February 12, 2020 - meraapnabihar

A lesson BJP won’t learn from Delhi election: To not polarise Bihar and West Bengal

Source: theprint.in

BJP tally increased from three to eight seats in Delhi assembly. This is enough to tell the party that polarisation could be a good bet in Bihar, Bengal and Assam.

Shaheen Bagh’ was the most mentioned reference in the Bharatiya Janata Party’s Delhi poll campaign, a convenient metaphor for it to polarise the election and the electorate. But Tuesday’s verdict has shown us one thing — the politics of polarisation may not always work for Narendra Modi and Amit Shah. At best, it is a no-gain-no-loss gamble for the party, one that the BJP will continue to push in the upcoming assembly polls, where the party has huge stakes.

But make no mistake. The one important lesson the BJP will not learn from the Delhi election is to refrain from brazen, even toxic, polarisation.

Polarising the voters on communal lines lies in the BJP’s political DNA, and has been at the heart of its rise in national politics. Notwithstanding Delhi results, this strategy will continue to form the core of the BJP’s campaign in elections in Bihar — due later this year — and Assam and West Bengal next year.

The Delhi chapter

When the poll season began, BJP members privately admitted the party was staring at a dismal performance, with Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s Aam Aadmi Party as the front-runner by a wide margin.

The BJP party then sensed an opportunity to make this election a face-saver. It went all out to make this election entirely about non-developmental issues like the new citizenship law, Shaheen Bagh protests and ‘tukde tukde’ gang.

Even senior BJP leaders, including the likes of junior finance minister Anurag Thakur and Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath tried their best to polarise the election, limiting the party’s campaign to goli and gaali.

The BJP has increased its tally from three to eight seats and its voteshare from 32.7 per cent to 38.7 per cent (as per the Election Commission’s figures till 4pm). This is a marginal improvement for the party, but a resounding defeat nonetheless. However, given that the BJP knew it had a poor chance in Delhi, the polarisation push was more of a desperate attempt to deflect attention from Kejriwal’s governance conversation. Modi and Amit Shah will not see the Delhi election result as a failure of their strategy. It may not have helped BJP, but hasn’t taken away much either. In fact, if Lok Sabha polls were to be held today, Modi will manage to sweep Delhi again.

Do voters get put off by these overt attempts at polarisation? Unlikely, considering BJP polarises every election and its political grammar is such. If the Indian voter had a problem with polarisation, the BJP wouldn’t have managed 303 Lok Sabha seats after its ‘infiltrators are termites’, ‘go to Pakistan’ and ‘anti-national’ campaigns in 2019.

The politics of polarisation may have its limits, but for BJP, the law of diminishing marginal utility does not quite apply.

Upcoming elections

Bihar, West Bengal and Assam — three states where the BJP will do all it can to win — are fertile grounds for polarisation. In Bihar, where the party is in power with Nitish Kumar’s Janata Dal (United), the Muslim population is around 17 per cent as per the 2011 Census. For Modi-Shah’s brand of politics, it makes complete sense to talk communal and put the Congress-RJD combine on the backfoot for ‘minority appeasement’. It helps the opposition’s cause that the RJD has remained a firmly secular party, never being seen as having compromised on that front.

In West Bengal, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has already been branded as a minority appeaser, and her anti-NRC and anti-CAA stance have only given the BJP more ammunition against her.

If there’s one state that provides Narendra Modi and Amit Shah the most agreeable ground to polarise on communal lines, it is Assam. The state has been on the edge after the National Register of Citizens (NRC) was updated and the CAA brought in, given the big ethnicity faultline. The BJP has conveniently turned the ethnicity debate into a religious one, changing the language of the state’s conflict. As elections approach, the party will sharpen this polarisation pitch further.

For the BJP — whether under Atal Bihari Vajpayee, L K Advani, Narendra Modi or Amit Shah — polarisation, an overtly communal agenda and language is the brand of politics it relentlessly pursues, one that has helped it reap dividends over the decades. Shaheen Bagh may be behind it now, but expect the BJP to find another metaphor for its divisive agenda in the upcoming elections.

Opposition to Pathalgadi Might Not Be Reason Behind Jharkhand Killings: Fact-Finding Team

Source: thewire.in

New Delhi: Seven people were murdered and beheaded in Jharkhand’s West Singhbhum district in January. A Special Investigations Team (SIT) had linked the killings to opposition to the Pathalgadi movement – which seeks to preserve and safeguard tribal traditions. It was argued that the people were murdered because of their opposition to the Pathalgadi movement by a pro-Pathalgadi faction in the village.

However, a fact-finding team comprising of activists, writers and journalists has now suggested that there may have been a different reason. The team has found that those killed had not followed the diktats of the Sati pati cult – which nudges people to boycott government schemes and surrender government issues documents. The cult originated in Gujarat and has been active in Jharkhand for the past year.

The fact-finding team, which was put together collectively by Jharkhand Janadhikar Mahasabha and National Alliance of People’s Movement (NAPM), found in its visits and conversations, that about half of the village was following the sati pati cult, while the rest were not. Those who were killed belonged to the section of the village which did not surrender its government-issued documents as the sati pati cult had suggested.

James Budh, one of those killed, had been vocal about his opposition to the cult and had objected to giving up the benefits of government schemes. On January 16, James and some armed members of the People’s Liberation Front of India (PLFI) – a Maoist splinter group – had attacked the houses of some of the followers of the sati pati cult.

Then, on January 19, members of the sati pati cult invited James and his accomplices to a meeting. According to the fact-finding team, this is what transpired at the meeting, “from the testimonies of sati pati supporters and family members of the victims, it emerged that the seven people were beaten to death in the meeting and then beheaded.”

The fact-finding team conceded that ‘several questions remain unanswered’ about the killings. But, it is certain that two factions in the village were pro-sati pati cult and anti-sati pati cult contrary to the narrative by the administration which has argued that the killings were the result of a contestation between supporters and detractors of the Pathalgadi movement.

Modi govt’s plan to open up UPSC scores for pvt sector big hit among aspirants

Source: theprint.in

New Delhi: The number of candidates taking up the option of being hired by private companies on the basis of their UPSC scores, have risen by some 1,650 per cent in two years.

In 2017, the Modi government for the first time allowed prospective recruiters from the private sector to approach candidates who rank high in the Civil Services Exam and the Indian Engineering Services Exam, both of which are conducted by the UPSC.

The provision is for candidates who qualify till the interview stage of both exams but do not make the final cut. They are then given the option of having their scores uploaded on UPSC’s integrated information system, from which any private company can hire them on the basis of their performance in the exams.

In 2017, 800 such candidates opted to have their scores uploaded onto the UPSC system. Of these 200 landed private jobs.

In 2018, the number rose sharply to 6,000 candidates, of whom 500 were offered jobs.

In 2019, the number peaked to 14,000, data accessed by ThePrint shows.

“Now, 80-90 per cent of the candidates who make it till the interview stage opt for this,” a senior UPSC official said. “It is particularly popular among engineers and doctors who get jobs in the private sector easily on the basis of their UPSC scores.”

UPSC recruiting fewer candidates for civil services

The rise in numbers of candidates opting for private employment through the UPSC scores comes at a time when the number of civil services personnel recruited by the commission has been steadily declining.

According to data provided by the Department of Personnel and Training in Parliament last week, only 2,352 candidates were selected by the UPSC in 2018-19.

“The government can select only so many candidates, but the others are bright, competent too… If every year, about 500-1000 candidates land private jobs through the UPSC exams, you are making sure that the years they spent preparing for the civil services has not gone waste,” a Department of Personnel and Training official said.

There has been a trend of even public and government organisations like the Sports Authority of India or NTPC hiring non-qualified candidates at key positions in the past, said Siddharth Verma, Practice Head at Direct Hires, an employment firm.

“So it is only logical that the private sector can also make use of these candidates who fall short of making it to government services by a mark or two,” he added. “I am not quite sure of exactly what kind of jobs these people are landing, there are some key industries where their preparation as UPSC candidates comes handy.”

Given their familiarity with humanities, IAS aspirants do well in the consumer sector, where there is some level of understanding of consumer behaviour required, he said. Additionally, UPSC aspirants who have an expertise in economics or statistics do well in the banking, financial and insurance sectors.

“The point is that the level at which these aspirants prepare for the exam is itself a skill that can be used well by any employer,” Verma said.

Bihar: Kanhaiya Kumar’s Convoy Attacked for 7th Time in 2 Weeks

Source: thewire.in

Gaya: CPI leader Kanhaiya Kumar’s convoy was attacked again in Bihar on Tuesday and a Congress MLA’s car, which was also in the cavalcade, was vandalised by suspected BJP workers.

This is the seventh attack on the convoy in two weeks, claimed organisers of the Kumar’s state-wide “Jan Gan Man Yatra” which began last month and is scheduled to conclude a fortnight later with a rally in the state capital.

Later sharing the stage with a host of leaders from the opposition Grand Alliance at a public meeting, Kumar flayed the Narendra Modi government for the “divisive” Citizenship (Amendment) Act.

Former chief minister Jitan Ram Manjhi who heads the Hindustani Awam Morcha, Congress MLAs Shakil Ahmed Khan and and Awadhesh Kumar Singh addressed a gathering at Sherghati in Gaya district.

Prior to reaching the venue, the convoy was attacked by a group of motorcyclists who hurled stones at the vehicles leaving the window panes of Singh’s car shattered.

He, however, was not injured in the incident, party sources said adding that a police complaint was filed in connection with it.

A statement was put out by the Joint Forum Against NPR-NRC-CAA, under the banner of which the drive is being undertaken, deploring “the seventh such attack in less than two weeks since the beginning of the tour”.

The statement said, “The slogans raised by the motorcyclists clearly indicated their adherence to a particular ideology” a reference to the BJP which shares power in the state and has been critical of Kanhaiya Kumar over his alleged involvement in a sedition case.

It is clear that the BJP and the state government of which the saffron party is a part has been rattled by the response the “Jan Gan Man Yatra” has been receiving, it claimed.

“Our delegation had recently met the chief secretary and apprised him of the frequent attacks. We now urge the chief minister (Nitish Kumar) to intervene and ensure safety and security of those taking part in the Yatra or lending support to it,” the statement added.

More and more people from all walks of life are joining the Yatra, claimed Congress MLA Khan who has been accompanying Kumar since the commencement of the tour on January 30.

“We hope to defeat the BJP government’s agenda of hate with love,” Khan told PTI over phone.

Ayushman Bharat: Modi govt hasn’t released a single paisa to Bihar under the scheme

Source: nationalheraldindia.com

After slashing the budget for as many as 18 welfare schemes funded by the Central government, it has come to the fore that the Modi government has not released fund to the Bihar government under the Ayushman Bharat-PM Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY) in this financial year.

A source privy to the development told National Herald that the Centre has not released a single paisa to the BJP backed Nitish Kumar government in this financial year.

Although the obvious reason for not allocating a single paisa under the scheme is being cited as the “worst performance” of the state, health experts and leaders of Opposition parties believe responsibility for the implementation of the scheme lies with the ruling party.

“They cannot blame others for the poor performance of the state as BJP-JDU government has been at the helm for several years. They cannot escape the responsibility,” said a whistleblower and an expert who was involved in the formulation of the policies for Ayushman Bharat.

We tried to contact JD(U) spokespersons for their response but they either refused to comment or evaded the question saying, “It is an issue related with the governance”.

We were referred to talk to the Bihar health minister Mangal Pandey. But when we tried to reach out to the minister, we were told that “he is busy and he will get back to us as and when he gets time.”

“Health minister himself has admitted that his ministry has no expertise in carrying out such schemes. ‬‪It shows the apathy and lack of seriousness on part of the NDA government. The dysfunctional and broken healthcare system in Bihar is a glaring example of how Nitish Kumar led NDA government failed people of Bihar,” said Sanjay Yadav,” an RJD leader and political advisor to Tejashwi Yadav.

It is important to mention here that out of ₹1,699 crore released by the Centre under AB-PMJAY this year to various states, Bihar got no grant despite having over one crore intended beneficiary families.

According to the data released by the health ministry, Bihar registered just around 156,000 hospital admissions under the scheme since its launch about 17 months ago, and only about 40 lakh individual e-cards have been issued in Bihar so far.

“Three large states (Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Bihar) which account for 30% of the beneficiary population are implementing the scheme for the first time and hence their demand is still picking up,” the Union Health Ministry told Parliament last week.

Experts believe that the poor performance of UP and Bihar has had a sharp impact on the scheme, whose allocation in the revised budget of 2019-20 has been halved to ₹ 3,200 crore from an initial allocation of ₹ 6,400 crore.

According to the government’s own submission, just ₹100 crores have been allocated to the BJP-ruled UP so far owing to its poor performance. Even out of the revised allocation of ₹3,200 crores, the Centre has been able to spend only ₹1,699 crore which is just over half of the total allocation.