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The Hindu
4 days ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
Bihar at a crossroads
For decades after India's Independence, undivided Bihar was synonymous with socio-economic backwardness. It stood at the head of the BIMARU States, which also included undivided Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh, besides Rajasthan, that were known for high population growth rates, poor health indicators, low literacy, and debilitating poverty. Although things have slowly changed, with the political mobilisation of the backward castes around reservation benefits and with greater allocations from the Centre, development has still been uneven. This e-book from The Hindu with essays from subject experts and journalists traces Bihar's development trajectory—the challenges and the opportunities, the Nitish Kumar phenomenon, the rise of the BJP to a leading player, the caste equations that undergird political alliances, and the re-emergence of Lalu Prasad with his son in the forefront—within the context of what promises to be a historic election. 1. Bihar: idea, territory, and people, by Varghese K. George 2. Bihar's development trajectory: perspective, persistent challenges, and the way forward, by Bakshi Amit Kumar Sinha 3. Nitish Kumar: the constant and the variable of Bihar, by Sobhana K. Nair and Amit Bhelari 4. From fringe player to powerhouse: the ascent of BJP in Bihar, by Nistula Hebbar 5. Father, son, and the spectre of 'jungle raj', by Sobhana K. Nair and Amit Bhelari 6. The caste conundrum: decoding the power dynamics, by Sobhana K. Nair and Amarnath Tewary 7. Bihar at a glance, Compiled by Nitika Francis To download a sample of the e-book : To buy the e-book from Amazon: To read the e-book, subscribe here: Published - August 14, 2025 12:08 pm IST
India Gazette
11-07-2025
- Politics
- India Gazette
"Ironic ECI not recognising election card given by them": CPI's Annie Raja on SIR exercise in Bihar
New Delhi [India], July 11 (ANI): As opposition parties continue to object to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar, Communist Party of India (CPI) leader Annie Raja on Friday questioned the poll panel's decision to not include the Election Card, issued by the Commission itself, as one of the accepted documents. The CPI leader's remarks come after the Supreme Court allowed the Election Commission of India (ECI) to continue its exercise while also asking them to consider accepting certain other documents from voters. Earlier, the poll panel had released a non-exhaustive list of 11 documents which will be accepted by them for voter verification. 'The process which the election commission of India has started actually takes away the rights of the voters of this country and it is very ironic that the election card which was given by the election commission itself is not recognising it as a proof for the residents or proof for the citizenship or whatever may be,' the CPI leader said. The CPI leader said that the exercise being carried out ahead of the assembly elections is actually an exercise in 'taking away the rights of people,' highlighting how the state has been a BIMARU state, a term used for states of Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh; who were considered having poor economic performance. She said that because of the economic situation of people, they do not possess their necessary documents required for the SIR. 'So in such a case and the documents which they were asking for to prove that the majority of the people do not have such documents either of graduation certificate or the school certificate or even the parents' birth certificate and all these things,' she said. On the Supreme Court allowing the ECI to continue with their verification exercise, the CPI leader said that the Bharatiya Janata Party is spreading a 'false narrative' that they have been given approval for this revision exercise. She mentioned that the top court has not decided on the merits of the case, but instead just on the requirement of submitting verification documents. As part of the SIR, ECI had asked for: 1. Any ID card/Pension Payment Order issued to govt employees (state, centre and PSUs), 2. Any ID card/certificate/document issued in India by government/local authorities/banks/post office/LIC/PSU's prior to July 1, 1987, 3. Birth certificate, 4. Passport, 5. Matriculation certificate issued by recognised boards or universities, 6. Permeant Residence certificate, 7. Forest Right certificate, 8. National Register of Citizen (wherever existing), 9. Family Register, 10, Any land or house allotment certificate by government, 11. SC/ST/OBC certificate. Earlier on July 10, a bench of Justices Sudhanshu Dhulia and Joymalya Bagchi did not stay the SIR process but asked the ECI to consider allowing Aadhaar, ration cards, and electoral photo identity cards as admissible documents to prove voter identity during the SIR in the state. 'We are of the prima facie opinion that in the interest of justice, the Election Commission will also include documents like Aadhaar, Ration Card, Voter ID card, etc. It is for the ECI to decide whether it wants to accept the documents or not, and if it does not, then provide reasons for its decision, which shall be sufficient to satisfy the petitioners,' the bench stated. Meanwhile, All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi welcomed the top court's decision while hitting out at 'ECI sources' for misrepresenting the court's order. He criticised the claims made by EC sources that the constitutional body accepts Aadhar as per page 16 of the Special Intensive Revision, while also informing about the EPIC number being 'pre-printed' on the enumeration forms being meted out. (ANI)
The Hindu
09-05-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
The Hindu Huddle 2025: Not against delimitation but south India should get 33% representation, says Telangana CM Revanth Reddy
The southern States in India stand to lose in the delimitation exercise initiated by the BJP government at the Centre according to Revanth Reddy, the Chief Minister of Telangana. Responding to a question by The Hindu Group's Director N. Ram at The Hindu Huddle thought conclave, the CM said the exercise appears to be a punishment for Southern States which implemented family planning. Also Read | The Hindu Huddle 2025 Day 1 live updates 'We are fundamentally not against it but we need to know the terms of reference. If it's based on population or pro rata, the southern States would lose as they strictly implemented family planning. Instead of appreciation, they are punished for the initiative. And such a scenario would widen the gap between the southern and northern states,' Mr. Reddy said. When asked about the solution for the issue, the CM suggested that there should be 33% seats to southern States. Taking up the case of these States, he said, 'We've been contributing a lot in terms of tax but what we get in return is much less compared to the BIMARU States. So the best solution is to give 33% seats to the south. BJP apparently wants to deny political opportunity to the south with just one policy.' He further opined that there should be wider consultation with the stakeholders on the terms of reference and other issues. Speaking about social justice and bold experiments and branding the caste census as a Congress party mark initiative (taken up by the BJP), he said, the survey would be an answer to the next generation over the result of welfare taken up past 70 and odd years. 'We've taken up several parameters, health, education, backwardness etc, and included all sections, SC, ST, Minority, EWS for the census across Telangana to ensure justice to the poorest of the poor. This is Telangana model and Government of India is implementing it,' he claimed. Speaking about the liberal steps taken up in government residential schools, he said that all the residential schools, SC, ST, Minority and others, are being merged to help the students from deprivation and social isolation. 'Taking inspiration from Mahatma Gandhi's Young India, I asked officials to include everyone and name the schools as Young India Residential Schools. We are allocating 25 acres to each of the school,' he stated. He spoke at length about the farming community in Telangana, which forms 60% of population, and said Rs 21,000 crore debts cleared and another ₹18,000 crore input subsidy per annum was provided to farmers. 'Besides free power, farmers in Telangana get bonus and MSP and their paddy production was the highest in the country. My idea is to facilitate a farmer, a businessman and an employee in each family,' Mr. Revanth claimed. Women in Telangana were given free ride in over 1,000 RTC buses. For women Self Help Groups, a host of projects, solar etc, skilling through tie ups with corporates such as Tata and entities in Japan and Singapore are in place. And there are incentives for SHGs to market their products abroad according to Mr. Revanth. The CM said the State of Telangana could secure ₹3 lakh crore investment through Davos platform and they are being facilitated through a single window clearance system. 'There are a bunch of countries such as Taiwan where the investment is overflowing. I want to propose Telangana a preferred alternative in the world for foreign investment. Infrastructure, manufacturing and green technologies are being encouraged. And there is zero tax on electronic and other segments,' he said. Giving details about the proposed fourth city around Hyderabad, which is planned in 30,000 acres, he said, it will cater to investments in a bouquet of sectors medical tourism, education, sports and sustainable living with zero emissions. Telangana being land locked, the State is developing a dedicated export corridor/ highway to access Machilipatnam port in Andhra Pradesh according to him. 'We want to create the best infrastructure here to give competition to global cities such as New York,' he said. The Hindu Huddle 2025 is presented by Sami-Sabinsa Group Co-powered by: Government of Karnataka, Government of Telangana Associate Partners: ONGC, Presidency University, TAFE, Akshayakalpa Organic Energy Partner : Indian Oil Corporation Limited Realty partner: Casagrand Knowledge partner: Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham State partner: Meghalaya tourism and Haryana government Luxury car partner: Toyota Radio partner: Radio City Gift partner: Anand Prakash Broadcast partner: Times Now Outdoor media partner: Signpost India
