I/III. http://www.ndtv.com/bihar/we-are-ahead-in-bihar-amit-shah-rejects-reports-of-bjp-setback-1233821
We Are Ahead in Bihar: Amit Shah Rejects Reports of BJP Setback Bihar | Reported by Alok Pandey, Edited by Shuchi Shukla | Updated: October 19, 2015 16:04 IST BJP chief Amit Shah addressing a press conference in Patna (Press Trust of India photo) PATNA: Amid reports that the BJP's alliance is struggling after two phases of polling in the crucial Bihar assembly election, BJP chief Amit Shah today asserted that his party was in pole position, but saw the need to emphasise that his party is "committed" to reservation. "I want to clarify that the BJP totally supports reservation. We are committed to it. The central point of Narendra Modi's development agenda is to take all backward people with us," said Mr Shah in Patna. He accused the BJP's chief opponents, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and his partner Lalu Yadav, of attempting to turn this year's election into a "backward castes vs upper castes" battle and pointed out, "it is the BJP that has made a poor man's son the Prime Minister". The Bharatiya Janata Party was put on the back foot in Bihar when Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh or RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat recently suggested that the country's reservation policy needs a review. The RSS is the BJP's ideological mentor and the Nitish-Lalu team has since attacked the BJP, alleging that it plans to do away with reservation. In Bihar, other backward castes (OBCs) and extreme backward castes (EBCs), who benefit from affirmative action, constitute around 50 per cent of the voters. The BJP has attempted to supplement its traditional upper caste vote by partnering with three regional parties that have support among the backward castes. Reports of a below par performance by the BJP in the first two phases of the bitterly fought election were acknowledged by party lawmaker Shatrughan Sinha, who tweeted yesterday, "News that my party cud've done better in the 1st 2 phases upsets me. Hope it's untrue.Wishing BJP candidates all the best for the next phase." Amit Shah dismissed such reports saying the BJP's alliance would win 32-34 of the 49 seats in the first phase and 24 of the 32 seats in the second phase. Polling for the third phase in the five-phase election will be held on October 28, after a 12-day gap for Durga puja and Dussehra. Story First Published: October 19, 2015 12:08 IST II/III. http://www.business-standard.com/article/elections/bihar-elections-bihari-vs-bahari-debate-115101900223_1.html Bihar Elections: Bihari Vs Bahari debate Bihar has always taken pride in sending influential leaders to the Parliament in the past. It was immaterial whether they belonged to the state or not Mayank Mishra | New Delhi October 19, 2015 Last Updated at 11:35 IST It has almost become a routine now. In the concluding parts of many of his speeches in the first two phases of assembly elections, Janata Dal (United) leader Nitish Kumar asks the people several times: Bihari Ya Bahari (local or outsider)? The idea is to attack the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) which, Nitish’s party men say, is being “remote controlled” by the outsiders. The choice before the voters, as the Bihar chief minister elaborates, is to elect one of their own or end up being ruled by outsiders. Whether the slogan wins him some extra votes or not is yet to be seen, but it seems to have rattled the BJP. An influential English daily reported last week that the saffron party has come out with a new hoarding in Patna featuring just local leaders, a first for the party in recent times. It has also come out with a new slogan: Bihar ki hogi tez raftaar, Kendra-rajya mein ek Sarkar (Bihar will see rapid growth if the same party rules at the Centre and in the state). The BJP has perhaps sensed that local versus outsider slogan needs to be countered. Hence the shift in campaign approach. III. http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-news-india/the-woman-voter-in-bihar-polls-to-me-this-election-means-nothing-but-prices-cant-afford-dal/ The woman voter in Bihar elections: ‘To me, this election means nothing but prices… can’t afford dal’ The elections are entering a key phase with urban constituencies in and around Patna voting. The BJP looks at the urban electorate as a key support base. Usha Kumari of Class IX rides a bicycle, a gift of the Nitish government, in Bettiah. (Source: Liz Mathew) Bihar’s Champaran region is part of what was the ancient Videha kingdom, where the great woman philosopher Gargi Vachaknavi had challenged Yajnavalkya, author of Shatapatha Brahmana, with perplexing questions. What concerns women of the region today, however, is not philosophy but prices and safety. “To me, this election means nothing but prices,” said Anita Jha, having stepped out of her home in Motihari town to pay her electricity bill. “For a woman, running her kitchen within her budget is the most important issue. Only the rich can survive now. I cannot afford dal even for one meal a day.” Rina Devi, who works in a factory in Danapur, said the price of dal should have been the main poll issue. Tur dal, for instance, is Rs 205 a kg. Rina and Anita wondered why Narendra Modi, who had “promised to bring prices under control”, has not done so yet. The elections are entering a key phase with urban constituencies in and around Patna voting. The BJP looks at the urban electorate as a key support base. BJP leaders ruled out any fallout of dal prices. “They may complain about it, but they are more worried about jungle raj under Lalu Prasad,” said a party leader. Indeed, a number of women voters The Indian Express spoke to in Champaran and on Patna’s outskirts — many others were reluctant to speak — were apprehensive about Nitish Kumar’s joining hands with Lalu. Otherwise, they expressed their admiration for Chief Minister Nitish, thanks to law and order and better education facilities. The government-gifted bicycles for girls have become a symbol of women’s empowerment. “What does a woman want, after all? We want education for our children and that our children should be able to play outside even after sunset,” said Nagma Devi in Lauriya. “Nitish has worked for women, he has given cycles to our daughters and we are safe now.” Her family and a few others, however, are still living in sheds on PWD land by the state highway. An issue that bothers women, especially in villages, is poor sanitation facilities. “We are around 45 families here, but we haven’t a single toilet,” said Nagma Devi. Women’s confidence in law and order is visible on the ground. They can be seen in marketplaces, roads and fields even at 8 pm. During the last 10 years, women have been given 50 per cent reservation in panchayats and teaching jobs; girls have got free uniforms, books and meals besides the cycles. They want more. “The poor should be given financial assistance to start a business or a small factory,” said Rina Devi of Danapur, who wanted Nitish to get one more chance. Usha Devi, her neighbour, wanted special facilities for higher education for girls from poor families. The prospect of jungle raj, a major highlight of the NDA’s campaign, does worry them. Chameli of Lauriya said, “We all lived in fear of Lalu’s men. The BJP should be given a chance.” Usha Kumari of Parsoni Paras village wants Nitish to win because “he helped a lot for poor women and girl students.” She was worried, however, about “who would run the government” if the JD(U)-RJD-Congress maha gathbandan comes to power. The young voter If many women voters admire Nitish, Narendra Modi’s image clicks with a number of young voters, who constitute 3.8 crore (age 18-40) of the 6.5 crore voters. “Modi’s speeches give us hope; there is a feel-good sense about him,” said Chhotan Kumar, a second year student of English in Mahwal. Chhotan, who wants to be a teacher, is confident that Modi’s regime will bring good times to his generation. “They (young voters) want development,” said Shrikant Sharma, BJP national secretary. “Their future is at stake, so they want a stable government and a corruption-free, crime-free Bihar that they know only the BJP can provide. With the RJD and the JD-U contesting only 100 seats each, neither can provide a stable government.” “Unki bhashan mein dum hain,” said Purushottam Kumar, a teacher in a vocational training school in Danapur, praising Modi’s speeches. “He says what he feels is right, which may be bitter to others. The youth are behind him.” He has no doubt Modi will bring about a change. “Hundred per cent,” he said. There are, however, some youths who are disappointed with Modi. Adit Kumar of Danapur town said he voted for Modi in the Lok Sabha polls, “trusting” his promise of more jobs for youth. “I don’t care if he has or hasn’t brought back black money, but I am concerned about the promise of jobs. It’s been 16, 17 months and not even railway vacancies have been filled,” he said. For many Muslim youths, the Dadri killing and beef ban cause concern. “Local BJP MLA Asha Sinha comes here and asks why she should do development work in this area because it is Muslim-populated and that we wouldn’t vote for her. How can we trust such a party?” said Mohammad Faizan Yasin of Danapur town. -- Peace Is Doable -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Green Youth Movement" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To post to this group, send an email to [email protected]. Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/greenyouth. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
