Grand alliance against BJP is like 'band, baja, barat' without groom

Naqvi also sought to blame the Congress over Karnataka Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy's recent emotional outburst.

Politics of India : The proposed "Mahagathbandhan" (grand alliance) against the BJP ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha polls looks like a "band, baja, barat" without a groom, Union minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said on Monday.

There would be no vacancy for the prime minister's post in 2019. "The 'Mahagathbandhan' is like the 'band, baja, barat' are ready but the groom is absent. There are nearly two dozen candidates who are staking claim for the post of prime minister," he said.

Several parties such as the Samajwadi Party (SP), the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), along with other outfits, are planning to form a front to counter the BJP in the 2019 general election.

Grand Alliance Against BJP

Naqvi took a dig at the Congress for projecting Rahul Gandhi as its prime ministerial candidate after the recent extended Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting and later withdrawing his name, apparently due to reservations expressed by other parties.

"The Congress first announced that its prime ministerial candidate was Rahul Gandhi. However, within 12 hours, they withdrew it. This could be the first such incident, wherein the Congress withdrew it (Gandhi's name) within 12 hours. It was withdrawal even before nomination. This is how the 'Mahagathbandhan' looks like," the minority affairs minister said.

Naqvi also sought to blame the Congress over Karnataka Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy's recent emotional outburst, when the JD(S) leader said he was swallowing the pains of running a....read more

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News Source : BS

Yadav vs Yadav: Samajwadi Party is shooting itself in the foot

The Samajwadi Party might like to call itself socialist but it has never shied away from family rule. The last time SP was in power,  Mulayam Singh’s brother Shivpal, his cousin Ramgopal, nephew Dharmendra and son Akhilesh were the moving figures behind the administration in Lucknow. Shivpal was the PWD minister but wielded enormous clout in the government and was responsible for recruitment in the state’s police force for allegedly pecuniary benefits. 

In fact one of the reasons the police force in UP is considered ineffective is the probe Mayawati ordered after she came to power in 2007, sacking thousands of policemen who were appointed by the Mulayam Singh government and replacing them with appointees of her own. The transition weakened the effectiveness of the police force.

After SP lost power, it set out to clean up its stables. Party General Secretary Amar Singh left. Muslim pedagogue Azam Khan returned. And in 2009, Mulayam Singh appointed Akhilesh president of the SP.

Because of the power he had wielded, a large number of party leaders had cast their lot with Shivpal. Now Akhilesh began whittling his uncle’s sphere of influence. Observers got the first indication of discord in December 2011 over the induction of Hasanuddin Siddiqui. Siddiqui was Shivpal’s contribution to SP, thought as a great coup because he is the brother of read more..

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Rahul Gandhi to continue 'Khat Sabha' in Gorakhpur today

Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi will continue with his "Khat Sabha" campaign on Wednesday to woo farmers of Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh.

Gandhi will also undertake door to door campaign and road shows to interact with the farmers in the run up to the UP Assembly polls.

On Tuesday, Gandhi reached Rudrapur via chopper and launched the party's door-to-door campaign.

He began his 2500 km-long 'Kisan Yatra' as an effort to reach out to the people of Uttar Pradesh.

He reached out to the farming community while cornering the Centre and Samajwadi Party Government for not addressing their concerns despite making tall claims.

"Day1 of the Kisan Yatra ends in Gorakhpur. Tremendous energy & support from the people throughout the journey today.Looking fwd to tomorrow!," Rahul said in a tweet.

The Congress vice-president had earlier said his yatra is aimed at helping the poor, farmers and labourers secure their read more..