Latest news with #Mahagathbandhan
India Gazette
2 days ago
- Politics
- India Gazette
"People of Bihar are innocent, not stupid": RJD slams PM Modi over Bihar visit, claims schemes not being implemented
Patna (Bihar) [India], May 31 (ANI): Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) MP Manoj Jha on Friday criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Bihar, saying that the projects which were inaugurated by the PM are not being implemented properly. Jha further claimed that many of the schemes announced were previously introduced but never executed. 'Today, you (PM Modi) have laid the foundation stone again for the same schemes which you have done twenty times, I can count each one. It does not suit the post of Prime Minister. We had said that Bihar should not be a state for labour supply. Capital is in Gujarat, and the concentration of money is there, but we did not say that the sweat and blood of workers should be supplied with Shramik trains,' Jha said at a press conference in Patna. Several leaders from the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA), allied with the RJD for the upcoming Bihar elections, were also present at the briefing. Jha raised key issues such as the demand for special status for Bihar, the need to transform the state's economic image, and the lack of visible progress. 'Honourable Prime Minister came on a two-day tour. What shall I say? 'tere aane aur tene jaane mein sadiyon ka faasla hai (there is a gap of many years with your comings and goings)....yesterday, the people of Mahagathbandan party had raised some questions, and they were about rocket science, they were about the employment of Bihar's land, progress and its special state status,' Jha remarked. 'I had said that like in 2015, do not ignore Bihar. Bihar does not like that attitude and that tossed money, thrown away in which there is no reality, we don't like that but you didn't agree,' he added. Regarding reservations, Jha reiterated the demand to raise the cap to 65 per cent. He mentioned that this proposal had been made when RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav was in alliance with Chief Minister Nitish Kumar. 'When Tejashwi (Yadav) was with Nitish Kumar in the Mahagathbandhan, then we had talked about sixty-five per cent reservation by increasing the quantum. We know who got the proxy done in the court, but we told the Prime Minister that you removed this from the court and put it in the Ninth Schedule so it would remain safe,' he said. Jha also emphasised Bihar's repeated demand for special status and alleged that the Centre has ignored multiple letters sent by opposition leaders. 'We had written letters to PM Modi regarding special status, Leader of Opposition, the whole Mahagathbandhan wrote letters, but PM did not listen. But looking at the schemes which were inaugurated, there has just been an announcement, but it is not going up from the ground. So you are simply just cutting the same chicken again and again. Bihar is innocent, but not stupid,' he said. Hitting out at PM Modi, he said that he initially did not expect him to talk about social justice but hoped he would change his mind and listen to the opposition. 'We did not expect talk of social justice from someone who is inspired by Gowalkar's 'Bunch of Thoughts', but we thought that maybe PM has changed, and might listen to us,' he said. On Friday, PM Modi hit out at the opposition (RJD and Congress) over the issue of social justice, saying that the people who cheated Bihar the most are now talking about 'social justice' for the sake of power. PM Modi said that during the opposition's tenure, poor and deprived sections of the society had to leave Bihar, and for decades, the Dalits and tribals of the state did not have toilets. He stated that their entry into banks was also not allowed. 'Those who cheated Bihar the most, during whose tenure the poor and deprived sections of Bihar had to leave Bihar, are today the same people telling the lie of social justice to gain power. For decades, the Dalits, backward classes and tribals of Bihar did not even have toilets,' PM Modi said. PM Modi inaugurated and laid the foundation of multiple development projects worth over Rs 48,520 crore on Friday in Karakat district. (ANI)
The Hindu
3 days ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
Pyar, Parivar, and Politics
Published : May 30, 2025 16:26 IST - 5 MINS READ Dear readers, Politics is a game of hard-nosed calculations. On the other hand, love—pyar, preethi, premam, kaadhal, or whatever you want to call it—has never really bothered with practicalities. So what happens when the messy impulsiveness of love collides with the cold pragmatism of politics? We got a glimpse last week, thanks to Tej Pratap Yadav. The Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief's eldest son—better known to fans and journalists as Teju—has always been the more colourful character in Lalu Prasad's political theatre. A former Minister in the Mahagathbandhan government, Tej Pratap recently set off a storm after a Facebook post (now deleted) claimed that he had been in a 12-year relationship with one Anushka Yadav. The post included her photo and, predictably, went viral. Tej Pratap is still technically married to Aishwarya Rai, the granddaughter of former Bihar Chief Minister Daroga Prasad Rai and daughter of six-time MLA and ex-Minister Chandrika Rai. Teju married Aishwarya in May 2018 in a lavish ceremony in Patna, the kind that blends dynastic pride with political math. The union was less about romance, more about reinforcing old-school ties between Bihar's heavyweight families—a vintage Lalu move, merging parivar with politics. The marriage has reportedly been rocky, the matter is in court, and a divorce is pending. But the new revelation of an old relationship sent Bihar's political circles into a tizzy. Opposition parties questioned the Yadav family's 'moral standing' and accused them of treating women as pawns. Tej Pratap, trying to douse the fire, claimed that his social media accounts had been hacked and the images manipulated to 'defame' him and his family. But the fire was already burning. Then came the most dramatic twist: Lalu Prasad himself took to social media to announce his son's expulsion from the party—for six years, no less—on the grounds that his actions went against the family's values and traditions. 'Ignoring moral values in personal life weakens our collective struggle for social justice,' Lalu declared. 'From now on, he will have no role in the party or family.' But Aishwarya did not seem to buy it. In a sharply worded response, she asked: 'Where was this commitment to social justice when I was assaulted and driven out of the house? Why did no one intervene then, when this so-called 12-year-old affair was already known to the family?' It is not the first time Tej Pratap has threatened to derail the RJD's plans. In 2019, he floated the Lalu-Rabri Morcha party to mark his rebellion during a family leadership tussle. By 2020, he was back in the fold, singing paeans to younger brother Tejashwi with the campaign slogan 'Tej Raftar, Tejashwi Sarkar' (High Speed, Tejashwi Government)—borrowed from a local singer named Pramod Premi Yadav. Teju also earned media attention for his antics: pouring water on a Shivalinga, walking the streets as a blogger, and playing the flute in Krishna's garb. Now, it is another role: the prodigal son, exiled for love. Of course, Tej Pratap is far from the first politician whose love life has become political lightning. I am reminded of Chander Mohan, the son of Haryana veteran Bhajan Lal, who disappeared in 2008, only to reappear claiming he had married senior lawyer Anuradha Bali after both had converted to Islam. He became Chand Mohammed; she, Fiza. The scandal cost him his post as Deputy Chief Minister. The love story unravelled in about 40 days. Fiza was later found dead in her home in 2012. Not every love story has had such a grim ending. The Rajiv and Sonia Gandhi saga and Akhilesh Yadav's marriage to Dimple despite Mulayam's early disapproval are happily-ever-afters. The interfaith weddings of BJP leaders like Sushil Modi (who married Jessie George, a Christian from Mumbai) and Shahnawaz Hussain (who wed Renu Sharma) tell of love outlasting opposition. And love triumphing over party ideology. Sushil Modi famously met Jessie on a train. Top RSS leaders Nanaji Deshmukh and Bhaurao Deoras were in attendance. Even Atal Bihari Vajpayee dropped in and reportedly encouraged Sushil to move from the ABVP to the BJP. Then there is Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi and Seema—three ceremonies (court, nikah, and Hindu rites) followed their Allahabad University romance. Manish Tewari of the Congress married Nazneen Shifa, a Parsi. The party's student wing, the National Students' Union of India, was their matchmaker. Dinesh Gundu Rao, a Brahmin from Karnataka, married Tabassum, a Muslim woman he met in college. Some unions fray over time. Omar Abdullah and Payal Nath's marriage ended in a long legal battle, with the Delhi High Court in 2023 refusing to grant a divorce. Sachin Pilot and Sara Abdullah (Omar's sister) married in 2004; they reportedly separated nearly two decades later, according to Pilot's 2023 election affidavit. And who can forget the 2015 buzz around senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh and TV anchor Amrita Rai? After intimate photos went viral, Singh publicly acknowledged the relationship. 'I have no hesitation in accepting it,' he said. Rai confirmed she had filed for divorce from her previous husband. There was trolling, but the couple stayed together, Rai even joining Singh on his 2017-18 Narmada Yatra. Romance in politics comes with its own manifesto: a mix of daring declarations, party discipline, courtroom drama, and some very public heartbreak. Which brings us back to Tej Pratap. Will love triumph? Will he return to the RJD fold? Or will the next twist in this pyar-parivar-politics triangle prove final? We'll keep watching. While you tell us what you think of our lovelorn legislators. Until the next one, Anand Mishra | Political Editor, Frontline We hope you've been enjoying our newsletters featuring a selection of articles that we believe will be of interest to a cross-section of our readers. Tell us if you like what you read. And also, what you don't like! Mail us at frontline@
Mint
6 days ago
- Politics
- Mint
Bihar Election 2025: Will Asaduddin Owaisi's AIMIM join Opposition's INDIA bloc?
Bihar Election 2025: Asaduddin Owaisi-led All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) is looking to join the RJD-led Mahagathbandhan in Bihar for the upcoming Assembly elections. The Congress and the left parties are part of the Mahagathbandhan or the grand alliance, apart from the RJD led by Lalu Prasad Yadav. The AIMIM leaders in Bihar have been in touch with the RJD leaders, according to a report in The Indian Express. The Mahagathbandhan in Bihar is part of INDIA bloc alliance – an amalgamation of opposition parties forged against BJP-led National Democratic Alliance ahead of 2024 general elections. 'We are interested in having an alliance with the Mahagathbandhan. We are very positive about forging it. Our ideology is to defeat the BJP and empower Bihar. Our fight with the BJP is the same as Congress's fight. We want the grand alliance to take AIMIM on board,' AIMIM national spokesperson Adil Hasan told The Indian Express. The Hyderabad MP's party has so far maintained a distance from the Opposition INDIA bloc. In fact, the Mahagathbandhan parties used to call AIMIM as 'BJP's B team', alleging that it was playing the role of 'votekatwa (vote-cutter)' for the grand alliance. Owaisi has rejected these allegations as baseless. In the 2020 assembly polls, when AIMIM was part of a 'third front with the BSP and Rashtriya Lok Samata Party (RLSP), it won five of the 20 seats it contested and bagged 14.28 per cent of the votes polled in the 20 seats. All five seats won by AIMIM were in the Muslim-dominated Seemanchal region in east Bihar. Two years later, four of these five AIMIM MLAs, however, defected to the RJD. For now, AIMIM plans to contest over 50 Assembly seats out of 243 in the upcoming Bihar polls. However, the Indian Express report, quoting sources, said the party is flexible and will contest fewer seats if the RJD and the Congress agree to accommodate it. 'AIMIM has performed well in the past polls. And we have already supported the Opposition alliance on a number of occasions – in the Speaker's election and on Bills brought by the NDA government,' Hasan said. There has not been any formal discussion of the AIMIM leaders with the RJD and Congress leaders for the alliance so far. Besides the five seats which it had won in 2020, the party would like to contest from several seats across the regions of Mithilanchal, Champaran, Shahabad, Magadh and Bhagalpur, where it claims to have developed its organisation in the last five years. We are interested in having an alliance with the Mahagathbandhan. Our ideology is to defeat the BJP and empower Bihar. In his recent visit to Bihar, the AIMIM chief attacked the ruling BJP, the JD(U) and the RJD.
Mint
6 days ago
- Politics
- Mint
Bihar Election 2025: Will Asaduddin Owaisi join Opposition's India bloc?
Bihar Election 2025: Asaduddin Owaisi-led All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) is looking to join the RJD-led Mahagathbandhan in Bihar for the upcoming Assembly elections. The Congress and the left parties are part of the Mahagathbandhan, apart form the RJD led by Lalu Prasad Yadav. The AIMIM leaders in Bihar have been in touch with the RJD leaders, according to a report in The Indian Express. 'We are interested in having an alliance with the Mahagathbandhan. We are very positive about forging it. Our ideology is to defeat the BJP and empower Bihar. Our fight with the BJP is same as Congress's. We want the grand alliance to take AIMIM on board,' AIMIM national spokesperson Adil Hasan told The Indian Express. The Hyderabad MP's party has so far maintained a distance from the Opposition INDIA bloc. In fact, the Mahagathbandhan parties used to call AIMIM as 'BJP's B team', alleging that it was playing the role of 'votekatwa (vote-cutter)' for the grand alliance. Owaisi has rejected these allegations as baseless. In 2020 assembly polls, when AIMIM was part of a 'third front with the BSP and Rashtriya Lok Samata Party (RLSP), it won five of the 20 seats it contested and bagged 14.28 per cent of the votes polled in thee 20 seats. All five seats won by AIMIM were in Muslim-dominated Seemanchal region in east Bihar. Two years later, four of these five AIMIM MLAs, however, defected to the RJD. For now, AIMIM plans to contest over 50 Assembly seats out of 243 in the upcoming Bihar polls. But the party is flexible to contest fewer seats if the RJD and the Congress agree to accommodate it, The Indian Express report said quoting sources. 'AIMIM has performed well in the past polls. And we have already supported the Opposition alliance on a number of occasions – in the Speaker's election and on Bills brought by the NDA government,' Hasan said. There has not been any formal discussion of the AIMIM leaders with the RJD and Congress leaders for the alliance so far. Besides the five seats which it had won in 2020, the party would like to contest from several seats across the regions of Mithilanchal, Champaran, Shahabad, Magadh and Bhagalpur, where it claims to have developed its organisation in the last five years. We are interested in having an alliance with the Mahagathbandhan. Our ideology is to defeat the BJP and empower Bihar. In his recent visit to Bihar, the AIMIM chief attacked the ruling BJP, the JD(U) and the RJD Owaisi reached Bahrain on Saturday as part of a multi-nation visit by a delegation of Indian parliamentarians, seeking to engage foreign governments on India's stance against terrorism post Operation Sindoor.
Indian Express
7 days ago
- Politics
- Indian Express
AIMIM keen to join Mahagathbandhan as Owaisi eyes bigger role in Bihar polls
After maintaining a distance from the Opposition INDIA bloc so far, Asaduddin Owaisi-led All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) is now looking to join the RJD-led Mahagathbandhan (grand alliance) in Bihar for the state Assembly elections due in October-November this year. Besides the RJD led by Lalu Prasad and Tejashwi Prasad Yadav, the Opposition Mahagathbandhan comprises the Congress and the Left parties. The AIMIM leaders in Bihar have been in touch with the RJD leaders. 'We are interested in having an alliance with the Mahagathbandhan. We are very positive about forging it. Our ideology is to defeat the BJP and empower Bihar. Our fight with the BJP is same as Congress's. We want the grand alliance to take AIMIM on board,' AIMIM national spokesperson Adil Hasan told The Indian Express. Although the AIMIM has planned to contest over 50 Assembly seats out of 243 in the upcoming Bihar polls, the party is flexible in choosing its seats and would be ready to contest fewer seats if the RJD and the Congress agree to accommodate it, party sources said. The AIMIM seems to be buoyed by its performance in the 2020 state Assembly polls, when it had formed a 'third front with the BSP and Rashtriya Lok Samata Party (RLSP). The AIMIM had then created a flutter by winning five of the 20 seats it contested. The party had garnered 14.28% of the votes polled in these 20 seats. The BSP could win only one seat out of 78 seats it contested, while the RLSP failed to open its account despite contesting 99 seats. All the five seats that the AIMIM had won fall in the Muslim-dominated Seemanchal region in east Bihar, which encompasses four districts including Araria, Purnea, Katihar and Kishanganj. 'AIMIM has performed well in the past polls. And we have already supported the Opposition alliance on a number of occasions – in the Speaker's election and on Bills brought by the NDA government,' Hasan said. In June 2022, however, the AIMIM suffered a blow when four of its five MLAs — Muhammed Izhar Asfi (Kochadamam), Shahnawaz Alam (Jokihat), Syed Ruknuddin (Baisi) and Azhar Nayeemi (Bahadurganj) — defected to the RJD. State AIMIM president Akhtarul Iman is currently the party's lone MLA (Amour), who has continued to owe allegiance to Owaisi. On the question of an alliance with the Mahagathbandhan, Iman told The Indian Express: 'We have put up a proposal that if you want to weaken the communal forces, then like-minded parties against them should come together. We want our participation. We have presented this proposal before Mahagathbandhan in Bihar. But nothing can be confirmed until things are finalised.' Hasan admitted that the AIMIM leaders have not held any formal discussion with the RJD and Congress leaders for the alliance so far. 'But when these leaders meet in Assembly, they suggest we should contest together. AIMIM too says that we are ready. But RJD will have to take a call on the issue,' Hasan said. Bihar RJD spokesperson Nawal Kishore, however, claimed that he did not have any information about the AIMIM's proposal to join the grand alliance. Bihar Congress spokesperson Prem Chandra Mishra also echoed Kishore's statement, saying he had no such such information. AIMIM sources said that besides the five seats which it had won in 2020, the party would like to contest from several seats across the regions of Mithilanchal, Champaran, Shahabad, Magadh and Bhagalpur, where it claims to have developed its organisation in the last five years. In the event of the AIMIM being not inducted into the grand alliance, the party has planned to contest over 50 seats on its own. Hasan said the party has declared two candidates so far — Rana Ranjeet Singh, a Rajput leader, from Dhaka seat in Champaran district in west Bihar and Tausif Alam from Bahadurganj in Seemanchal. Iman may contest from his Amour constituency or any other seat. 'We are trying to forge this alliance. But if does not happen, RJD will be responsible for it. In that situation we will reach out to Muslim organisations of Bihar,' Hasan said. Owaisi has been leading his party's bid to make inroads in Bihar, especially the Seemanchal region. Wary of the AIMIM's foray into the state, the Mahagathbandhan had earlier called the party the 'BJP's B team', alleging that it was playing the role of 'votekatwa (vote-cutter)' and 'spoiler' for the grand alliance — allegations that Owaisi has rejected as baseless. During his recent visit to Bihar, the AIMIM chief attacked the ruling BJP and JD(U), but even targeted the RJD. However, he remained soft on the Congress. Addressing a rally in Bahadurganj on May 3, Owaisi slammed four party MLAs who had switched to the RJD, claiming that '4 bhage to 24 aayenge (If four MLAs jumped ship, we will have 24 MLAs this time)' and that his party's fight for the cause of the backward Seemanchal region will continue. Taking a swipe at the RJD, he claimed the party will have to eventually reach out to the AIMIM MLAs for support. Addressing a public meeting in Dhaka on May 4, where he spoke at length against the Waqf Amendment Act, Owaisi urged the people to teach a lesson to the NDA as well as the RJD in the upcoming polls. 'Owaisi sahab targeted RJD too because RJD ruled Bihar for a long period but did nothing for its growth, especially in Seemanchal. People were left with no choice but to migrate to other states for jobs,' said an AIMIM leader.
