Nitish plays the name game
TO INFINITY: The Vishnupad temple by Phalgu river, Gaya; top-right, the Great Buddha Statue in Bodh Gaya; below, CM Nitish Kumar
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India Gazette
5 hours ago
- India Gazette
"Vote theft, backdoor NRC": Oppn holds 'Bihar Bandh' against voter list revision; BJP claims INDIA bloc trying to save face
New Delhi [India], July 9 (ANI): The Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise being carried out by the Election Commission of India (ECI) in Bihar ahead of the upcoming assembly elections has invited massive criticism, with the opposition parties and leaders labelling the revision of voter list as 'backdoor NRC (National Register of Citizens)' alleging 'vote theft' while also prompting them to question the independence of the constitutional body. However, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the centre, along with the double-engine government led by Janata Dal (United) president Nitish Kumar in Bihar, has accused the opposition of 'playing politics on the shoulders of wrongfully registered voters' while claiming that they were targeting the ECI to save themselves from political defeat. The INDIA bloc on Wednesday held a massive 'Bihar Bandh' rally in Patna against electoral roll revision in the poll-bound state, where Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition (LoP) Rahul Gandhi alleged that the pattern of electoral manipulation seen in Maharashtra could be repeated in Bihar. Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav called the ECI a 'Godi Aayog' while accusing the NDA alliance of using the constitutional body to remove the name of 'Bihar's poor people' from the voter list. Several senior leaders of the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) bloc, including CPI General Secretary D Raja, CPI (Marxist-Leninist) Liberation leader Dipankar Bhattacharya, Bihar Congress President Rajesh Ram, Kanhaiya Kumar, and Sanjay Yadav, also participated in the protest. However, the Election Commission of India (ECI) has reported significant progress in Bihar's Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise, with over 57 per cent of enumeration forms collected in the first half of the designated period, reinforcing the commission's commitment to maintaining pure electoral rolls across the country. Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar emphasised the commission's unwavering dedication to Indian voters, stating, 'The Election Commission of India was, is and will always be with the electors of India,' while highlighting the importance of clean electoral rolls in strengthening democratic processes. The ongoing SIR exercise in Bihar has demonstrated remarkable momentum, with 4.53 crore enumeration forms collected by 6:00 PM today, representing 57.48% of the state's total 7.90 crore existing electors. This achievement comes with 16 days still remaining before the July 25, 2025, deadline, said ECI. Reacting to the statements made by the opposition, BJP MP Ravi Shankar Prasad alleged that the opposition wants to do politics on the shoulders of people who registered themselves as voters 'wrongfully'. Addressing a press conference, Ravi Shankar Prasad questioned the INDIA bloc over their opposition to the Election Commission of India's decision to revise the electoral rolls, asking whether they want 'to put those in the voter list who should not be there?' 'Do they want to put those on the voter list who should not be there? People who are intruders. Whether they are Rohingya or anyone else, they wrongly put their names on the voter list. So if it's working, honestly. So what's the problem with you? That's the sign. They want to do their politics on the shoulders of those who became voters wrongfully,' Prasad said. BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla accused Gandhi and Yadav of undermining constitutional institutions merely to shield their families and political interests. Speaking to ANI, Poonawalla claimed that Rahul and Tejashwi are accusing a 'constitutional institution' in an attempt to save themselves from defeat. 'Look at how Rahul Gandhi and Tejashwi Yadav are today accusing the Election Commission of theft; one belongs to a 'chaara chor party' and the other to a 'zameen chor party'. Both are targeting the Election Commission just to save themselves and their families from political defeat. These are constitutional institutions,' he said. BJP leader Shahnawaz Hussain said that the people of the INDIA Bloc and the Mahagathbandhan have made the Election Commission a 'soft target' and are continuously targeting it. He also alleged that since the 'Bihar Bandh' has started, the party workers have harassed people. This came after Rahul Gandhi alleged 'vote theft' in the Maharashtra assembly elections and suggested that similar attempts were being made in Bihar ahead of the upcoming assembly polls. Meanwhile, Congress leader Pawan Khera on Wednesday questioned the independence of the Election Commission amid revision of electoral rolls in Bihar, accusing it of acting in favour of the ruling party. Taking to the social media platform X, Khera wrote, 'Babasaheb Ambedkar on the role of 'Central Election Commission' in protecting every Indian's Right to Vote.' To support his argument, Khera, in a post on his X handle, quoted Babasaheb Ambedkar as saying, 'Franchise is the most fundamental thing in democracy.... To prevent injustice to those racially, linguistically, or culturally different from the dominant people in the Province, the election machinery must be under a Central Election Commission, so that no injustice may be done to any citizen in India.' Communist Party of India (Marxist) leader Hannan Mollah also joined the opposition to the SIR exercise by the ECI and said that political parties had given a call for a 'Bandh' against the conspiracy to de-franchise more than two crore voters in Bihar. Speaking with ANI, Mollah said, 'Along with the all-India Bandh, trade Union Bandh, Kisaan Bandh, the Bihar political party has given a special call for Bandh against the conspiracy to de-franchise more than two crore voters in Bihar,' adding, 'The voter list is yearly updated, but now it's being weaponised to question citizenship. Asking for the birth certificate of voters' parents is unconstitutional... This is a clear attack on universal Franchise.' All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi on Wednesday labelled the 'intensive revision' of the voter list in Bihar as 'backdoor NRC'. He said that the exercise serves to 'disempower the poorest people and paves the way for their exclusion from citizenship'. He stated that the next step for those who fail to produce the required documents would be the denial of basic citizenship rights, including ration cards and the right to own agricultural land. (ANI)
India Gazette
9 hours ago
- India Gazette
Bihar CM Nitish Kumar announces 35% reservation to native women
Patna (Bihar) [India], July 9 (ANI): Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar announced on Wednesday that his government has decided to provide 35% horizontal reservation to native women candidates of Bihar in all direct recruitments across government posts and cadres, including contractual and outsourced appointments. The Cabinet approved a 35 per cent horizontal reservation for women native to Bihar in state government services on Tuesday. In a post shared on the social media platform X, Kumar wrote, 'Everyone knows that it has been decided to grant 35 per cent horizontal reservation exclusively to female candidates who are native residents of Bihar for direct appointments to all levels and types of posts in all government services/cadres of Bihar state.' He informed that the recruitment process for 1,51,579 vacancies is currently underway and that the reservation benefit would apply throughout the recruitment cycle. He wrote, 'Currently, the appointment process is underway for 1,51,579 vacancies. In these appointments, which will take place in various phases, only female candidates who are native residents of Bihar will be eligible for the 35 percent horizontal reservation benefit.' The Chief Minister also announced that women domiciled in Bihar would receive the same 35% reservation benefit in contractual or outsourced job appointments. He said, 'Additionally, this benefit will also apply to female candidates who are native residents of Bihar for appointments made on a contract or outsourced basis. All departments have been instructed to take prompt action to fill all available vacancies so that the youth can benefit from this.' He reiterated the government's broader vision ibn his post and wrote, 'We are committed to ensuring women's empowerment and active and positive participation of women in society.' Bihar cabinet on Tuesday had approved 43 schemes and projects, including the formation of the Bihar Youth Commission and Rs 100 diesel subsidy for farmers. 'The second important decision related to general administration is that only women native to the state will be allowed 35 per cent horizontal reservation on all posts in direct appointment in all government service cadres of Bihar state,' Bihar Chief Secretary S Siddharth told reporters. Chief Secretary Siddharth said, 'Today, 43 agendas have been stamped in the Council of Ministers, in which the most important agenda is the formation of the Youth Commission. This commission is related to the youth of 18-45 years, which will have one chairman, two vice-chairmen and seven members.' He added, 'The beneficiary group related to this includes migrants working and studying outside the State, students pursuing higher secondary education, students pursuing degree courses, unemployed youth, economically weak meritorious students and any other group of youth on which the Youth Commission deems worthy of intervention.' Taking into consideration irregular monsoons and drought, a diesel subsidy of Rs 100 crore has been approved for farmers. 'The subsidy will be applicable for paddy, maize, barley, oilseeds and jute crops, and seasonal vegetable and medicinal plants,' he said. Apart from this, the cabinet approved a Divyangjan Civil Seva Protsahan Scheme, under which differently abled people will be given Rs 50,000 and Rs 1 lakh on passing the prelims of UPSC and BPSC exams. (ANI)
Time of India
11 hours ago
- Time of India
More than 53K women to get permanent jobs: Nitish
Patna: CM Nitish Kumar on Wednesday said more than 53,000 women of Bihar will soon get permanent jobs in different departments of the state govt. "You all know that it has been decided to allow only those female candidates, who are permanent residents of Bihar, to get the benefit of 35% horizontal reservation in direct recruitment for all levels and types of positions in all govt services/cadres of the state. Currently, the recruitment process is underway for 151,579 vacancies in the state govt's different departments. In these recruitments, which occur in various phases, only those female candidates who are permanent residents of Bihar will be eligible for a 35% horizontal reservation benefit," Nitish said in a post on X handle on Wednesday. "Additionally, the female candidates who are permanent residents of Bihar, will also benefit from this horizontal reservation in the appointments made on a contract or outsourced basis," Nitish said. "All departments have been instructed to promptly fill all available vacancies so that the youths can benefit from this. We are committed to ensuring women's empowerment and their active and positive participation in society in the state," the CM said in the post in Hindi. On Tuesday, the state cabinet decided that the 35% horizontal quota for women in govt jobs will now be restricted to only permanent residents of Bihar. Earlier, women from any state used to take advantage of this quota against the unreserved seats. The Grand Alliance govt, led by Nitish, had introduced 35% quota for women in govt jobs at all levels in 2016.
