Maoists threaten to kill Sushil Modi, Bihar BJP leaders

Maoists have put up posters in Jharkhand's Latehar district, threatening to kill top Bihar BJP leaders, including former deputy chief minister Sushil Kumar Modi.

Modi along with party colleague and former minister Giriraj Singh have been advocating strong police action against Maoists in Bihar. The two leaders have alleged the Nitish Kumar government is soft on the Maoists who have recently carried out attacks in Bihar.

"We have recovered the posters that threaten to target Modi, Giriraj, Rajya Sabha MP C P Thakur and other BJP leaders," Latehar SP Michael S Raj said on Thursday. The posters have urged people not to come under the influence of these leaders because they are "fascists".

Police have sounded an alert in the district. "We have communicated to Bihar police," said additional SP Manish Kumar Bharti.

Police said the posters read, "Sampradayeek aur fascist party Bhajapa tatha khunkhar pratikriyawadiyo ke chakkar me na padey. Aam admi se anurodh hai ki samanti pratikriyawadi Sushil Kumar Modi, Giriraj Singh, C P Thakur and other leaders ko maar girayein (Do not get influenced by communal and fascist BJP. Common people are requested to kill feudal reactionaries Sushil, Giriraj, Thakur and other leaders)."

Latehar is close to Chatra district in Jharkhand where Maoists from Bihar allegedly take shelter. "It could be a possibility that the posters were meant to be used in Bihar, but the banned outfit's men inadvertently brought and pasted them here," a police officer said.

Three such posters and two banners were recovered from two different places on Wednesday. One poster said CPI(Maoist) has opened a recruitment cell each in all panchayats. "The posters invited schoolchildren to join the party," said the police officer.

Two Maoist posters were recovered from Deoghar district on Thursday. Police said the posters condemned police action against the Maoists and asked people to support their cause.

Source: TOI

Bihar BJP invites Narendra Modi to contest LS polls from state

The state unit of BJP has invited party's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi to contest from any Lok Sabha seat in Bihar, a senior leader said on Wednesday.

"We have invited Modi to contest from any Lok Sabha seat in Bihar during the next general elections," former deputy chief minister Sushil Kumar Modi told reporters here.

All our sitting MPs are keen to vacate their seats to enable Modi to contest from any Lok Sabha seat, he said, adding, "We will ensure that Modi wins hands down from any seat in Bihar during the next general elections."

A formal proposal has been sent to the BJP leadership apprising about the sentiments of the BJP state leadership and workers on Modi contesting from Bihar, but a final decision would be taken by the party's parliamentary board, he said.

The Bihar BJP's invite to Modi to contest the general elections from the state comes a day after a proposal was sent to him requesting him to visit the state for a third time to address public meetings between December-end and mid-January next year.

Modi had recently visited Bihar twice within a span of a week - first to address the party's 'Hunkar Rally' at the Gandhi Maidan on October 27 last which was marred by serial blasts claiming six lives and second, to express condolences to the kins of the blasts victims on November 2 last.

Source: TOI

EC issues notice to Narendra Modi for his 'khooni panja' remark

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) prime ministerial candidate and Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi has been issued a notice by the Election Commission for an alleged model code of conduct violation over his "khooni panja" remark. The Election Commission has asked Modi to explain by 5 pm on November 16 why action should not be initiated against him for the alleged model code of conduct violation.

The notice was issued on a complain by the Congress party which sought stern action against Modi for his "khooni panja" barb against the party.

In its communication to Chief Election Commissioner VS Sampath, Congress accused BJP's prime ministerial candidate of making "intemperate, malicious and defamatory" remarks by referring to the hand symbol, allotted by the Commission to Congress, as "Khooni Panja" and "Jalim Haath".

"The use of the expression 'khooni panja' is extremely significant and deplorable and has an effect of terrorising the public at large against Congress," the party had said in its petition.

The Congress move to approach the EC came days after the Election Commission notice to the party Vice-President Rahul Gandhi over his remark that Pakistani intelligence agency ISI was in touch with some victims of Muzaffarnagar violence.

After BJP's petition to EC in this regard, Rahul Gandhi was served a notice to which he had replied on Friday stating that he had not violated the model code of conduct.

Congress also sent to the EC a DVD of Modi's speech at Dongargarh in Chhattisgarh in which he had made the remarks as well as clippings of a newspaper report.

The party also sent the EC, the text of Modi's speech in which the BJP leader had said, "Yadi aap chahte hain ki Chattisgarh ke upar kisi khooni panje ka saya na pade to aap sabhi kamal mein button dabana aur Chhattisgarh ko khooni panje se bachana. (If you want that the shadow of bloodied hand does not fall on Chattisgarh, press the button on Lotus)"

The party has alleged that Modi had gone on to say - "Jalim hatho mein Chattisgarh ko dena chahate ho?.... Galti se bhee jalim panja ke hatho me Chattisgarh nahi jane dena." (Do you want to give away Chattisgarh to brutal hands....Don't let Chhatisgarh slip into the grip of brutal hands even by mistake)."

Source: IBN

Modi gets the facts wrong, again

Gujarat chief minister and BJP's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi got his history twisted again on Sunday, giving his detractors a chance to have a field day on social media platforms.

Addressing a gathering after the inauguration of a multi-speciality hospital in Gujarat's Kheda district, Modi said, "Syama Prasad Mookerjee was a revolutionary. He died in 1930 in London. But the Congress never bothered to bring back his ashes to the country."

Going by the facts, the revolutionary Modi was referring to was Shyamji Krishna Verma, a freedom fighter, lawyer and a journalist.

Mookerjee was the founder of the Jan Sangh, which was later transformed into the BJP. He died in a Jammu and Kashmir prison on June 23, 1953 - 45 days after being detained for entering the state without a permit.

At a rally in Punjab in June this year, Modi had held India's first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru responsible for Mookerjee's death.

But on Sunday, Modi said, "Nehru should have sent an emissary to bring the ashes (of Mookerjee) back. The Congress government didn't get them back till 2003. It was me who brought the ashes to India in 2003."

Modi later apologised for the blunder. But his critics on Twitter described him as "his own party's history".

Modi has landed in a tight spot more than once for making serial mistakes during his recent speeches.

At the October 27 Patna rally - held hours after serial blasts rocked the Bihar capital - Modi had said, "When we are reminded of the Gupta Dynasty, we are reminded of Chandragupta's rajneeti."

Bihar chief minister and Modi's political rival, Nitish Kumar, had replied saying, "The BJP has amazing grasp of history. They should know Chandragupta was of Maurya dynasty, not of Gupta dynasty."

Source: HT

US says ready to work with Modi if he becomes PM, blames media for visa row

The US would be willing to work with BJP's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi, if the party is voted to power in the next general elections, senior Obama administration officials here have said asserting that the enduring bilateral relationship is to continue irrespective of the poll results.

"We will work with the leader of the world's largest democracy. There is no question about that," a senior US official said on Thursday when asked about the prospects of working with an Indian government led by Bharatiya Janata Party's PM nominee Narendra Modi.

Dismissing visa as a non-issue, the official said it was largely a creation of the Indian media and not at all an issue in the US government.

"Visa issue is a media creation. He has to apply and we will review. He (Modi) has not applied (for a visa)," said the official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity.

"You said you have very strong relationship with Prime Minister Singh. If Modi become the Prime Minister next year, would that be problematic for the United States?" the official was asked.

"I think that the United States had a very strong relationship with the previous Indian government when it was under BJP leadership," the US official said.

"I think the relationship between the United States and India is an enduring one, it is a bipartisan in the United States, irrespective of who is in office. And we believe that (in a ) multiparty (system) in India that it is supported by all political parties, we expect that relationship to continue," the official said.

According to another US official "there is not a lot of angst about him (Modi)" in the US government, but it is believed that the Administration has decided to maintain the status quo on this issue for the very reason that it might be seen as an interference in the internal domestic polity of India.

Source: IE

BJP demands PM-level security for Narendra Modi

The BJP parliamentary board on Wednesday passed a resolution demanding prime minister-level security for the party's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi.

According to reports, the BJP said Modi's security cover must be increased.

The party also accused both the Bihar and the central governments of monumental failure in providing adequate security to the Gujarat chief minister during the party's 'Hunkar' rally' in Patna on October 27 when a series of low-intensity bomb blasts claimed seven lives.

Earlier, former Bihar deputy chief minister Sushil Kumar Modi claimed that Modi was the 'target' of the Patna serial blasts.

"Not the crowd, Narendra Modi was the target of the blasts in Patna," Sushil Modi said.

Source: TOI

Narendra Modi visits Bihar, meets kin of Patna blasts victims

Meeting the families of six persons killed in serial bomb blasts during his Sunday rally, BJP prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi on Saturday assured them all help from the party.

Amid tight security, Modi first headed for Gaurichak in old Patna locality to convey his condolences to the kin of village Azeemchak resident Raj Narain Singh, 65, who had died in the serial blasts.

The BJP leader garlanded the photograph of Singh, sat on the floor as he consoled the family and handed them a cheque of Rs five lakh on behalf of the party, said Arun Sinha, BJP MLA from Kumrahr.

Singh was a farmer and an ardent follower of Jaiprakash Narayan. He had gone to Modi's rally without informing his family, the Gujarat chief minister was informed by Bihar's former deputy chief minister sushil Kumar Modi who accompanied him.

Leader of opposition Nand Kishore Yadav was also present.

Sinha said the family sought a job for one of the three sons of Singh and Modi assured them he will look into it. Singh's other two sons are in the Army.

"Modi consoled Singh's widow. The family was assured that the party will take care of them and and they were satisfied that Modi had come to meet them," BJP leader Ravishanakar Prasad said.

Modi's visit was delayed by two hours this morning due to fog. As the weather opened up, he left for Gauraichak, 25 kms from here, in a helicopter. He has been accorded the status of "state guest" by the Bihar government. The state guest house where he has been staying is opposite to chief minister Nitish Kumar's official residence.

Heavy security arrangement were in place Modi's visit.

Besides, Bihar police personnel, 150 police officials from Gujarat including one Additional Director General of Police rank officer, two deputy inspector general of police and six deputy superintendent of police level officials have come to Bihar as part of elaborate security cover for Modi at all the places he would visit, police sources said.

As part of Z++ VVIP security arrangement for Modi, the Bihar government has issued an alert. A DIG rank officer along with commissioner is accompanying the Gujarat chief minister in all the districts he is visiting, police sources added.

At Singh's residence, Patna senior superintendent of police Manu Maharaj was present. Mediapersons were allowed near the residence after a thorough check. From Gaurichak, Modi was slated to families of victims in Kaimur, Gopalganj, Supual, Begusarai and Nalanda. Nalanda, the home district of chief minister Nitish Kumar, will be the final destination of Modi. From there he will fly in helicopter straight to Patna airport to return to Ahmedabad in his chartered plane, BJP sources said.

Six persons were killed in multiple explosions on October 27 during "Hunkar rally" which was addressed by Modi, his first major political show in rival Nitish Kumar's home turf after parting of ways of JD(U) and BJP on June 16 last.

The investigation in the blasts case has pointed to involvement of Indian Mujahideen militant outfit.

Within a week, Narendra Modi has returned to Bihar to pay condolence to the six persons killed in the blasts on Sunday.

The ruling JD(U) hit out at Modi, alleging that he was playing politics of polarisation and questioned why he had never visited the families of 2002 Gujarat riots.

"This kind of behaviour does not behove a person who has been named as the prime ministerial candidate by the main opposition party. We are not saying he should not come to Bihar. But the time he has chosen is not right," JD(U) leader Shivanand Tiwari said.

His colleague K C Tyagi attacked Modi for travelling with a large security entourage from Gujarat, saying his actions were an insult to the prestige of Bihar.

"It is naked aggression from one state against another. He is behaving like the cruel invaders from the medieval period. Till now we had only seen Centre's interference in affairs of the states," he said.

Modi arrived in JP Airport Patna late on Friday night around 11:15pm from Pune. He was received at the airport by Sushil Modi, Nand Kishore Yadav, Shahnawaz Hussain, Ravishankar Prasad, Dharmendra Pradhan among others.

Source: TOI

Six new ministers in Modi Cabinet, including a Yaduvanshi

Chief Minister Narendra Modi on Friday inducted six new ministers on Friday, nearly a year after winning his third consecutive Assembly elections in December 2012.

Governor Dr Kamla Beniwal administered the oath of office and secrecy to the newly inducted ministers at a swearing-in ceremony at Mahatma Mandir in Gandhinagar.

All six of them were sworn in as ministers of state, taking the total number of ministers in the Modi government to 23, which is still less than the norm of 28.

The expansion has been done to boost the party's performance in the forthcoming 2014 Lok Sabha elections. Little wonder, the caste balance has been given utmost importance. A Patel, OBC, tribal, koli and Kshatiyas have been selected. However, there has been only one fresh face — Jayesh Radadiya. The others had been ministers earlier.

MLA from Jetpur (Saurashtra) Jayesh (32), who along with his father, Saurashtra strongman Vitthal Radadiya, joined the BJP by severing ties with the Congress in February, has also become the youngest minister. He is a Leuva Patel.

While the Cabinet has many Patel leaders, his inclusion was part of a condition that the Radadiyas had made to change loyalties.

The other five are Vasan Ahir (OBC from Anjar Kutch), Jaydrathsinh Parmar (Kshatriya from Halol, central Gujarat), Dilip Thakor (OBC from Chanasma, northern Gujarat), Jaswantsinh Bhabhor (tribal from Limkheda, central Gujarat) and Chhatrasinh Mori (Koli from Jambusar, central Gujarat).

By allocating tourism and civil aviation portfolio, the Modi government has expressed faith in young Radadiya.

However, the portfolio of tainted minister Purshottam Solanki has been reduced to only one department of Labour and Employment, as his other portfolio — Fisheries — has been allocated to Thakore along with Animal Husbandary and Cow Conservation and printing related work.

Bhabhor has been given forest and environment along with Tribal Development. He will be junior minister to Ganpat Vasava, who is also a tribal.

Source: IE

Modi will be 'state guest' during his 2-day Bihar visit

Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modiwill be Bihar's 'state guest' during his two-day visit, beginning tomorrow, to meet relatives of the six killed in the serial bomb blasts before his rally in Patna last Sunday.

"He is a chief minister of a state and will be accorded the honour of being a state guest and all protocol will be followed," Principal Secretary to the Cabinet Coordination Committee Brajesh Mehrotra said today.

Modi, who is scheduled to arrive here tomorrow night and will take a chopper to visit the houses of the six slain persons in different districts the next day.

BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi said there was nothing big in this as being a CM Narendra Modi was entitled to be treated as a state guest.

The former deputy chief minister, who has gone to Supual to launch 'Asthi Kalas Yatra' after meeting family of a blast victim Bharat Rajak, told that the state government should have ensured foolproof security for Modi and not repeat the "lapses" it had shown during Sunday's rally in Patna.

Bihar JD(U) president Bashitha Narayan Singh, however, said the state government had always "performed its duty honestly."

"Despite political differences, Narendra Modi is a Chief Minister of a state. The state government will extend him all facilities in the rule book relating to the visit of a VIP", he said.

Source: TOI

Nitish attacks Modi, says 'a man who aspires to be PM should be patient'

Excerpts from Nitish's speech at Rajgir convention:

• I noticed Modi was wiping his face. Why was he sweating? A man who aspires to India's highest post should be patient.

• BJP has amazing grasp of history. They should know Chandragupta was of Maurya dynasty, not of Gupta dynasty.

• Security agencies and Bihar administration are answerable for security at BJP's Patna rally.

• My ex-friends once praised me and now they are finding faults with me.

• My ex-friends of BJP accuse me of failing in security for BJP Patna rally. All security was made.

• I condemn the terrorist incidents in Patna 2 days ago.

• Special status for Bihar will be JD-U's main issue in 2014 polls.

• Bihar isn't begging for special status. It's our right.

• We are fighting for Bihar but some people are creating hurdles for us.

• Nobody can beat our rally in Patna last year, that was for Biharis and not for an individual.

• BJP is responsible for the alliance between the two parties breaking.

• JD-U will connect with voters, demand the legitimate rights of Bihar.

• JD-U will organise 12 sankalp rallies to contact with voters.

• Janata-Dal United's signature campaign forced Centre to set up panel to consider special status for Bihar.

• Bihar demanded Rs. 20,000 cr from centre and got Rs. 12,000 cr. Our fight goes on.

• Janata Dal United convention in Rajgir was successful. We have gained strength.

• Nitish Kumar addresses Janata Dal-United meeting in Rajgir after senior party leader Shivanand Tiwari praised Narendra Modi.

Narendra Modi cannot hope to lead India by inspiring fear: NYT

A leading US daily is of the view that Bharatiya Janata Party's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi cannot hope to lead India effectively if he "inspires fear and antipathy among" many, particularly Muslims.

Editorially commenting on Gujarat Chief Minister "Narendra Modi's Rise in India," influential New York Times said "His rise to power is deeply troubling to many Indians, especially the country's 138 million Muslims and its many other minorities."

"They worry he would exacerbate sectarian tensions that have subsided somewhat in the last decade," it said noting that in 2002, rioters "savagely killed nearly 1,000 people, most of whom were part of the Muslim minority" in Gujarat.

"India is a country with multiple religions, more than a dozen major languages and numerous ethnic groups and tribes," the Times said. "Mr. Modi cannot hope to lead it effectively if he inspires fear and antipathy among many of its people."

Modi has been denied a US visa since 2005 for his alleged role or inaction during the 2002 riots.

Supporters of Modi, the Times noted "argue that an investigation commissioned by India's Supreme Court cleared him of wrongdoing in the riots."

"And they insist that Mr. Modi, who is widely admired by middle-class Indians for making Gujarat one of India's fastest-growing states, can revive the economy."

But "Modi's strident Hindu nationalism has fuelled public outrage," the daily said recalling his "incendiary response" to a question from a British news agency whether he regretted the killings in 2002.

"Modi has shown no ability to work with opposition parties or tolerate dissent," the Times said.

"His economic record in Gujarat is not entirely admirable, either," it said noting, "Muslims in Gujarat, for instance, are much more likely to be poor than Muslims in India as a whole, even though the state has a lower poverty rate than the country."

Source: ANI

Serial bomb blasts rock Patna; 5 dead, 24 injured

At least five people were killed and 24 injured when a series of blasts rocked Patna ahead of BJP's Hunkar rally on Sunday.

Bihar DGP GP Abhyanand has confirmed 8 explosions. Most of the blasts occurred in and around the Gandhi Maidan.

People were seen rushing the injured to the hospital as the explosions sparked panic.

Six persons were injured in a blast before the Eliphistine cinema hall on the western side of the rally venue, police sources said.

Hours before that, a bomb exploded in a newly constructed toilet at the Patna railway station, two kilometers from the BJP's 'Hunkar rally' venue, injuring one person.

Immediately after the explosion, bomb disposal swept the area and discovered two more crude bombs, railway superintendent of police Upendra Kumar Sinha said.

One security personnel was injured while defusing a bomb recovered from the toilet, he said.

At the rally, plumes of smoke billowed from a couple of sites even as BJP leaders, including its Prime Ministerial candidate Modi, addressed the crowd.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh condemned the blasts and appealed for calm. He spoke to Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar and asked him to speedily probe the blasts and ensure that perpetrators are punished.

The home ministry has sought a report from the Bihar government on the explosions and is sending teams of National Investigation Agency (NIA) and National Security Guard (NSG) to the state.

"We are in regular touch with authorities in Bihar and have offered them all necessary assistance. We are trying to get more information," minister of state for home R P N Singh said in Delhi, adding the Centre was ready to provide additional forces to maintain law and order.

The ministry has asked the state government to send a report about the nature of the bombs, suspected persons or organisations which could be behind it and steps taken to maintain law and order, official sources said.

The Centre also decided to send a team of explosive experts of the NIA to help the Bihar police in post-blast investigation, they said.

Station manager of Patna Junction Raju Kumar said eleven trains booked by the BJP for the rally had arrived much before the blast.

Patna City SP Jaykant said that security arrangements had been scaled up there.

The BJP demanded a probe into the blasts even as the incident triggered a political slugfest between the saffron party and its former ally JD(U).

"This blast cannot stop the youth from being part of Modi's rally. There is anger among people and they want to get rid of Congress and also other parties who are standing with it," BJP leader Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said.

"Investigation should be done so as to find out who is behind it," he said.

Janata Dal-United (JD-U) leader Sabir Ali questioned why "such incidents were happening after JD(U) parted ways with BJP".

"There is something suspicious. I can feel. They will divide the nation, divide the people only for power," he said.

Bihar has no bullet proof vehicle for Modi

The Bihar government has expressed its inability to meet Gujarat's request to provide a bullet-resistant SUV to its chief minister and BJP prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi for his less than three-hour stay during the party's Hunkar rally in Patna on October 27.

Gujarat has now decided to move its bullet-resistant SUV from New Delhi via Jhansi.

In response to Gujarat's request, the Bihar government had offered a bullet-resistant ambassador car. However, top Gujarat police officials indicated Modi's preference for a bullet-resistant SUV, which its Bihar counterparts declined.

The reason behind denial, said top government sources, was Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar's two-day tour to Rajgir, 98 km south of Patna, in Nalanda district. The Janata Dal-United is holding its 'chintan shivir' (brainstorming camp) at Rajgir on October 28 and 29.

Bihar has only two bullet-resistant SUVs and 25 such ambassador cars. However, both SUVs are part of the CM's cavalcade.

Additional director-general (headquarters) Raveendra Kumar told HT: "Since Modi is a Z-plus protectee, a bullet-resistant car would be given to him." Asked about Gujarat's desire for an SUV, Kumar said: "I have not seen any such request (letter)."

The verbal request from Gujarat was made during initial telephonic deliberations between senior officers of the two states early this week.

Factory made bullet-resistant SUVs, are far more superior to retrofitted ones, as in case of ambassador cars. The ones made on assembly line have higher torque and can rev up faster than retrofitted ambassadors. Due to the heavy steel plating, a bullet-resistant SUV weighs 1.5 tonne as against the normal weight of 700 kg.

Seeing Bihar's reluctance, Gujarat even enquired if it should get jammers for negating remote control explosive device and bullet-resistant lectern. Bihar, however, indicated it would have those in place.

Source: HT

ET poll for 2014 election: Modi-mania sweeps UP, Bihar

A Narendra Modi wave is gathering momentum in the Hindi heartland states of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, with BJP's prime ministerial candidate appearing successful in breaking down barriers that once looked impenetrable.

In the upcoming general elections that promise to be a direct contest between the Gujarat chief minister and Rahul Gandhi, Modi has outpaced the Congress vice-president by a wide margin, a survey by ET shows.

Every second voter in the two states is seen rooting for Modi's prime ministerial bid and the surge in his approval ratings is in stark contrast with the numbers for Rahul Gandhi.

While only 9 per cent respondents in Uttar Pradesh found Gandhi a suitable candidate for the prime minister's post compared with Modi's 50 per cent, his rating was marginally better in Bihar where 19 per cent backed the Congress scion's suitability.

But Gandhi trails Modi in every category of voters — gender, age groups and rural-urban.

Modi, 62, also has more traction among the young and first-time voters, despite being 19 years older than Gandhi. Unsurprisingly, Modi's candidature is prompting Muslim voters to gravitate towards Congress. But they fear this has the potential to put off Hindu voters and could lead to a counter-polarisation harmful to Congress' electoral interests.

Modi is seen to have better credentials than Gandhi to handle the economy, national security, foreign policy and national security. And, at a time coalition building is vital to securing power at the Centre, Gandhi scores low as an alliance manager. This is not good news for Congress as single party rule has become a thing of the past.

Interestingly, the survey results on the image of Modi and Gandhi among Congress and BJP voters, respectively, find Modi ahead here too — he enjoyed 11 per cent acceptability among Congress voters whereas Gandhi was favoured by just 4 per cent BJP voters. The sharp rebuke for Mulayam Singh Yadav and Nitish Kumar — Modi's main challengers in the heartland states — in these states is also helping BJP move beyond its base and attract new categories of voters. Signs of panic are already on display in the Samajwadi Party camp with Mulayam Singh recently asking the electorate not to punish him for the follies of the Uttar Pradesh government.

Modi scores higher marks for his handling of bread-and-butter issues, showing that Gujarat's economic progress under him and his relentless criticism of governance failures under the Congress-led UPA have managed to swing perceptions in his favour despite his opponents' attempts to demonise him for the 2002 communal riots.

In contrast, Gandhi appears to suffer a disconnect, with his entitlement agenda failing to strike a chord in a fast-urbanising country that is moving beyond staple needs to higher aspirations. The corruption scandals engulfing the UPA government have also hobbled Gandhi.

Past elections have shown that the electorate is quick to register its discontent in the face of political f luidity. This has translated into a sharp dip in Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's approval ratings. Singh, once an icon for middle-class voters, is struggling to convince voters about his influence on the party or the government. The survey shows Singh languishing at the bottom of the league table along with the likes of LK Advani and Mulayam Singh Yadav.

Source: ET

BJP hires 10 trains for Narendra Modi's rally in Bihar

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has hired 10 trains to ferry its supporters here for the Oct 27 rally of its prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi, a senior leader said Thursday. Since last month, BJP leaders have been busy touring different parts of state to mobilise supporters for the rally. Several buses have also been hired for the rally. "The party has booked 10 special trains, with 18 bogies each, for the rally," senior BJP leader Nand Kishore Yadav said, adding that the trains will run from different parts of the state to Patna. 

The special trains will run from Kishanganj, Purnea, Araria, Bhagalpur, Saharsa, Bettiah, Bagha and Samastipur, among other cities. Yadav, the leader of opposition in the state assembly, said the BJP's district units will also ferry people by buses. "We are planning to hire buses from Uttar Pradesh and Jharkhand, as there are not enough buses available in the state," he said. Senior BJP leader and former deputy chief minister Sushil Kumar Modi claimed that the number of peoplea attending the rally would break all previous records. "If lakhs of people can turn up to hear Narendra Modi in Tamil Nadu, Hyderabad and Rewari (in Haryana), where the party has few legislators, one can only imagine the biggest ever turnout in Patna," Sushil Modi said, adding that Narendra Modi's presence would be a big draw. 

After Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar broke the Janata Dal-United alliance with the BJP in June over the projection of Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi as the saffron party's prime ministerial candidate, the Oct 27 rally will be the first show of strength by the BJP in Bihar. An East Central Railway (ECR) official said an action plan was drawn up by the railways to run special trains Oct 26-27. "We have made elaborate arrangements for smooth running of passenger trains as well as long-distance trains," he said. The ECR has borrowed coaches from different zones because of shortage of coaches in view of several Puja special trains running throughout the country. October 27 rally will be the first show of strength by the BJP in Bihar. Several senior railway officials have been deputed to supervise the arrangement of special trains for the rally. Hundreds of railway officials, including travelling ticket examiners (TTEs), station masters and traffic inspectors, would be deployed to manage the smooth running of these specials. In Bihar, political parties have in the past too hired trains for rallies. 

Lalu Prasad's Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) hired 13 special trains from various parts of Bihar and Jharkhand to ferry supporters to a rally in May this year. When Lalu Prasad was railway minister in 2007, the RJD booked 35 trains for his Chetawani (warning) Rally in Patna. Last year, Bihar's ruling Janata Dal-United hired half a dozen special trains for Nitish Kumar's Adhikar (rights) Rally in Patna.

Source: oneIndia

Narendra Modi to be given God-like presence at Bihar puja pandals

Brand Modi is being given a local touch and extended to the puja pandals in Bihar. Now on, he will be as much a part of festivities in Patna as he is of Navratra celebrations in Ahmedabad.

A song, posters of BJP's PM hopeful wearing a Bihari "gamcha" and an invite for the hunkar rally in Patna will be part of the BJP's offering to puja festivities in the state.

Last month when Modi told his story of starting life as a tea vendor in New Delhi, his party leaders in Bihar saw in it a way of reaching out to people cutting across the state's caste and social barriers. Sensing that Modi's humble background and his words of being a "sevak, not a shashak and a daas, not a nath" could have touched several hearts in the state, the BJP has geared up for a strategy aimed at upsetting friend-turned-foe Nitish Kumar's caste calculations in the run-up to 2014 polls.

This tactic even reflects in a song on Modi that the BJP is planning to play at puja pandals, as it mobilises people for his hunkar rally on October 27. Composed by the party's cultural cell, the final stanza of the song dumps caste and religion-based politics. During pujas, BJP plans to have a Modi stall where it will play the Namo song and put up his posters in different local attires and moods.

"We are trying to reach out to a cross section of society to widen our social base," said Dharmendra Pradhan, BJP general secretary in-charge of Bihar.

Puja pandals and politics have been strange bedfellows in eastern India, particularly in West Bengal. In the 1980s, images of the Bofors guns were put up at puja pandals, a Bihar politician recalled.

The BJP has pulled out all the stops to ensure that the rally "surpasses all past rallies" even as the acrimony between the party and CM Nitish Kumar gets more bitter. With two slogans- "vishwasghaat ko dhikkaar hunkar utha Bihar" and "nai soch, nai umeed" the BJP is planning a door-to-door campaign to extend invitations to people for the rally, besides using online registration and missed call registration.

Source: ET

Is Nitish dragging Pranab into his war with Narendra Modi?

It’s an all out NaMo versus NiKu war. And it’s one that has an unprecedented twist with President Pranab Mukherjee‘s name dragged into it, consciously or coincidentally. First, the facts. It has been known for months, confirmed in June in fact, that Narendra Modi will address his first ever rally in Patna in Gandhi Maidan on 27 October, appropriately named the Hunkar (bugle) rally to challenge Nitish Kumar on his home turf. The BJP has planned to make it big, bigger than Lalu Prasad Yadav’s once awe-inspiring Garib Raila. Of a magnitude that Patna, capital of Bihar, has not seen since the peak of the JP movement in 1977. Modi will address a huge rally in Patna on Oct 27. 

AFP On Thursday, last week, Bihar BJP leaders heard that President Pranab Mukherjee was coming to Bihar around the time that Modi’s rally is to take place but could a get confirmation from senior state officials only on Saturday evening. The two-day tour of the President to grace the IIT Patna convocation ceremony on 26 October and unveiling of a statue of Babu Jagjivan Ram, father of Speaker Meira Kumar, in Chandwa village, in Ara district, 50 kilometers from Patna, on 27 October has made the BJP cry foul and claim that a nervous Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar was indulging in petty politics to create roadblocks, if not fully obstruct Narendra Modi‘s rally. If BJP leader and former Deputy Chief Minister of Bihar Sushil Modi upped the ante with a series of tweets on Sunday, the JD(U) is not taking it lying down either and is asking whether Narendra Modi’s arrival in a city implies that no one, not even the President of India, be allowed to land in the same city and honour a state function. The quantum of success of Modi’s Hunkar rally will guide the BJP’s future electoral strategy in Bihar. If it’s a success the way BJP wants it to be then it may even set into motion, a process of a new kind of social engineering. The emerging political situation in Bihar has become more direct and exciting between JD (U) and BJP after Lalu Yadav’s conviction in the fodder scam. Bereft of the presence of its supreme leader amid elections, the RJD’s only hope in Bihar is a sympathy wave. 

Modi’s rivals JD(U) and RJD are therefore keeping a close eye on events unfolding in the BJP and would watch with great curiosity to see what happens in Gandhi Maidan on 27 October. For both Nitish and Modi, it’s about consolidating and expanding their existing social support and, should the RJD disintegrate in Lalu’s absence, to go for the Muslim-Yadav spoils. The Congress is inconsequential in Bihar if it fights alone but can be a force multiplier if it aligns with Nitish or Lalu. Though Modi has never held a public rally in Bihar, at least not in the last 12 years and never in the historic Gandhi maidan, he is still the most talked about leader in all parts of the state, the denials from his rivals notwithstanding. His name got even greater currency and helped consolidation of upper caste votes in favour of his party after Nitish Kumar terminated a 17-year-old mutually beneficial relationship with the BJP only because of Modi’s elevation as the BJP’s prime ministerial candidate. BJP leaders thus allege that inviting the President on the same day to Bihar is part of political scheming by Nitish and his friends in the Congress. Sushil Modi says, “Nitish Kumar is playing all tricks to put hurdles in success of NaMo ‘s Hunkar Rally on 27th Oct.. First they tried to obstruct by allocating only half of Gandhi Maidan and when we foiled that they have come out with this”. Firstpost spoke to Sushil Modi and a close confidante of Nitish Kumar who requested anonymity. Bother argued bitterly against each other. First, the JD(U) leader charged that it was yet another trick of the BJP to keep public and media sensitivity alive on the Modi rally, which was not being talked about so much in the state. The BJP counter-charged that Nitish’s purpose of inviting the President on the same date was angled at acquiring some degree of media space and popular mindspace on days when it would otherwise be Modi and Modi all along. Second, the JD(U) leader claimed that the Nitish government had nothing to do with organizing the President’s programme on those dates because IIT-Patna was under the Union HRD ministry and as such a Central issue. So was the other function in Ara, organized by Speaker Meira Kumar who took the consent of President Pranab Mukherjee to visit the state on a date that coincidentally clashed with Modi’s rally. The BJP’s counter to that is that the President’s visit is never finalized without a due consultation process with and prior consent of the state concerned, and Nitish always knew that Modi’s Hunkar rally was to take place on 27 October. Third, JD(U) charged that Sushil Modi’s “outbursts” reflected the BJP’s mindset. How could they stop anyone, least of all the President of India, to visit the state just because Modi was to address a public rally in same state on that day? Should Patna and Bihar come a standstill because Modi is visiting for a few hours? The real contention between Nitish and Modi’s protagonists lies here. The BJP says that if a rally of this magnitude (five lakh expected in 11 special trains, three thousand to four thousand MUVs and buses) is to be held on 27 October, people would start coming from October 26. Incidentally, President Pranab Mukherjee’s programme is at Ravindra Bhawan, on Bir Chand Patel Path. The BJP’s party office is on the same road, and is in close proximity to Ravindra Bhawan. As such the party office would be the hub of all activity on that date. But since the President is coming there late afternoon, barricading has to be erected from the airport to the Governor’s House including along Bir Chand Patel Path. Along this route are official residential quarters of some leaders, including those of the BJP, where a section of those coming for the rally would be staying. Again the next day, while President would take a helicopter to fly to Ara and return, the area around the airport would be sanitised till afternoon. The airspace too could be blocked for some time. That could make Modi alter his landing time in Patna. The BJP’s argument is that since vehicles coming from various parts of the state for the rally will be stopped in the outskirts of the city and those coming from central Bihar districts are usually parked in an area close to the airport, the Presidential protocol would create grave obstructions. The BJP is so far maintaining that Nitish and the Congress have played mischief with the President and are trying to use the Head of the Nation as some kind of political shield against a major Modi sway. Besides Sushil Modi’s tweeting, the party is also collecting signatures from public urging him not to get dragged into an electoral war of two rival political groups. A state BJP delegation may even meet the President on his return from his ongoing two-nation tour abroad. Whatever the outcome, the BJP has got a juicy talking point against Nitish, much before Modi can thunder in Bihar. The JD(U) is equally happy that via the President’s proposed visit, they have already scored a political brownie point and made BJP cry foul. The two rallies on October 19 in Kanpur in UP and October 27 in Patna, Bihar will shape the intensity of the Modi wave, if it is there. These two states will be critical for all parties, with a combined tally of 120 seats, one fifth of the total strength of Lok Sabha.

Source: FP

Narendra Modi faces ‘arrest’ in Bihar

Sensing there is no alternative for the Muslims in Bihar to go with, especially after RJD supremo Lalu Prasad’s conviction in a fodder scam case and his consequent five year jail term, the Nitish Kumar-led JD(U) government has been considering either to ban the BJP’s proposed “Hunkar” rally which will be addressed by Narendra Modi in Patna on October 27 or if needed arresting the saffron party’s Prime Ministerial candidate on the pretext of possible “communal disharmony”.

The first indication of such a move has come from JD(U)’s youth wing leader Pradeep Yadav, who has shot off a letter to Kumar and party’s national president Sharad Yadav noting that the rally would be a “dangerous challenge for the peaceful environment of the state”. In the letter Yadav said, “I also request you not to hesitate in arresting Modi if he dares to hold this rally in anyway.”

Requesting for an immediate cancellation of the rally, the JD(U)'s youth wing leader said, “The Hunkar rally may pose the most dangerous challenge for Bihar by endangering the prevailing peaceful environment in the state.”

It is to be remembered here that it was only the then Bihar Chief Minister Lalu Prasad, who could dare to arrest senior BJP LK Advani in 90s, when he was entering the state as part of his Rath Yatra in favour of a “Grand Temple” at Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh.

After Advani’s arrest Lau could engineered a successful social combination (Muslim- Yadav) in his party's favour and ruled the state for next 15 years.

Similarly, speculations are rife that with a possible arrest of Modi, Kumar could split Muslim-Yadav combination and bring the minority with his already stitched ECB-Mahadalit combine.

Sources in the JD(U), however, maintained the party and government have not yet made up its mind over the issue and thus at least for now it can not be concluded that the rally would be banned and Modi be arrested.

Source: DC

BJP to play Modi caste card in north Bihar

In a campaign strategy, the Bharatiya Janata Party will use Narendra Modi’s Other Backward Class identity as a key plank in north Bihar. But this will be done in a quiet and private manner, say party activists.

A senior leader from the region, who insisted on anonymity, told The Hindu: “Look, each social constituency is being targeted specifically.” He said the BJP’s message to both Yadavs and the OBCs would be simple. “For the first time, the country can see a pichda(backward) as Prime Minister. Why is Nitishji opposing a backward as Prime Minister? Can only Brahmins become Prime Ministers?”

This message will be conveyed at streetcorner meetings in backward class-dominated villages and by “word of mouth,” so as to prevent alienation among upper castes. “To the upper castes, our message is, Nitish Kumar betrayed us and disturbed a rock-solid alliance. As for the Yadavs, we are playing on their constant tensions with Muslims.” To the poor across communities, the point is whether they want to be lifted out of poverty “as in Gujarat.”

Mushafir Yadav, a Madhubani BJP activist, said: “Narendra Modi has three special features. He does what he says. He talks about general masses, not only about any caste. And he taps into the Hinduwaadi sentiment. Only he can defend Hindutva.” But if the BJP plays up Mr. Modi’s caste card, the two other elements — his being above narrow divisions and a defender of the broader religion — will get diluted.

‘Silent killer’

The BJP’s Darbhanga MP, Kirti Azad, claimed: “Like conjunctivitis, Namoinitis is a silent killer for pseudo-secularists. It has spread far and wide.”

The party’s reliance on the Modi brand is visible across districts and villages of north Bihar. The Hunkar rally, which Mr. Modi will address in Patna on October 27, is being publicised on an unprecedented scale, with huge resources being spent on travel and logistics.

A BJP ward councillor says: “Many of our MPs are unpopular and will not make it this time. It is a gamble. Let us see if the Modi card works.”

As the strategy unfolds, it is clear there is no one Modi card but different cards for different groups.

Source: Hindu