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How BJP worked for Nitish’s ‘ghar wapsi’

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NEW DELHI: The BJP’s top secret ‘Mission-Bihar-2024’ to get Nitish Kumar to swear in so that the National Democratic Alliance is back to rule the state — six days before Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s first mega rally of the year in Bihar — was crafted about a year back.

BJP sources told this newspaper that the execution of the plan gathered pace after victories in the three Hindi heartland states, namely Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh.

“A team of senior BJP leaders worked meticulously while keeping confidentiality. Senior JD[U]leader Sanjay Jha, who was also close to late Arun Jaitley and currently considered a close confidante of Nitish Kumar, remained in touch with the BJP as the party got cracking on the plan,” said a senior BJP leader. “It took about 45 days for the plan to come to fruition,” he said.

Once the BJP leadership green-lighted the plan, Jha, as new deputy CM Samrat Chaudhary said on Sunday, moved ahead with the proposal for BIHAR C.M ‘ghar vapasi’. The saffron party’s Mission Bihar, which was planned five months after Nitish deserted NDA, had a well-crafted script in which BJP kept mounting attacks on Nitish and RJD chief Lalu Prasad over governance issues almost throughout the year.

“We waited for the JD(U) initiative. When Lalu asked Rahul Gandhi during a meeting of the Opposition to get married and that he along with others would like to be his ‘baratis’, Nitish Kumar, a seasoned politician, sensed Lalu’s intention and turned cautious,” said a BJP source.

This was the first lead for BJP to step up the Mission Bihar momentum, knowing well that Nitish won’t swallow a small act of insult to what he thinks is right, said a Bihar BJP leader. The BJP and other JD(U) leaders continued negotiations. The second positive signal that came from the Nitish side was when Amit Shah went to Patna and chaired the 26th meeting of the Eastern Zonal Council on December 10. CM Nitish Kumar from the Grand Alliance cordially attended the meeting.

BJP knows Nitish Kumar continues to carry huge influence among 36% of the EBCs in the state. This is the vote share the BJP looked at as a part of its electoral strategy for the LS polls. Working silently, the Nitish’s ‘ghar-wapasi’ has rejuvenated the BJP’s state unit ahead of the LS polls. “The bonhomie between PM Modi and the CM will be re-exhibited before the people at the rally on February 4 in West Champaran,” said a JD(U) leader.

Not that RJD chief Lalu Prasad and his former deputy CM could not sense the game-plans, especially with the change of JD(U) president from Rajiv Ranjan Singh to Nitish Kumar. “With the passage of days, the entire game plan became clearer; the Bharat Ratna to Karpoori Thakur was a big hint. Nitish openly hailed the decision and thanked PM Modi in a tweet. The RJD leaders immediately shared their apprehension about Kumar’s somersault with Congress chief Kharge,” said a BJP source.

“Kumar started exhibiting his annoyance with RJD. First, he removed three ministers of ‘RJD quota,’ including one who had passed a controversial statement on the Ramchartitmanas. The final decision for Nitish’s in-principle return to the NDA came on January 15. Days later, he made up his mind and conveyed it through his special emissary to the BJP. Sources said Nitush may get a national responsibility before the assembly polls in 2025. “The campaigning by Nitish Kumar along with Narendra Modi in the LS polls would also be finalised soon,” said an NDA source.

Karnataka government playing appeasement politics: Bommai

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HAVERI: Accusing the state government of indulging in appeasement politics by removing the ‘Hanuma Dhwaja’ in Mandya, former chief minister Basavaraj Bommai said the law and order situation has deteriorated in the state, and those involved in illegal activities were getting protection.

He said the government got the sacred flag removed through the police. “While CM Siddaramaiah chants the mantra of ‘Sarva Janangada Shantiya Thota’, the law and order situation had deteriorated. Many incidents have been reported during the Pran Pratishtha of Lord Ram last week. Some persons were also arrested. This has been happening everywhere. The government is playing appeasement politics and protecting those involved in nefarious activities,” Bommai said.

The former CM alleged that no action has been taken, despite attacks on Dalits and women from the minority community, with atrocities against women having increased by 30 per cent.

Lowering Hanuman flag turns Mandya tense

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MYSURU: Tension gripped Keragodu village in Mandya district as hundreds of people, and BJP and JDS leaders protested against the district administration’s move to bring down a Hanuman flag that was hoisted on a 108-foot pole by the gram panchayat to mark Ram Mandir inauguration.

The police resorted to a mild lathicharge and arrested a few protesters, including Assembly Opposition leader R Ashoka, MLA Dr CN Ashwath Narayan and other leaders, when they proceeded towards the barricade put up to protect the flagpole. They were released later. The police snatched a knife from a youth, who threatened to kill himself if the Hanuman Dhwaja was brought down.

It all started when Assistant Commissioner Shiva Murthy and Tahsildar Shivakumar arrived at the village early on Sunday morning to lower the Hanuman flag and hoist the Tricolour. Keragodu villagers, including women, protested and claimed that they had taken permission from the village panchayat to hoist the flag. 

The villagers had pooled in money to erect the pole and the Hanuman flag was flying since the inauguration of Ram Mandir at Ayodhya on January 22, they told the officers.

As the news spread,villagers from the neighbouring Sidde Gowda Doddi, Manche Doddi, Marlinga Doddi, Hosur, Thalamerla Doddi, Panjegowda and Kalmati Doddi joined the protest. They raised Ram and Hanuman chants, waved saffron Hanuman flags and raised slogans against local MLA Ravikumar. As tension rose, the district administration clamped prohibitory orders and stationed KSRP and DAT platoons.

After the lathicharge, the villagers blocked the Mandya-Yediyur highway and tried to cook food in the middle of the road, but were stopped by the police. The villagers announced that every house will hoist a Hanuman flag which will be distributed free to register their protest against the district administration.

District in-charge Minister N Chaluvarayaswamy said the administration is not against hoisting the Hanuman flag in private land or at temples, but the gram panchayat should not have given permission to hoist it at a public place. “Neither the local MLA, nor me are connected to the Hanuman flag issue,” he clarified.

Local legislator Ravikumar alleged that R Ashoka and JDS state president HD Kumaraswamy are spreading hatred among people for their political gains. As the Hanuman flag controversy erupted, JDS leaders DC Thamanna and Suresh Gowda, district BJP president Indresh and others rushed to the spot and raised slogans against Chief Minister Siddaramaiah.

Ashoka alleged that Siddaramaiah is against Lord Rama and Hanuman. He said that Lord Hanuman has no place in his own land and criticised the police for hoisting the national flag at 3 pm, when it should be done before 9 am as per flag code. BJP leader Chandagala Shivanna said 18 out of 20 members at the gram panchayat were in favour of erecting the pole.

Bajrang Dal activists threatened to call for a Mandya city bandh.

Rahul Gandhi’s ‘Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra’ enters Bihar after Nitish’s switch to BJP

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KISHANGANJ: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s ‘Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra’ on Monday entered Bihar through Kishanganj.

The Yatra comes a day after the Congress was left high and dry with former ally Nitish Kumar, the Bihar chief minister, making a return to the BJP-led NDA.

Kishanganj, a district in the Seemanchal region of the state with a majority Muslim population, is also a party stronghold.

State Congress president Akhilesh Prasad Singh and other senior party leaders welcomed Gandhi in Bihar.

Shahi Idgah mosque dispute: Fresh plea in Mathura court over sanctum sanctorum of Lord Krishna

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Shahi Idgah mosque

MATHURA: A new plea has been filed in a court here seeking directions to the Shri Krishna Janmabhoomi Trust to put up a notice board at the temple here saying that the present sanctum sanctorum is “not the real birthplace” of Lord Krishna.

The suit has been filed by Delhi-based advocate PV Raghunandan in the court of Civil Judge (Senior Division) Anupama Singh.

In the plea, the plaintiff has claimed that the “original” sanctum sanctorum of the ancient Keshavdev temple was demolished by Mughal ruler Aurangzeb and Shahi Idgah mosque was constructed at that place.

Therefore, it should be clearly told the devotees visiting the present sanctum sanctorum of the Krishna Janmabhoomi temple that the place is not the “actual” sanctum sanctorum by erecting a notice board, the petition said.

Joshi said that the plea has sought from the court to pass an order to put up a notice board in this regard.

The Uttar Pradesh government, Mathura municipal corporation, and State Archaeology Department, among others, have been made defendants in the case, Joshi said.

Fissures in grand-alliance as Nitish takes jibe at Lalu

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Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar

PATNA: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Wednesday taunted his coalition partner and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad, saying that some people projected themselves as leaders by promoting their family members.

Nitish was addressing a gathering at the Veterinary College ground in the state capital to celebrate the birth centenary of two-time chief minister and socialist icon Karpoori Thakur, whose name was nominated for the Bharat Ratna award late on Tuesday.

The event was organised by JD(U), of which Nitish is the national president. He pointed out that Thakur never promoted his family members and the party made his son Ramakant Thakur a minister and Rajya Sabha member only after his death.

“I also learnt from Thakur and never promoted my family member in politics,” Nitish asserted. His remark has also come at a time when Lalu is reportedly pressuring him to vacate his chair and elevate his son and deputy chief minister, Tejashwi Prasad Yadav, to the CM’s post.

Nitish’s attack on ‘Parivarwad’ (family or dynasty rule) sounds very much familiar with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s frequent and sharp criticism of it as he also made special mention about Modi not telephoning him on conferment of Bharat Ratna on former chief minister Karpoori Thakur. “PM called Thakur’s son (Ramnath Thakur) but not me, but I want to thank him through the media for nominating him (Karpoori Thakur) for the Bharat Ratna award, the highest civilian award,” he remarked.

Notably, Thakur was also the first to impose total prohibition in the state in 1970, but it was lifted later, Nitish recalled. He said that Thakur’s government had also fallen later, calling it an improper act. Thakur became a Janata Party CM in 1977 for the second time. Still, his government fell after the then Bhartiya Jan Sangh withdrew its support in 1979 as he was implementing the Mungeri Lal Commission recommendations to provide quota for backward classes in government jobs.

At a separate function organised by RJD, Lalu said that the Centre had not done any favour to the state or the family of Karpoori Thakur by conferring the Bharat Ratna award (posthumously); instead, he deserved it.

‘Not a favour’

At a separate function organised by RJD, Lalu Prasad said that the Centre had not done any favour to the state or the family of Karpoori Thakur by conferring Bharat Ratna (posthumously) instead, the former Bihar CM deserved it.

Shah Khawar takes over as acting PCB chairman after Zaka Ashraf steps down

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Former PCB chairman Zaka Ashraf.

LAHORE: Shah Khawar, an advocate of the Supreme Court of Pakistan, has taken charge as acting chairman of the country’s cricket board (PCB) on Wednesday after the resignation of Zaka Ashraf.

Zaka Ashraf’s resignation was accepted by PCB’s patron-in-chief, the caretaker Prime Minister, Anwar ul Haq Kakar.

“My primary responsibility will be to hold the election of Chairman PCB in a free and transparent manner at the earliest,” Khawar said in a statement.

But before he holds the elections for the Chairman’s position, Khawar has to first form the Board of Governors which is made up of four representatives each of the affiliated departments and regional associations with the two nominees of the patron-in-chief also on the BOG.

The elevation of Khawar, who is also the Election Commissioner of PCB, comes after the Ministry of Inter-Provincial Coordination (sports) issued a notification on Tuesday announcing that under Article 7(2) of the PCB Constitution the Election Commissioner is vested with the powers of Chairman PCB.

The Ministry later also issued a notification confirming that Mohsin Naqvi, the caretaker Chief Minister of Punjab, had been nominated by the premier to replace Zaka Ashraf on the Board of Governors and Interim Managing Committee of the board.

The two notifications were issued after Zaka Ashraf stepped down as Chairman of the Interim Management Committee which was appointed by the government in July to run board affairs and its extension term expires on February 5.

Being a direct nominee of the patron-in-chief, Mohsin Naqvi can contest the elections for the Chairman’s post when it is held by the acting chairman and election commissioner.

England 108/3 at lunch in first Test, Ashwin-Jadeja dismisses top order

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India's bowler Ravichandran Ashwin celebrates the wicket of England's batter Ben Duckett during the first day of the first Test cricket match between India and England, at Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad, Thursday, Jan. 25, 2024.

HYDERABAD: Indian spinners were at their effective best in exploiting the turn on offer to jolt England’s ‘Bazball’ ambitions in the first session of the first Test itself, reducing them to 108 for three at lunch here on Thursday.

Joe Root (18 batting) and Jonny Bairstow (32 batting) are holding the fort for England, who batted by choice, after Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja put them through the wringer.

Ashwin and Jadeja started their symphony in the ninth over of the morning after England openers Ben Duckett and Zak Crawley plundered 41 runs in the initial eight overs.

Ashwin fetched the first breakthrough, trapping Duckett ((35, 39b, 7×4) in front of the wicket, underlining for the zillionth time his mastery over left-handed batters.

The 37-year-old managed to skid one on and Duckett played for non-existent spin and the ball beat his bat to hit the pads.

Umpire Chris Gaffaney did not have to think long before raising his finger, and even a review could not save Duckett as England’s opening stand ended at 55.

It was Ashwin’s 11th ball of the innings and Jadeja followed his partner’s suit soon with a regulation left-arm spinner dismissal.

Jadeja found enough turn and bounce outside the off-stump and Ollie Pope’s edge was pouched at first slip by skipper Rohit Sharma in the 14th over.

Ashwin added a 492nd Test wicket to his kitty in the very next over as Crawley wanted to assert himself over the off-spinner.

The right-hander drilled a fuller delivery to mid-off where Mohammed Siraj completed a fine tumbling catch, and the replays also confirmed the legality of his effort.

England were 60 for three then before Root and Bairstow steered them with luck and pluck for the rest of the passage with more hefty work coming their way in the second session.

However, the start England made to this Test belied their travails later on.

Duckett and Crawley carried the visitors past 50 in the 11th over after cracking 25 in the first four overs bowled by pacers Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj.

The Indian quicks managed to beat the outside edge of England batters a few times but they were also not consistent with their line and length.

Duckett’s off-drive off Bumrah that raced to the fence, perhaps, was the shot of the morning.

But the nature of the contest transformed drastically once India turned to their spinners.

Heavy fighting in Gaza’s second-largest city leaves hundreds of patients stranded in main hospital

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RAFAH: Israeli forces battled Palestinian militants Wednesday near the main hospital in Gaza’s second-largest city of Khan Younis, where medics said hundreds of patients and thousands of displaced people were unable to leave because of the fighting.

Israel has ordered residents to leave a swath of downtown Khan Younis that includes Nasser and two smaller hospitals as it pushes ahead with its 3-month-old offensive against Hamas. The United Nations humanitarian office said the area was home to 88,000 Palestinians and was hosting another 425,000 displaced by fighting elsewhere.

The aid group Doctors Without Borders said its staff was trapped inside Nasser Hospital with some 850 patients and thousands of displaced people because the surrounding roads were inaccessible or too dangerous. Nasser Hospital is one of only two hospitals in southern Gaza that can still treat critically ill patients, the group said. Gaza’s Health Ministry also said the hospital had been isolated.

The Israeli military said its forces were battling militants inside Khan Younis after completing their encirclement of the city the day before. It said aircraft were striking targets as part of the operations there and had also targeted suspected militants in central and northern Gaza.

Thousands of people fled south from Khan Younis on Tuesday toward the town of Rafah. The U.N. says some 1.5 million people — around two-thirds of Gaza’s population — are crowded into shelters and tent camps in and around Rafah, which is on the border with Egypt.

Even there, Palestinians have found little safety, with Israel regularly carrying out strikes in and around the town. Palestinian witnesses said that in recent days Israeli soldiers and tanks had pushed into parts of Muwasi, a sandy area along the coast that Israel had declared a safe zone, where tens of thousands of people were living in tents without basic services.

Gaza’s Health Ministry says the offensive has killed at least 25,490 people — the majority women and children — and wounded another 63,354. Its count does not differentiate between civilians and combatants. U.N. officials have expressed fears that even more people could die from disease, with at least one-quarter of the population facing starvation.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to press ahead with the offensive until “complete victory” against Hamas, which started the war with its assault across the border on Oct. 7, killing some 1,200 people and abducting another 250.

Netanyahu says Israel is also committed to returning the over 100 hostages that remain in captivity after most of the others were freed in exchange for the release of Palestinian prisoners during a November cease-fire.

Families of the hostages are also calling for a deal, and have staged increasingly aggressive protests against Israel’s leaders, even interrupting a parliamentary committee meeting Monday. Egypt and Qatar were working on a new agreement, but officials say the gap between the two sides is still wide.

In Israel, bitter political divisions that were set aside after the Oct. 7 attack have begun to reemerge, with Netanyahu facing widespread anger and protests over the failure to prevent the attack and the plight of the hostages.

Hamas was still attacking Israeli forces, even in some of the most devastated areas, and firing rockets into Israel. An attack Monday near the border killed 21 Israeli soldiers, the military’s biggest loss of life in a single attack since Oct. 7.

Israeli media said the troops were working to create an informal buffer zone about a kilometer (half a mile) wide along the border to prevent militants from attacking Israeli communities near Gaza. The military said the operation was aimed at providing security for those communities but has declined to say if it plans to carve out an official buffer zone.

The United States, which has provided essential military and diplomatic support for the offensive, has said it is opposed to any attempt by Israel to shrink Gaza’s territory.

But President Joe Biden’s administration has also urged Israel to scale back military operations and facilitate the delivery of more aid — with limited success. And Netanyahu has outright rejected calls from the U.S. and much of the international community for postwar plans that include the eventual creation of a Palestinian state.

List of party workers’ names for boards corporations kicks up ruckus in Congress

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BENGALURU: The Congress government is facing a conundrum in the nomination of party workers and MLAs to boards and corporations, with Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, DCM DK Shivakumar and the party high command failing to arrive at a consensus on the choice of candidates. Despite several meetings, talks appeared to have reached a deadlock.

Trouble broke out after a list of 39 party workers, allegedly signed by AICC General Secretary (Organisation) K C Venugopal, was leaked. It included persons who had already occupied powerful posts during the 2013-18 Congress regime.

There was strong opposition to former BBMP mayors R Sampath Raj and G Padmavathi, supporters of D K Shivakumar, and for Narendra, who allegedly worked against Siddaramaiah in the 2018 assembly polls, a highly placed source said.

Former chairman of Karnataka State Forest Industries Corporation Sudheendra S E, who had played the role of ‘facilitator’ for the high command during the assembly polls, made it to the list. His wife had worked at Union Chemicals and Fertilisers Minister Bhagwanth Khuba’s office until she shifted to the CM’s office after the Congress came to power, the source added.

Former KR Nagar JDS MLA Manchanahalli Mahadev’s daughter Aishwarya also featured in the list, to which certain Kuruba leaders raised objections. As per the leaked list, Mazhar Khan was proposed for the Kalaburagi Urban Development Authority chairman’s post, while Jagadeva Guttedar was to be given the state-level board chairman’s post.

Former minister S R Patil, KPCC women’s wing president Pushpa Amarnath, spokesperson Ramesh Babu, leaders Somanna Bevinamarad, Shakir Sanadi, S Manohar and others came under the party workers’ list.

After making certain changes, AICC General Secretary Karnataka in-charge Randeep Singh Surjewala is likely to hold one more round of talks with Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar. On January 26, AICC President Mallikarjuna Kharge will also be in town, and is likely to give his consent for the list which would be released on January 29, sources said.

“Even if a revised list is announced, it is likely to kick off a row, with loyal party workers feeling let down, and could have an adverse impact on the party’s prospects in the Lok Sabha polls,” a leader observed.

On the nomination of 36 MLAs, there were objections from certain ministers as their opinions were not taken with regard to boards and corporations under their departments. Home Minister Dr G Parameshwara also made a similar charge.

“Names of some aspirants were included in the list in Bengaluru (by the CM and DCM) and in New Delhi (high command). It would have been good if district ministers were consulted,” observed PWD Minister Satish Jarkiholi.

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