news reports hit:  the Spanish Foreign Minister said that the country had refused permission to a ship carrying arms from Chennai to Israel to dock at one of its ports. According to Spanish media, the Denmark-flagged cargo ship Marianne Danica which sailed from Chennai on April 8 and was headed to the port of Haifa in Israel. To quote from news reports – A second cargo ship that had departed India was denied entry on May 21 to the port of Cartagena. A Spanish newspaper, El Pais reported that the Marianne Danica left from India’s port of Chennai and was en route to Israel’s port of Haifa with a cargo of 27 tonnes of explosives. Minister of Foreign Affairs Jose Manuel Albares confirmed in a news conference that the vessel was denied entry on the grounds that it was shipping military cargo to Israel.

And  in June  2024,  several  news reports surfaced which  more than indicate that on June 6, in the aftermath of Israel’s bombing of a United Nations shelter at the Nuseirat refugee camp in Gaza, the Quds News Network released a video of the remains of a missile dropped by Israeli warplanes – with ‘Made in India’  labels on it!

*****

Leaving you with verse of the Palestinian poet Mahmoud Darwish:

“The war will end/

The leaders will shake hands/

The old woman will keep waiting for her martyred/son/

The girl will wait for her beloved husband/

And those children will wait for their hero father/

I don’t know who sold our homeland/

But I saw who paid the price.”

“He is quiet and so am I./

He is quiet and so am I./

He sips tea with lemon, while I drink coffee./

That’s the difference between us./”

“I think: Maybe he’s a killer…/

or maybe a passerby who thinks/

I am a killer./

He’s afraid…and so am I./”

Storms, geopolitics, and the turbulent US Presidency race

By
Gopal Misra
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A meager financial support of USD 750 given to the victims of Hurricane Helene has raised hackles. Republican presidential nominee Trump mocked that while the US could afford to fund the Ukraine war, it had little resources for the relief work – by Gopal Misra

The citizens of two countries, the world’s most powerful country, the US, and Nepal, perhaps one of the least developed countries, who recently suffered cyclone and floods, respectively share common agony. Their governments failed to provide adequate relief. If the Nepalese suffered the fury of the Himalayan river, Gandak, Americans faced hurricane, Helene.

The flood victims of Nepal suffered due to the paucity of resources, but the apathy of the Biden Administration was too pronounced in helping the victims of hurricane Helene, which recently hit Florida. The financial support of USD 750 doled out during the visit of the US Vice-President Kamala Harris, the Democratic Party nominee in the forthcoming presidential poll scheduled next month, reminds one of the charity being offered to the hapless people of an African country.

The cyclone has destroyed hundreds of residences mostly without any insurance cover, more than 250 succumbed and a large number of people await medical assistance. With the siphoning off of more than 20 billion USD to Ukraine for continuing its conflict with Russia, the Biden administration has little resources for the relief work, claims a spokesman of Donald Trump, a former US President, contesting against Kamala Harris as a Republican nominee. Meanwhile, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has stated that it has little resources to help the victims of the dreaded Milton hurricane, which may hit the US anytime in October.

Both Kamala Harris and Donald Trump have different political agendas. The Democratic Party represents the interests of the most influential section of the US, the military-industrial complex (MIC), which supports American military intervention in any conflict. On the other hand, Donald Trump is for focusing more on the economy than indulging in the gunboat policy. During his earlier tenure in the White House, Trump had signed peace with the Afghan Talibans. His successor, Joe Biden, withdrew the Americans forces in a humiliating way, but suddenly supported Ukraine, which has been facing Russian aggression. It is also believed that Russia, which was being tormented by the US-led NATO powers and their proxies, was finally provoked to protect the Russian speaking population in Ukraine by the military intervention.

The much-trumpeted myth of invincibility of America would be further shattered when the hurricane, Milton, developed in the Gulf Mexico, would be causing havoc this month. The US Administration is yet to gear up its resources to meet the impending disaster likely to hit the states like Carolina and Georgia in October.

The two rivals, Kamala Harris and Donald Trump, who can hardly be said to have the qualities of a statesman, have suddenly attracted the attention of the people across the continents. One of them, who finally occupies White House, would be deciding the future of the wars or conflicts from Eastern Europe to Central Asia in 2025.

The recent partisan approach of a section of the American media towards the presidential candidates also dismantles the claim of their independence. The western media, always claiming an ardent supporter of democracy, has recently been seen supporting the Islamic radicals in Bangladesh and the eviction of an elected government by military. Their support of Kamala Harris, a nominee of the industrial-military complex causes suspicion. She has obtained the Democratic Party’s nomination even without the support of the primaries in states and also reveals the entrenched vested interests in the American political system. The support to Kamala Harris by channels like CNN and some newspapers should not be surprising.

World-wide anxiety

The decline of the democratic norms in the US is being keenly watched. It is not only the inability of rescuing the disaster-hit people, but also the behavior of some immigrants. On September 26, the New Hampshire Attorney General, John Formella indicted Joshua Urovitch, 56, and his wife Lisa, 54, with three felony counts of wrongful voting. It is not known whether the Joshua’s were inspired by some Indian voters. Recently, a young voter, Rajan Singh, was caught voting for the BJP nominee for Parliament three times.

The key economic issues such as the revival of domestic manufacturing of finished products is also attracting attention in the election campaign. The powerful lobbies representing the industrial-military complex and the US-owned trans-nationals using China as a manufacturing hub have rallied against Trump, who is for promoting domestic entrepreneurs.

It may be recalled that the legendary American President, D. Eisenhower, in his farewell address on January 17, 1961 had cautioned the dangers of the industrial-military complex. More than six decades later, it is relevant even today.

The Fundamental Issues

The shifting of the manufacturing of finished goods to China by the US and its allies in the West has created a Frankenstein in the geo-politics. This policy has benefited the multinational corporations, but it has denied jobs to millions of youths in the country. They are surviving on the non-employment allowances being doled out by the US government.

Another issue, which needs to be tackled, perhaps, is how to rein-in the industrial-military  complex. It has been occupying the center- stage of the American state since the conclusion of World War-II. During the post WW-II years, the US became the leader of the erstwhile colonial powers of Europe. Interestingly, the USSR, which had played a crucial role in defeating Germany, became the new enemy of the West. During the 1990s, however, the US became the only Superpower following the collapse of the USSR. It enabled the industrial-military complex to be more assertive in the American political system. It could conspire with the allies and the deep state i.e. CIA for triggering conflicts in the inflammable regions of West Asia and East Europe.

In this backdrop, the forthcoming election in which Kamala Harris is locked in a battle with Donald Trump has become more significant for the American electorate as well as for the people across the regions.

The War Games

It is difficult to spell out who is being befooled in the geo-politics, especially when US politics is undergoing a churning process in quest of new perspective. Since 1971, the US-led West has been supporting China against the USSR, but China’s rise as a formidable economic power in recent years appears to have upset Washington’s previous calculations.

The world is witnessing brainstorming strategies being adopted by the US and China in the global power game. The American presidential election is witnessing these subtle challenges.

The Chinese have adopted Wei as a state strategy to move forward, make substantial inroads in the enemy territories and as soon as the retaliation begins ask for peace. In the US poll, the Chinese proxies have rallied around the Democrats, whether they influence American media, academia, immigrants and the Black.

It had begun during seventies, the then US President, Richard Nixon, and his National Security Advisor, Henry Kissinger, not only befriended Mao Zedong, but also the pure Marxists were turned into ardent supporters of the US and against their ardent supporter, Communist Party of Soviet Union. Beijing first conspired against the USSR; it branded Nikita Khurshev, the party’s general secretary and his colleagues as revisionists, but within a decade it became the closest ally of the Western capitalism.

The successive myopic American Administrations have not only been hobnobbing with the fascists of Beijing, but also abandoned the democratic forces in Tibet, Myanmar, Pakistan and now in Bangladesh.

Beijing has successfully transformed its authoritarian Communist system into a formidable capitalist regime. Beijing has improved upon the British East India Company. It has set up a large number of companies having a common agenda to replace the US as the Superpower and control the European powers. It also goes to the credit of China that it has adopted the American tactics of supporting the Islamic fundamentalists as well as the under-privileged people of America, especially the Black population.

It indicates the Chinese stakes in the presidential poll. On the other hand, Trump is being accused of being pro-Russia for opposing conflicts from Europe to West Asia. In this context, the forthcoming presidential election in the US is drawing global attention.

Two celebrated sportswomen clinch seats in Haryana House

By
Rajesh Moudgil
-

It is for the first time that two of the four acclaimed sportspersons, both women, fielded by different political parties in the recently held assembly election, won their respective seats and made it to the 90-member Haryana assembly.  A report by Rajesh Moudgil

While the BJP has scripted a history by winning the state assembly election for the third consecutive time with its best showing till date, it is also for the first time that two famed sportspersons, both women, have made it to the state assembly. In all, there were four sportspersons in the fray for the 90-member assembly.

The ace Olympian wrestler Vinesh Phogat, who won from Julana seat on Congress ticket while, Arti Rao, an international skeet shooter, won from Ateli seat on BJP ticket. Arti, is daughter of Union minister Rao Inderjit Singh. It was their debut electoral battle for both of them. While Julana was the most watched fight because of Vinesh, the stakes were also high at Ateli where Arti fought a battle of prestige as her father and Union minister Rao Inderjit is the tallest Ahir leader.

Vinesh who defeated BJP’s Capt Yogesh Bairagi, a former commercial pilot, by 6,015 votes, also faced sitting Jannayak Janta Party (JJP) MLA Amarjit Dhanda and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) nominee Kavita Dal, also a well-known former WWE player, besides others.

It may be recalled that Vinesh along with another Olympian wrestler and Padma Shri recipient Bajrang Punia had recently joined Congress; while Vinesh was given a party ticket, Bajrang was appointed as the working president of All Indian Kisan Congress.

Both of them were in news for leading the wrestlers’ protest over sexual harassment charges against former senior BJP MP and the then Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, last year. They were backed by two-time chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda and his MP son Deepender Hooda.

A graduate from Delhi University and an international rifle shooter who represented India for 18 years in international events, Arti too faced a neck-and-neck fight with his immediate rival BSP’s candidate Attar Lal and won by a narrow margin of 3,085 votes.

The fourth sportsperson in the fray this election, who, like Kavita Dalal, also failed to make it to the state assembly, was Deepak Hooda, former captain of national Kabaddi team, a BJP candidate from Meham seat.

Notably, it was not the first time that the sportspersons had tried their hands in the electoral fights as in the past also, several medal-winning sportspersons – who had done well on the world sports arena – had taken a political plunge, though there were only a few success stories.

In the 2019 assembly elections, the 2008 Olympic bronze winning boxer Vijender Singh had unsuccessfully contested from South Delhi seat on Congress ticket; In the 2019 Haryana assembly election the same year, the 2014 Commonwealth Games gold medalist wrestler Babita Phogat had entered politics and lost her debut contest from Dadri seat as a BJP nominee. The famed wrestler, Yogeshwar Dutt fought the 2019 assembly election from Baroda seat and again in 2020 by-election from there on BJP ticket, but lost on both the occasions.

The only exception in 2019, however, was the former national hockey captain Sandeep Singh who successfully fought the 2019 assembly election from Pehowa seat on BJP ticket and was made sports minister in the then Manohar Lal Khattar government. He had, however, resigned from the sports portfolio after a case of sexual harassment was registered against him on a complaint by a woman coach. He was denied a party ticket this October election.

Earlier, Krishna Poonia, the Commonwealth Games gold medalist in discus-throw, who hailed from Haryana and had successfully fought an election on Congress ticket from Sadulpur seat in Rajasthan in 2018, had but lost to Olympic silver medallist Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore in 2019 Lok Sabha election from Jaipur (rural) seat.

Also, in 2009, former Indian cricketer Chetan Sharma had unsuccessfully contested from Faridabad on the BSP ticket.

Pertinently in the neighbouring Punjab, former Indian hockey captain Pargat Singh, who is a sitting Congress MLA, has won the third term in a row from Jalandhar Cantt seat.

Regional satraps bite the dust; AAP stays a non-starter in Haryana

By
Rajesh Moudgil
-

The script for the BJP’s stunning Haryana win was penned by none other than PM Modi when he replaced CM Khattar with Nayab Saini, an OBC leader. Saini pacified sarpanches and ensured that public grievances were redressed at special camps held by DCs.  A report by Rajesh moudgil

The results of the October 5 Haryana assembly election which came on October 8, could not have been more damaging for Jannayak Janta Party (JJP) and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), which prior to the results, claimed they would play the role of king-maker after the results; While both of these parties failed to failed to even open their account, another regional party, Indian National Dal (INLD), which once ruled Haryana, has got just two seats.

What is worse is that the top leaders of the JJP and INLD, Dushyant Chautala and Abhay Chautala, respectively, faced a brutal drubbing in their respective seats; while Dushyant fared poorly in Uchana Kalan seat, Abhay lost his home turf Ellenabad seat. Sushil Gupta, president of AAP, Haryana, who had faced humiliating defeat in his Kurukshetra seat in the recently held Lok Sabha election, did not fight this assembly polls.

The JJP which was a partner in the BJP government till March this year, has had its worst-ever performance with only about 0.9% vote share this election. Its vote share in 2019 was 14.84% when its 10 MLAs had made it to the state assembly. While all its candidates bit the dust this time, it was such an embarrassing defeat for the party that its top leader, Dushyant Chautala, himself was trounced as he finished fifth from Uchana Kalan seat. He mustered just 7,950 votes and finished at a poor fifth position. The BJP candidate won this seat by a margin of just 32 votes defeating Congress’ Brijendra Singh.

The BJP had won 40 seats in the 2019 assembly election and thus failed to secure a majority in the House of 90. The Dushyant Chautala-led JJP – a splinter outfit of INLD – had 10 MLAs and stitched a post-election alliance with BJP. Dushyant was made deputy chief minister in the chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar-led BJP government.

The AAP, which has its government in Delhi and Punjab, failed to open its account in Haryana, which happens to be the home state of Kejriwal. The AAP could get only 1.79% vote while only one out of its total 90 candidates could secure his deposit.

Another opposition party, the INLD, could win just two seats as the party garnered just 4.14% votes; Abhay Chautala’s son, Arjun won from Rania seat and Aditya, also from Chautala clan, won from Dabwali. The vote share of INLD in 2019 was 2.44% when Abhay was the only INLD candidate to win in the state. In 2014 assembly polls, INLD had won 19 seats and 31 in 2009.

Notably, as many as eight members of the Chautala clan contested this election, and six of them were trounced. Ranjit Chautala, Abhay Chautala, Dushyant Chautala, Digvijay Chautala, Naina Chautala and Sunaina Chautala were among the losers.

For the record, the ruling BJP has scripted a history by scoring a hat-trick with its best showing bagging 48 seats in the October 5 state assembly polls, and its main rival, the Congress, finished with 37 seats out of the total 90 seats.

However, while the AAP leaders, who did not want to be named, blamed Congress for the defeat giving example of several seats where Congress candidates lost by a thin margin, and held that BJP could not win the assembly election, had there been an alliance between AAP and Congress – as constituents of INDIA bloc – the INLD leaders held that the Congress had played as a “B’’ team of BJP in this election to make each other’s candidates win.

While the BJP, which had an OBC CM face, had got non-Jat votes, as SC votes which were to go to Congress were also divided among Congress, INLD and JJP, which had alliance with BSP and Azad Samaj Party (Kanshi Ram), respectively, pollsters held.

Meanwhile, all the three independent candidates who had won the Haryana assembly election have extended their support to the ruling BJP. Savitri Jindal, who is country’s richest woman and mother of BJP MP from Kurukshetra Naveen Jindal, who had rebelled against the saffron party after she was denied ticket from Hisar, had fought as an independent and won, has extended her support to the BJP.

The other two independents who have also supported BJP after the election, are Devender Kadiyan and Rajesh Joon. While the former fought from Gannaur seat, Joon had contested the Bahadurgarh seat. They extended their support to the saffron party after meeting senior BJP leaders, state incharge Dharmendra Pradhan and co-incharge Biplab Dev in New Delhi earlier this week.

Cong faces fire from INDIA block allies after Haryana debacle

By
Mudit Mathur
-

While the BJP is upbeat, the Congress’ humiliating defeat in Haryana has provided the INDIA alliance partners with an opportunity to criticise the alleged arrogance of its key leaders who chose to go solo rather than ally with AAP and SP in the state. A report by Mudit Mathur

The Haryana election results have set the stage for intense electoral battles in the forthcoming polls in Maharashtra, Jharkhand, Delhi and other states, with each party keenly watching to exploit the momentum and lessons learned from the recent polls. The tactical victory with the hat trick of BJP rule despite weathering anti-incumbency exhibited the extraordinarily fine balance of the caste chemistry of Haryana giving a breather of relief to Modi. The rejuvenated Modi showed early signs of bouncing back in upcoming assembly elections reiterating the success of his policies in governance.

Strategically, the Congress missed the golden opportunity and lost the most prestigious elections in the wake of the alleged oppression of the farmers and wrestlers’ movement under the BJP government. There is no doubt that the Congress suffered a major setback on account of its overconfidence and dependence on the supremacy of one regional leader, which aggravated factional differences among its regional leaders proving fatal for the messaging of its leader, Rahul Gandhi about the waning Modi charisma and ethical legitimacy.

The political importance of Haryana is so high that nobody is talking about BJP’s defeat in Jammu and Kashmir where the INDIA alliance is forming a government. The Congress fell short of the majority mark in Haryana by nine seats, winning 37 seats in the 90-member Assembly. The Congress rebels or independents played a significant role in its defeat at 16 seats. The Aam Aadmi Party chief Arvind Kejriwal also made a big dent in the Congress Party, which led to the party losing at least six seats to the BJP.                        

The humiliating defeat of the Congress Party in Haryana gave an opportunity to INDIA alliance partners to attack the alleged arrogance of its prominent leaders who opted to contest alone without entering into a poll pact with its associates like the Aam Admi Party and Samajwadi Party. The Congress leaders failed to contain dissenting leaders who played spoilsport for its official candidates who were mostly handpicked by former Haryana CM Bhupinder Singh Hooda by annoying a larger chunk of leaders from the castes other than the Jat community. The BJP tapped into the silent hurt of these communities as it strategized ticket distribution and employed social engineering.

Haryana results have given a shot in the arm to the BJP and its leaders after suffering a humiliating decline in its seats in the parliamentary elections and thereby clipping the wings of PM Narendra Modi whose freedom to implement the party agenda has been restricted due to politically divergent allies like JD(U) and TDP, who largely enjoy support of Muslim communities.

Belying assessments from pollsters and media commentators, the BJP outweighed anti-incumbency. The consecutive third victory of the Bharatiya Janata Party by securing 48 seats in the state marks the first time a party has been voted back to power three times successfully since Haryana was formed in 1966.

The results put the BJP in an advantageous position for the upcoming assembly elections in Jharkhand and Maharashtra. The Haryana election results may indicate a shift in the political landscape, with the BJP maintaining its strong presence in the state. This could boost the party’s morale and influence voter decisions in upcoming elections.

Maharashtra is the economic capital of the nation with a progressive understanding of political affairs. At the same time, Jharkhand is a backward state with multiple governance problems despite rich natural resources attracting big corporate houses for excavation by displacing tribal people from their land. Rahul Gandhi attracted huge crowds during his “Bharat Jodo Yatra” in both states, promising to protect their rights which helped his party to add more seats in the Lok Sabha elections.

In view of the forthcoming assembly elections, the big challenge before Rahul Gandhi appears to be keeping all the partners of the INDIA alliance together and his regional leaders united under his umbrella.

The INDIA bloc allies have questioned the election strategy of the Congress party after its shocking defeat in the Haryana assembly elections. They said the Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge needs to introspect the strategy of his party before assembly elections in Maharashtra, Jharkhand and Delhi. Seat sharing would be a complex issue among them which they want to settle at the earliest. 

Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut while advising that Congress should learn a lesson from the Haryana polls, said the Congress has lost an easy battle and insisted on declaring the CM face before the polls in Maharashtra. The three parties of the Maha Vikas Aghadi should now jointly declare the face for the post of Chief Minister. Raut said that the Congress thought they would win the Haryana election unilaterally and they didn’t need anyone as he advised that no one in the alliance should think of themselves as big or small brothers.

“The defeat in Haryana is unfortunate. INDIA alliance should have fought as a united front in Haryana. Maybe, that way there would have been a different result. Had Congress formed an alliance with the Samajwadi Party, Aam Aadmi Party, Shiv Sena (UBT), and NCP (SP) and contested the election, then the INDIA alliance would have definitely won. Congress’s egotism made them lose the Haryana elections,” Raut remarked.

Another Shiv Sena-UBT leader Priyanka Chaturvedi said the results of the Haryana elections will not have any impact in Maharashtra, where elections are likely to be held next month. She, however, asked the Congress to recalibrate its election strategy.

AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal took a jibe at the Congress, saying the biggest lesson that can be drawn from the poll debacle is that one shouldn’t be overconfident. His second in command, Manish Sisodia, said the people of Haryana wanted to defeat the BJP in the assembly elections but the Congress failed to win due to problems in their election strategy. AAP also rejected the BJP leader’s assessment that the Haryana results would have an impact on the Delhi polls. 

“The BJP won the Haryana elections in 2014 and 2019, but those results didn’t sway Delhi. Delhi votes for the politics of work, not empty promises. When the BJP seemed ‘invincible’, riding on the ‘Modi Magic’ and winning across the country, it was this ‘nutmeg-sized’ party that handed them historic defeats — twice reducing their seats to single digits. The BJP must understand that Delhi’s heart beats only for Arvind Kejriwal,” AAP stated in a press release.

CPI general secretary D Raja also advised the Congress to do serious introspection over the poll results in Haryana and take along all INDIA bloc partners in the upcoming polls in Maharashtra and Jharkhand.“Congress party will have to do serious introspection. It has to do some self-critical assessment of its strategy and tactics,” he added.

Congress leader Jairam Ramesh advised its allies in Maharashtra to observe coalition dharma. “In Maharashtra, I want to remind you that in the Lok Sabha elections, the Congress was in the first place and ‘coalition dharma’ is that we discuss issues between ourselves and not through the media,” he added. “We are in alliance in Maharashtra, it is our responsibility to strengthen the alliance. We will not say anything about our allies,” he added.

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