Meitei, Kuki groups in Manipur demand release of those arrested by CBI, NIA for role in violence
The Meitei-dominated Imphal Valley remained tense for the third day on Tuesday as organisations demonstrated against the arrest of Ashem Kanan Singh, a leader of Arambai Tenggol, a Meitei radical group.
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Hindustan Times
10 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
BSP bid to woo OBCs to regain lost ground ahead of 2027 polls in U.P.
The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) has launched an outreach programme to mobilise support from the Other Backward Classes (OBCs) in a bid to regain lost ground in Uttar Pradesh ahead of the 2027 assembly elections. BSP state unit president Vishwanath Pal said the party is organising OBC cadre camps in all 403 assembly constituencies across U.P, aiming to win back the support of backward communities that have been the backbone of the party since its inception in 1984. Party leaders and office-bearers have been directed to hold cadre camps in rural areas of each constituency. The district and assembly unit functionaries will reach out to OBC voters and apprise them of the welfare schemes launched by the previous BSP governments, Pal said. He added that the party would also inform OBCs about its future plans for their empowerment if it forms the government in 2027. The progress of these cadre camps will be reviewed monthly at the party's state headquarters. Members of backward communities, including Kurmi, Maurya, Kushwaha, Rajbhar, Pal, Nishad, Nai, Noniya, Bind, Mallah, Gujjar, and Prajapati, have been inducted into the camps. The BSP has also reactivated its 'bhai-chara' committees comprising members of various OBC groups, to consolidate its base among these voters. After losing power in the 2012 assembly elections, BSP president Mayawati attempted to woo Muslim voters. Community leaders were made zonal and divisional coordinators, and Muslim candidates received a lion's share of tickets in the 2014, 2019, and 2024 Lok Sabha elections, as well as in the 2017 and 2022 assembly polls. However, the BSP candidates lost in Muslim-dominated constituencies. Following its defeat in the 2022 assembly and 2024 Lok Sabha elections, Mayawati blamed the Muslim community for the party's dismal performance, stating that they preferred the Samajwadi Party and the Congress to the BSP. Mayawati has now instructed the party to refocus on backward communities. According to Vivek Kumar, a political observer, BSP founder Kanshi Ram worked on the Dalit- OBC formula to spread the Bahujan movement in U.P. The message was that Dalit-OBC could grab power. He got the support of the Kurmi community that was at loggerheads with the Yadavs. Kurmi leaders like Jang Bahadur Patel, Sone Lal Patel, Barkhu Ram Verma, and Lalji Verma joined the BSP, as did Rajbhar leaders like Sukhdev Rajbhar, Om Prakash Rajbhar, Ramachal Rajbhar. Noniya leader Dara Singh Chauhan as well as leaders from Maurya, Kushwaha, Nishad, Nai and Bind communities also came to the party fold, Kumar noted. 'Later, Sone Lal Patel launched Apna Dal and Om Prakash Rajbhar launched the SBSP, but the BSP's hold over the backward communities continued. In the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP projected Narendra Modi as the backward face of the party and worked on the rainbow coalition of upper castes, OBCs and Dalits to break into the BSP's support base. In the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the SP played the PDA (Pichhda, Dalit, Alpsankhyak) card to win over non-Yadav backward communities,' Kumar said. The shift of the OBCs towards the BJP and SP has led to the weakening of the BSP and its defeats in successive elections. To regain the lost base, the BSP leadership is now working to woo the OBCs by organising cadre camps, he added. SK Srivastava, another political analyst, recalled that Kanshi Ram launched the All-India SC, ST, OBC and Minority Employees Association (BAMCEF) in 1971 and the Dalit Shoshit Samaj Sangharsh Samiti (DS4) in 1981 to mobilise support from the SC/ST, OBC and minority communities. In 1984, he floated the BSP to grab political power. The BSP will have to win the support of OBCs to regain its lost ground in U.P, he added.
Time of India
13 hours ago
- Time of India
Brooms, not bars: Manipur cops' move for ‘misguided youths'
1 2 Imphal: In a novel twist to conventional policing, Manipur Police have traded handcuffs for brooms and shovels, initiating a 'community service' programme for dozens of youths detained in various districts of the valley during violent protests since June 7. This unique approach follows the unrest which was witnessed on the streets after the arrest of Arambai Tenggol leader Asem Kanan Singh and four associates during a joint operation of Manipur Police and the CBI as he was wanted in several cases. During the protests, people demanded unconditional release of Singh and others, leading to a 10-day bandh called by Arambai Tenggol, which was eventually called off on Tuesday. Instead of facing formal charges that could mar their futures, over three dozen young people found themselves on the streets, not as rioters, but as cleaners. Leveraging the innovative provisions of the recently introduced Bharatiya Nagrik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), Manipur Police handed them the tools of civic duty — brooms and shovels — to clear the very roadblocks, burnt tyres and concrete debris they or others had created during the protests. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 5 Books Warren Buffett Wants You to Read In 2025 Blinkist: Warren Buffett's Reading List Undo This unconventional move, police officials said, was a deliberate choice to safeguard the careers of these 'misguided youths'. By invoking Section 4(f) of the BNSS, which advises community service for first-time offenders involved in minor misconduct, authorities are offering a path to rehabilitation rather than punitive measures. Widely shared photos and videos show these young people in custody sweeping the roads and cleaning up the mess left over from the three-day protest, creating a powerful picture of justice balanced with a touch of civic duty. The unrest that preceded this unusual policing method was significant. On June 7, widespread agitation erupted across various valley districts following the arrest of Singh, a dismissed head constable of Manipur Police. The accused is wanted in several cases, including the Feb 27, 2024, attack by armed Arambai Tenggol members on the residence of Imphal West additional superintendent of police (operations) Moirangthem Amit. Investigations are also underway into his alleged involvement in drug mafia, vandalising offices belonging to the deputy inspector general (DIG) and inspector general (IG), an attack on the 1st Manipur Rifles and arms smuggling. PTI
Time of India
15 hours ago
- Time of India
No enthnic truce, no end to President rule likely in Manipur
President's rule in Manipur will continue till a reconciliation is reached between the Kukis and Meiteis in the state, top government sources said on Wednesday while asserting that the Centre is committed to government formation in the troubled state. Manipur has been under President's rule after the resignation of N Biren Singh as chief minister in February. Top sources in the Centre said various initiatives were being taken to resolve the disputes between Meiteis and Kukis to ensure peace in the state. On being asked about several MLAs, including BJP MLAs, meeting the governor of Manipur, sources said everybody wants to form the government in the state. But some sort of an agreement has to be reached between the Kukis and Meiteis. Only then does it make sense to consider revoking President's rule, sources said. Meanwhile, Biren Singh met Union home minister Amit Shah on Tuesday and told reporters in Imphal that like people of the state, the Centre also wants a popular government in Manipur. The process of convening a meeting of representatives of various communities is underway, he said. On April 5, the Centre had held a meeting with Meitei and Kuki representatives to bring lasting peace in the state. On May 19, the MHA had issued a 30-day deadline for all states and union territories to verify the identity and documentation of individuals suspected to be illegal immigrants from Bangladesh and Myanmar. Those who fail to produce valid documents would be liable for deportation. Economic Times WhatsApp channel )
