The Asian Age – Muslims don’t buy Samajwadi Party’s denials on BJP

Amita Verma, Asian Age Correspondent

Wednesday, 27 March 2013. The denials issued by the Samajwadi Party about its growing closeness to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have apparently had little impact on Muslims who seem to be getting restive about their support to the SP.

Muslims in the state feel that the recent statements made by SP leaders reflect their growing proximity to the BJP and the subsequent denials hold little meaning since they are merely aimed at “fooling Muslims”.

“First, it was Prof. Ram Gopal Yadav who said that NDA was far better than UPA and then Mr Mulayam Singh Yadav praised Mr L.K. Advani and termed him as an ‘honest man’ even though it was Mr Advani who led the Rath Yatra and paved the way for the demolition of the Babri mosque.

This cannot be a mere coincidence and Muslims can easily see through the game. The Samajwadi Party is definitely inching closer to the BJP,” said Shehla Khan, 42, a school teacher in Allahabad over phone.

While most clerics are maintaining a studied silence on this, it is the common Muslims who are readily speaking out against the Samajwadi Party.

Dr Maroof Khan, a reader in a degree college at Sultanpur, said that the Samajwadi Party was getting increasingly desperate about the 2014 Lok Sabha elections and its posture indicated that it could even join the NDA if the latter came to power.

“TV channels leave no scope for leaders to deny or retract their statements. Everyone can see and hear what they have said that they can no longer blame it on the media. Muslims will not be fooled this time and there is no doubt that we are feeling let down by the Samajwadi Party,” he said.

Dr Qamar Siddiqui, a physician, said that the Bharatiya Janata Party continues to be anathema for Muslims and the living generations will neither forgive nor forget the Babri demolition.

“How could the Samajwadi leaders even think of heaping praises on BJP leaders? There was a time when Mr Mulayam Sigh Yadav would not even be seen with the BJP leaders and now he is publicly heaping praises on them. We have forgiven him for joining hands with the likes of Sakshi Maharaj and Kalyan Singh but this is beyond our apprehension and we have begun to doubt the Samajwadi Party’s secular credentials,” he said.

Muslim clerics, on the other hand, continue to remain undecided on the issue. A prominent Sunni cleric, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said, “We do not wish to draw any conclusion. Mr Mulayam Singh Yadav has an impeccable record on secularism and we prefer to wait and watch before taking any decision. We have no reason, at present, not to accept the denials.”

http://www.asianage.com/india/muslims-don-t-buy-sp-s-denials-bjp-680

The Hindu – BJP leaders from UP evasive on Modi as PM candidate

Party veteran Joshi says he will support the decision of Parliamentary Board

Atiq Khan

Lucknow, 3 February 2013.  Unlike their counterparts in the other States, Bharatiya Janata Party leaders from Uttar Pradesh are shying away from endorsing the idea of Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi being projected as the Prime Ministerial candidate in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections.

Senior BJP leader and Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee of the Lok Sabha Murli Manohar Joshi sidestepped a query on Mr. Modi and said whenever a decision was taken by the party on naming the Prime Ministerial candidate, it would be made known.

Dr. Joshi, who is a Member of Parliament from Varanasi, told reporters here on Saturday that he would speak at the appropriate forum, and added that he would support the decision of the Parliamentary Board.

When pointedly asked whether his response was in tune with the recent “gag orders” issued by party president Rajnath Singh, that leaders should exercise caution while issuing statements [related to Mr. Modi], he denied that there were any such orders. Dr. Joshi even rejected a Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh leader’s reported charge that Nitin Gadkari’s recent ouster was the result of a conspiracy by some leaders. “There was no conspiracy,” Dr. Joshi added.

In Allahabad, vice-president Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi described Mr. Modi as a “nationalist” [rashtravadi] with a “countrywide appeal,” but was quick to add that that there were “other nationalist leaders” in the party. Mr. Naqvi said a decision on this count would be taken by the party. Another senior leader and MLA from Lucknow East, Kalraj Mishra, when asked for his views told journalists that Mr. Modi was “in” the “race.”

With 80 Lok Sabha seats and the Ram temple issue still on the BJP’s dossier, Uttar Pradesh figures prominently in the party’s 2014 poll agenda. In the 2009 poll, it fared poorly and could manage only 10 seats. But, with a “homegrown” leader like Rajnath Singh back at the helm [ he was the party chief in 2009 too], State leaders, including U.P. BJP president Laxmikant Bajpai, have claimed that in 2014 the tally would increase to between 40 and 50 seats.

Mr. Singh, who is the MP from Ghaziabad, is arriving on February 5 on a two-day visit to Lucknow.

http://maninblue1947.wordpress.com/wp-admin/post-new.php?post_type=post

The Asian Age – BJP: Opportunistic SP in Congress deal

Asian Age Correspondent

New Delhi, 24 September 2012. Accusing the Mulayam Singh-led Samajwadi Party (SP) of entering into a deal with the Congress-led UPA government, the main Opposition BJP on Sunday charged the SP with playing the “communal card” to justify its support to the government at the Centre.

The BJP said while the SP maintains that it is against the government’s decision of allowing FDI in multi-brand retail, it is also supporting the UPA by claiming that it does not want “communal forces” to come to power by destabilising the ruling coalition at the Centre.

The BJP also announced that its Bharatiya Janata Majdoor Mahasangh will be organising a rally at Ramlila Maidan on September 25 to demand facilities for workers of the unorganised sector and also to protest FDI in multi-brand retail.

Accusing the SP of giving “opportunistic statements many times”, BJP national spokesperson Shahnawaz Hussain said: “Barring Assam and Uttar Pradesh, there is no communal strife in the country. There is no communalism, especially in NDA-ruled states. People are forgetting the word communalism. But some are using it to serve their political interests.”

The party claimed that the Congress had a “deal” with the SP on the nuclear deal issue and the latter had saved the UPA-1 during the trust vote.

Recalling the incident, the BJP leader said, “L.K. Advani has said on the floor of Parliament that how government was saved in an illegal way. The SP has come to the rescue of the government in the meetings of PAC and JPC and in Parliament also.

Today also the SP is playing saviour of the government.”

http://www.asianage.com/india/bjp-opportunistic-sp-cong-deal-004

The Asian Age – Shock, outrage as DIG ‘backs’ honour killings

Asian Ager Correspondents

Lucknow/New Delhi, 10 May 2012. Shocking and irresponsible remarks by a state minister and a senior IPS officer left the Akhilesh Yadav government in Uttar Pradesh severely embarrassed.

Durga Prasad Yadav, UP minister for stamp, court fees and registration, made the profound statement that “even God would not be able to control crime” in Uttar Pradesh. This was in Gorakhpur hours after a man was killed in a shootout between underworld gangs. “Crime will continue even if God forms a government in UP,” he said.

Soon afterwards a senior police official was caught on camera endorsing honour killings. Saharanpur DIG Satish Kumar Mathur told a father who had come to seek help to get back his abducted daughter that if his own sister had eloped “I would have killed her… or else I would have committed suicide myself”.

This insensitive remark has caused shock and outrage in several quarters, with National Commission of Women chief Mamta Sharma saying the state government should suspend the officer, and order an investigation.

Activist Ranjana Kumari demanded the DIG be put behind the bars as “this amounts to abetment of suicide and encouraging honour killings”.

Additional DGP (law and order) Jagmohan Yadav said in Lucknow the DIG denied having made the remark, and that if he had “action will be taken”.

http://www.asianage.com/india/shock-outrage-dig-backs-honour-killings-468

The Tribune – Assembly Elections, Goa, Manipur, Uttarakhand, UP

BJP takes Goa – Landslide victory for Cong in Manipur – Dead heat in Uttarakhand – Tough times for UPA ahead – Mulayam routs Maya, setback for Rahul in UP

Anita Katyal, Our Political Correspondent

New Delhi, March 6. Widely perceived as a litmus test for the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, the results of the five Assembly polls declared today served as a serious warning for the Congress in general and its heir-apparent Rahul Gandhi in particular about the party’s capability to lead the country once again as the morale of cadres sank to a record low.

More immediately, the party’s dismal performance in these elections will spell further trouble for the already beleaguered Congress-led UPA government which will have to contend with a more aggressive Opposition as it heads into a crucial budget session of Parliament. The results were nothing short of a nightmare for the Congress. It faced a humiliating defeat in Punjab where the ruling Akali Dal-BJP government set a record by bucking the anti-incumbency trend to emerge victorious for a second consecutive term. While the party drew some solace from its victories in distant Manipur and Uttarakhand (a wafer-thin margin), it was mauled badly in Goa by the BJP-MGP combine.

However, the UP results were clearly the big story of the day. The Samajwadi Party won a landslide victory and will form the next government without any outside support. While the projection of Mulayum Singh Yadav’s son Akhilsh Singh Yadav as the party’s new face proved to be a real winner, the SP’s ride to power was also helped as it was seen as the strongest party capable of dislodging the Mayawati government.

The results were a personal blow for AICC general secretary and Nehru-Gandhi scion Rahul Gandhi who had taken complete charge of the elections in the state to revive the fortunes of the grand old party. As it happened, Rahul’s intensive and aggressive campaign failed to deliver as the Congress was unable to add substantially to its tally of 22 seats.

While Digvijay Singh, AICC general secretary in charge of Uttar Pradesh, and Rita Bahuguna Joshi, UP Congress chief, were quick to insulate Rahul from criticism, the man who led from the front did not shy away from taking the blame for party’s poor performance. “I led the campaign, I led from the front and so it is my responsibility. We fought collectively, we fought well but the results have not been so good,” he told reporters outside Congress president Sonia Gandhi’s residence this evening.

Gracious in defeat, Rahul also conceded that the party’s organisation was not in very good health. “Organisationally, we are not where we should be in UP…I think it will be a very good lesson for me because I think it will make me think about things in a detailed way,” he said, adding that the fundamentals of the Congress in UP are weak and need to be corrected.

Although the party is expected to introspect the election results at a later date, party insiders maintained that the state Congress unit’s over-confidence and complacency had cost them dearly in Punjab. “Everybody assumed they were winning,” remarked a senior AICC functionary. Faulty distribution of tickets and the presence of a large number of rebels were the other factors, which proved to be the party’s undoing, he said.

The Congress campaign in UP got off to a flying start with Rahul focusing on the poor governance record of the Mayawati government but got derailed after the third phase when senior leaders Salman Khurshid and Beni Prasad Verma raised the pitch on the Muslim quota issue.

References to Hindu terror in a state where nobody has been charged in any such case, the possibility of President’s rule and the Batla House encounter issue also contributed in changing the course of the UP election.

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2012/20120307/main2.htm

The Hindu – Sonia meets general secretaries to discuss poll results

New Delhi, 7 March 2012. Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Wednesday held a meeting of party general secretaries and office bearers to discuss the outcome of the Assembly elections in five states, including Uttar Pradesh, and the reasons behind it.

Ms. Gandhi met party general secretaries and office-bearers at the All Indian Congress Committee headquarters here and later discussed the poll results with general secretaries in-charge of the five states.

General Secretary Rahul Gandhi, who had campaigned extensively for the party in Uttar Pradesh, kept away from the meeting.

Congress General Secretary Digvijay Singh, in-charge of UP; Chaudhary Birendra Singh, in-charge of Uttarakhand; Gulchain Singh Charak, in-charge of Punjab; Jagmeet Singh Brar, in-charge of Goa; and Luizinho Faleiro, in-charge of Manipur, were present in the meeting with Gandhi.

Congress was hopeful of wresting Punjab from the Shiromani Akali Dal-BJP but put up a dismal performance. In Uttar Pradesh also the party could improve its tally by only six seats from 22 in 2007 to 28 this time.

Congress had virtually made UP a prestige issue and Rahul Gandhi and Digvijay Singh had made all efforts to improve the tally. However, Samajwadi Party swept the polls with an unprecedented 224 seats in its kitty.

Rahul Gandhi had on Tuesday accepted responsibility for the party’s dismal performance in UP. (PTI)

http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/article2969685.ece?homepage=true

The Tribune – Assembly Elections

Punjab (seats 117) SAD+BJP: 68, Cong: 46, others 3

Uttar Pradesh (403) SP 224, BSP 80, BJP 47, Congress 37, others 15

Uttarakhand (70) Congress 32, BJP 31, BSP 3, others 4

Manipur (60) Cong 42, TMC 7, others 11

Goa (40) BJP+ 24, Cong 9, others 7

More election news to follow

The Asian Age – Constitutional crisis, cries Opposition

Lucknow, 13 February 2012

The BJP said on Sunday that a “constitutional calamity” had arisen after the Election Commission complained to the President about Union minister Salman Khurshid’s violation of the model code of conduct during UP polls. “Mr Salman Khurshid is the law minister and also the minority affairs minister. He is well aware of the provisions of the law.

The Election Commission had directed him not to make any announcements regarding Muslim reservation since it goes against the level playing field principle of the moral code of conduct. Yet, he is making announcements and violating the code of conduct,” senior BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad told reporters here on Sunday.

He further said that a constitutional body like the Election Commission is being defied by a senior minister of the Centre an this has created an unprecedented constitutional crisis. “Will the Prime Minister take action? Or maintain his conventional inaction? Will Mrs Sonia Gandhi speak something? Or maintain her conspicuous silence?” he asked.

Meanwhile in Bhadoi, BJP Parliamentary Party chairman L.K. Advani alleged that the law minister was making a “mockery” of model code of conduct. “The PM should sack Khurshid for making comments on EC. No minister had ever made comments against the EC in such a way. After being censured by the commission, the minister is making mockery of model code of conduct,” Mr Advani said.

Meanwhile, Janata Dal (United) leader Sharad Yadav said on Sunday that the Prime Minister should ban Salman Khurshid in UP till the elections are over. “Any competent Prime Minister should have expelled him from the government. But the least that Dr Manmohan Singh can do is to ban him from visiting UP,” he said.

http://www.asianage.com/india/constitutional-crisis-cries-opp-158

The Asian Age – BJP opens its doors for ‘tainted’

Amita Verma, Asian Correspondent

Lucknow, 6 January 2012. The BJP, which has been receiving flak over the induction of ex-BSP minister Babu Singh Kushwaha, is all set to take another beating when it welcomes some more “tainted” politicians next week. The party is already in talks with some other influential but “tainted” leaders.

The BJP, according to sources, is determined to give ticket for the assembly polls to jailed mafia don and BSP MP Dhananjay Singh’s wife Jagriti and/or his brother. Dhananjay Singh has dumped BJP — rather, its allies – on two occasions but his mentor, Rajnath Singh, obviously does not think it is politically incorrect.

Dhananjay had been elected to the Vidhan Sabha in 2002 on a Lok Janshakti Party ticket but he promptly switched loyalties to the Mulayam Singh government in 2003.

In 2007, he was re-elected on a JD(U) ticket but when Ms Mayawati formed the government, he happily merged the party into the BSP.

Presently lodged in Jaunpur jail on a double murder charge, Dhananjay Singh is all set to shake hands with the BJP and the latter is reciprocating heartily.

Another “tainted” politician who has already acquired a saffron hue is Avadesh Varma, former BSP minister.

Varma has been charged with corruption including misappropriation of funds and land grabbing but the BJP has nominated him as its candidate from Dadraul in Shahjahanpur.

Daddan Misra, another tainted minister in the Mayawati government, also figures in the BJP list from Bhinga assembly segment.

Misra was an accused in the mass rape of Muslim women in Shravasti in 2008 but his name was later deleted under pressure.

The incident led to pandemonium in the state assembly and Daddan was in the eye of storm.

http://www.asianage.com/india/bjp-opens-its-doors-tainted-817