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The Hindu
3 days ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
Will Modi speak in North India about Rajendra Chola's victorious expedition, asks TNCC chief Selvaperunthagai
Tamil Nadu Congress Committee (TNCC) president K. Selvaperunthagai on Monday asked whether Prime Minister Narendra Modi would speak about Rajendra Chola's history in North India where the king is believed to have led a victorious expedition about a 1,000 years ago. He was speaking at a press conference to announce essay writing and public speaking competitions to celebrate former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi's birth anniversary, the establishment of Rajiv Gandhi IAS Academy, and the institution of awards in name of Congress leaders. Mr. Selvaperunthagai said, 'Mr. Modi must speak about erecting a statue for Rajendra Chola in North India. Rajendra Chola is called Gangaikonda Cholan. It is believed that he had brought Ganga water and performed abhishekam to the Peruvudaiyar [at Gangaikonda Cholapuram]... It is also believed that he had defeated the north Indian armies. Would Mr. Modi speak about it in North India?' The TNCC president questioned Mr. Modi's claim that the Centre had devolved ₹3 lakh crore to Tamil Nadu in the last 10 years, a sum which was much higher than what the Congress-led UPA government had given. 'Union Home Minister Amit Shah said ₹6,80,000 crore had been given in the 10 years, whereas the Congress-led government had given only ₹1,53,000 crore. Union Minister of State L. Murugan said ₹12 lakh crore had been given to Tamil Nadu. Which figure is true? Nobody has done more to Tamil Nadu in terms of tax devolution and schemes than the Congress. When Manmohan Singh was the Prime Minister, the tax system was simple. Now, the GST is levied on all goods, along with surcharges. Tamil Nadu's tax revenue has come down after the GST was introduced,' he said. Asked whether the Congress would insist on sharing power with the DMK after the 2026 Assembly election, Mr. Selvaperunthagai said, 'We are a national party. There are more than 10 months left for the election. We have conveyed our opinion to the AICC, which will take a decision.'
Scroll.in
20-07-2025
- Politics
- Scroll.in
Caste divide, political polarisation, third alternative: Why the Bihar election is wide open
Legislative assembly elections in India are often fought and won on local issues. The overall national narrative, such as the national security rhetoric of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, can at best be an add-on to the prevailing regional issues. Bihar is no exception to this, and its polarised political landscape with a sharp caste divide makes it even more difficult to sway the voter's mood solely through issues like Operation Sindoor, India's military operation against Pakistan, which was launched to avenge a terrorist attack. Although the Bihar legislative election is due in October this year, Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party, as well as the Opposition parties, have already started positioning themselves for the polls. The significance of the Bihar assembly election can be gauged from the fact that both Modi and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi have visited the state several times recently. Modi's choice of a public rally in Madhubani district in Bihar to announce his resolve to avenge the recent barbaric terrorist attack at Pahalgam in Jammu and Kashmir carried symbolic significance. A recent poll survey conducted by C-Voter, however, suggests that Operation Sindoor is likely to have only a marginal impact on the mood of the electorate. Nonetheless, factors such as Modi's strong leadership and his stance on Pakistan will certainly play a role during the BJP's election campaign. Caste census impact The impact of free food distribution, LPG connections, and toilet construction for poor households often pushes Modi's leadership rating above that of his opponents. The Opposition's poll plank of demanding a caste census may not yield significant gains for any political party in Bihar. Modi's initial resistance and vacillation, followed by his sudden appropriation of the caste census plank, means that all the political parties in the state support a caste census. Both the Janata Dal (United) and the Rashtriya Janata Dal, the central fulcrums of the two opposing alliances – the National Democratic Alliance and the Mahagathbandhan (the Opposition's grand alliance – were at the forefront of the campaign demanding a caste census. Hence, the credit gets evenly distributed. Coalition of the willing Bihar is the only north Indian state where political power has eluded the BJP without the support of an alliance. Unlike in a parliamentary election, in Bihar the party cannot rely on Prime Minister Modi's persona alone to secure victory. Despite all major BJP leaders in the state coming from the Other Backward Classes and Extremely Backward Classes, it has not been able to take on JD(U) leader Nitish Kumar or RJD leader Lalu Prasad on its own. The BJP has not been able to groom a regional leader of any consequence. For many years, it bet on Sushil Modi, a backward class leader. But that did not work. Then it propped up Samrat Choudhary, a backward caste Koeri leader. However, now the Koeri votes are being targeted by giving space to former JD(U) leader Upendra Kushwaha of the Rashtriya Lok Manch in the BJP-led alliance. The party wants to prop up a younger and more acceptable face to take on Tejashwi Yadav of the RJD. The announcement by Chirag Paswan, son of the late Dalit leader Ramvilas Paswan, to contest the assembly election from a general seat (rather than a constituency reserved for Dalits) has fuelled speculation about BJP's game plan. Although he is part of the National Democratic Alliance, Paswan appears to be preparing for a post-Nitish Kumar political vacuum in the alliance, which currently lacks a prominent state leader. The BJP's attempt to form a government without any major local ally in 2015 ended in a fiasco, depriving it of power for several years. Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has reason to believe that the BJP can rule the state only in coalition with his party, the JD(U), and that he alone has the option of allying with both the RJD and BJP. He has done so twice in the past. It is not that the BJP has not tried to dispense with Nitish Kumar. It tried and failed. However, that may not prevent it from trying again. Nitish Kumar is ageing and in indifferent health. Besides, he leads a government facing 20 years of anti-incumbency. The BJP may see this election as an opportunity to split the JD(U), possibly after the election. Whether Kumar survives the most difficult test of his political career will depend on the number of seats he wins and his ability to keep his flock together. X-factors The Bihar election has also become more interesting due to the entry of a new political party – Prashant Kishor's Jan Suraaj Party. The Jan Suraaj Party is not a party born out of a mass movement. It is neither ideological nor a dynastic regional party. It is more akin to a start-up led by ace election strategist Prashant Kishor, who aims to capitalise on misgovernance, the deteriorating law and order situation, and the outward migration of workers and students due to lack of industrialisation and the collapse of educational institutions. The party is also targeting caste-agnostic voters in the state, as well as those who dislike the RJD but are averse to voting for the BJP and JD(U). CSDS-Lokniti data suggests that in 2020 many who traditionally voted for BJP were also reluctant to vote for JD(U). If the Jan Suraaj Party succeeds in poaching voters from both sides of the political divide, it may prove to be the X-factor in this election. State of the Opposition The Opposition Mahagathbandhan is heavily reliant on the father-son RJD duo of Lalu Yadav and Tejashwi Yadav, and their Muslim-Yadav voter base. Despite being in Opposition, the RJD is not in a position to fully capitalise on the anti-incumbency against the government, owing to its two stints in a government led by Nitish Kumar. Still, with a vote share of around 23%, and an alliance with the Left parties and others, it remains a strong contender. Much will depend, however, on whether non-committed voters outside the Muslim-Yadav base shift towards the RJD. As for the Congress, while it may be the sheet anchor of the Opposition alliance nationally, in Bihar it brings little to the table given its negligible organisational presence. Though Nitish Kumar is down, he is not fully out of the race. He retains support among the Extremely Backward Classes, Mahadalits, and women voters of the state. But politically, he appears beleaguered and vulnerable, possibly fighting the last battle of his career. The Bihar election will clearly be determined by local factors, with caste and anti-incumbency being crucial determinants of the electoral outcome. However, the yearning for change is palpable in Bihar, and the quest for a third alternative among voters makes the 2025 election wide open.
NDTV
19-07-2025
- NDTV
Punjab Man Fires Gunshots At Birthday Party In Hotel, Case Filed: Cops
A case was filed against a man in Punjab for celebratory firing during a birthday party in Zirakpur, a town in Mohali, after a video of the incident surfaced on social media, prompting police action. According to the police, the incident occurred during the night of July 16 and 17 at Hotel Picaasio, located on Old Ambala Road in Dhokli, Zirakpur. The birthday celebration, hosted by a man named Shahbaaz, drew a large crowd. A video from the party shows one of the guests, identified as Vikram, firing multiple rounds into the air while holding two firearms. Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Jaspinder Singh said that a case has been registered and an investigation is underway. 'After the video went viral, the hotel was shut down and many people linked to the event are absconding. We are probing the matter,' he said, and added, 'We are delving deeper to gather all possible details.' The police noted that the video was also circulated on social media platforms, which they say could create public fear and is a punishable offence. A case has been filed at the Zirakpur Police Station under Section 125 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and relevant sections of the Arms Act (25, 54, 59). Authorities have launched a search to locate the accused, and further details are awaited. The video from the birthday party also shows a lively celebration with loud music, fireworks and guests singing and dancing. The man whose birthday was being celebrated is seen cutting a cake as others cheered around him. Celebratory firing, long seen at north Indian weddings and gatherings, was criminalised in 2019 after amendments to the Arms Act. Under the revised law, discharging firearms, even those licensed, at public events, religious places or social functions such as weddings, is punishable with up to two years in prison, a fine of Rs 1 lakh, or both.
India Today
18-07-2025
- Politics
- India Today
West Bengal Assembly elections 2026
As West Bengal gears up for the 2026 assembly election, the ruling Trinamool Congress has plunged headlong into an emotionally charged campaign centred on identity politics. At the heart of this campaign lies a powerful narrative: the defence of Bengali linguistic and cultural pride amid what the party alleges is an organised effort to harass, criminalise and deport Bengali-speaking migrant workers from BJP-ruled states. The incidents, TMC leaders claim, are part of a wider attempt to delegitimise Bengali identity across India. This endeavour is also tied to the BJP's efforts to shed a past filled with conflicting signals, bordering on antagonistic, on Bengalihood—with a distinctively north Indian accent. The latest reparative gesture came with the naming of Samik Bhattacharya as state BJP chief. While a dyed-in-the-wool Sangh product, his relatively sober persona gels better with the old bhadralok prototype. His coronation event, too, was saturated by Bengali religious iconography, especially that of goddess Kali.
India Today
16-07-2025
- Politics
- India Today
Video: Raj Thackeray's party workers create ruckus at Nagpur bank over Hindi usage
Several workers of Raj Thackeray's Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) were on Wednesday detained by police for creating a ruckus at a private bank in Nagpur following a row over the usage of the Marathi of MNS workers had gathered outside the bank branch and also had a verbal spat with bank officials after they sought the Hindi translation of an FIR registered in Marathi for the purpose of settling an accident to information, a young man named Yogesh Bopche recently died in a road accident, following which his family reached the bank seeking an insurance claim. However, bank officials asked the victim's family to bring a Hindi translation of an FIR copy originally written in Marathi. Irked with this, the family reached out to local MNS leaders who reached the bank along with hundreds of workers to protest and created a bank officials told India Today that since the headquarters of the insurance company is in Kolkata, where no one understands Marathi. So, as a regular practice, Hindi translations of FIRs registered in accident cases are sent there along with the claim form."In the case of Yogesh Bopche also, a Hindi translation was sought citing the same reason," a bank official as a result of MNS's demonstrations and the demand for an apology, the bank apologised to the Raj Thackeray-led party and the Bopche the police detained several MNS workers for creating a ruckus at the bank VS MARATHI IN MAHARASHTRAMNS chief Raj Thackeray has been leading a tirade against Hindi-speaking people in Maharashtra, with videos of his party workers assaulting north Indian people surfacing Thackeray, along with his cousin and Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray, led a movement against the Devendra Fadnavis government's 'three-language policy' in the state. The Mahayuti government rolled back the contentious policy earlier this Thackeray recently instructed his party workers to thrash people speaking Hindi but not shoot a video while doing Thackeray brothers' salvo against Hindi-speaking people has drawn condemnation from several political leaders, especially those representing the BJP and its NDA allies.- EndsMust Watch
