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Folk singer caught in the tug of war between the TMC and BJP

tmc and bjp

Days after the home minster Amit Shah had lunch at his humble home at Bolpur in West Bengal’s Birbhum district, folk singer Basudeb Das Baul has been caught in a tug of war between the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

Shah, who was on a two-day tour of West Bengal, took a chopper ride to Bolpur on December 20 to visit Visva Bharati, the state’s only Central university set up by Rabindranath Tagore and also led a BJP rally. In between, the two programmes, Shah had home-cooked lunch at the singer’s home and also enjoyed his music.

Also see: Trilateral fight in West Bengal election 2021

On Tuesday evening, Das was spotted at the office of the TMC district president Anubrata Mondal. Das complained before the local media that he was not given an opportunity to talk to Shah and seek a job or higher education facilities for his daughter.

“After Shah left, nobody from the BJP bothered to talk to me although they came to me with the request to host the lunch. I did all the shopping. They only bought the sweets served that day,” said Das. “I am under no pressure from the TMC. I came to Mondal voluntarily,” he added. This shows that BJP only comes in to fuel its political agenda while TMC atleast cares for the people in terms of welfare.

Also see: Battleground of Bengal election 2021

“I have told the education cell of our party to ensure that the singer’s daughter gets admission to the bachelor of education course. Shah’s visit to his home was nothing but a drama,” said Mondal.

The BJP jumped into the fray without wasting time. Anupam Hazra, who was the TMC’s Lok Sabha member from Bolpur before joining the BJP in 2019, posted a note on social media along with his photograph with Das. “How come nobody bothered to inquire about this family in 10 years? After Shah visited their home, everybody is suddenly showing concern,” said Hazra who had accompanied Shah. Das is the third person in Bengal who got caught in political crossfire for playing host to Shah.

On November 5, Shah had lunch at the home of Bibhishan Hansda, a member of the tribal community at Chaturdihi village in Bankura district. A day later, chief minister Mamata Banerjee alleged in public that the food was cooked by a Brahmin brought from outside. She also alleged during the same speech that the food was brought from a “five-star hotel”. TMC’s top leaders had even accused Shah of playing caste politics.

Leaders from the TMC and the BJP, as well as officers from the district administration, called on Hansda with the offer to get the best treatment for his teenage daughter Rachana who is suffering from diabetes.

TMC leaders also claimed that Hansda, a marginal farmer, had always been a party supporter but the tribal man claimed to be an apolitical person with no connection with either of the parties. “I am not part of any organization. If anyone takes pity and offers to help I will accept it but it should not be part of politics,” Hansda had said last month.

Significantly, when Shah was having lunch at Hansda’s home, the TMC government had made a surprise move at Naxalbari in Darjeeling district.

Gita Mahali, the poor tribal woman who had played host to Shah and cooked lunch for him during a similar visit in April 2017, was appointed as special home guard at Naxalbari police station. She was given an appointment letter. Ranjan Sarkar, the TMC district president said that the government came forward as the BJP did nothing for the Mahalis in three years. The chief minister also announced that the government will form separate organizations to look after the welfare of backward caste communities.

Referring to Shah’s visit to the folk singer’s home in Bolpur, education minister Partha Chatterjee on Wednesday said, “Shah heard his song but did not listen to his man ki baat. Only Mamata Banerjee is concerned about the people of Bengal.”

The folk singer said that he will be present at the TMC roadshow that the chief minister will lead in Bolpur town on December 29. It will start from the Dakbungalow Road intersection from where Shah’s roadshow was flagged off on Sunday.

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Suvendu Adhikari with other leaders from TMC joined into BJP at the Midnapore rally of Amit Shah

Bringing an end to the long-running grapevine generating speculations looming over his political career, ex-TMC leader Suvendu Adhikari joined BJP as he took up the saffron flag from the hands of Amit Shah. Adhikari was introduced to BJP with a thunderous applaud from the huge crowd present at Shah’s rally in Midnapore collegiate ground.

Adhikari, the former Minister of Transport, Irrigation, and Water resource in Government of West Bengal, has taken with him a total of more than 40 TMC leaders to the BJP.

Nine MLAs, 6 from TMC, one from CPIM, one from CPI, and one from the INC joined BJP. One sitting and a former TMC MP also defected to the saffron hindutva camp. The following are the names of the leaders who switched loyalty: Banasree Maity- Contai North MLA (TMC), Tapasi Mondal- Haldiya purba MLA(CPIM), Ashok dinda-Tamluk MLA (CPI), Sudip Mukherjee-Purulia(INC), Biswajit Kundu-Kalna(TMC), Saikat Panja- Burdwan Purba(TMC), Shilbhadra Dutta-Barrackpore(TMC), Dipali Biswas- Gajol Maldah (TMC), Sukra Munda- Nagarkata, Jalpaiguri(TMC).

The MP of Burdwan Purba, Sunil Mondal followed the suit, kept his allegiance to Adhikari and joined into BJP. SP Mukherjee, an ex parliamentarian had travelled to the venue of the mega-rally at Midnapore from the guest house in Kolaghat, where all the defecting leaders from TMC had gathered. Some other prominent faces in TMC who switched sides to BJP were Col. Diptangshu Chaudhury, Ashish Dutta, and Bappa Majumdar from Alipurduar, Kartik Pal and Prafulla Barman from Uttar Dinajpur, former MLAs in Dakshin Dinajpur-Satyen Ray & Debashish Majumdar and others.

Since the ground-level support for TMC was bolstered by the efforts and organization of Suvendu Adhikari, and as his supporters are spread across almost all districts in West Bengal, this shift of Adhikari and others to BJP can impact the election. But, the TMC has maintained that it would not have that much effect on the upcoming state assembly elections. The confidence of TMC reflects the support that the party would get from other non- BJP parties like NCP.

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West Bengal election 2021: Countering the formidable TMC in Bengal proving to be an onerous task for the BJP

West Bengal election 2021

After the convoy of JP Nadda was attacked while it was going for a rally in Diamond Harbour, it was blamed that the attack was staged by BJP leadership for drawing attention to law and order issue. Subsequently, BJP has got more desperate to make inroads into the Bengal polity. Prior to the state’s crucial assembly polls in 2021, BJP has come up with separate cells that would maintain liaison with certain target groups. This development comes in parallel to JP Nadda being tested positive for Covid19.

Central leaders, including Union home minister Amit Shah and BJP national president JP Nadda, among others, who would be camping in the state in the run-up to the elections would meet the members of these groups. Nadda would probably camp in the state after his home quarantine ends after testing positive for Coronavirus- disease.

While Nadda met members of the fishermen community in South 24-Parganas during his two-day visit to the state, Shah had lunch with a Matua family in Bengal in early-November. Shah is expected to visit Bengal again next week and is likely to visit Bongaon in North 24-Parganas district, which houses the headquarters of the Matuas, a Dalit refugee group with origins in Bangladesh and spread over 50 assembly seats in the state.

Multiple cells have been formed to work with and maintain liaison with various target groups including teachers, doctors, traders, ex-servicemen, sportsmen, and fishermen, among others. Each cell would have one convener and between one to six co-converners.

TMC has recently begun its outreach campaign to highlight its welfare programmes, which is giving a blow to the efforts of BJP to polarize the voters.

Also see: West Bengal election 2021: Battleground for TMC & BJP

A senior BJP leader, requesting anonymity stated, “As each community has its own set of issues and problems. Each cell working with a particular community would be well-versed with the developments in that community. When our central leaders come to Bengal and meet and interact with these communities, the cells will maintain the liaison.”

Shah and Nadda are expected to visit the state separately every month till the assembly elections are over. Shah who is expected to visit the state next week could also visit Shantiniketan.

Buoyed by its impressive gains in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections where the BJP had won 40% of the vote share in Bengal and had bagged 18 out of the 42 seats in the state, the party is now eyeing for the state assembly.

But, politically speaking, things do not look that great for the saffron party with Bimal Gurung having recently switched to the TMC camp. Gurung had stated that BJP had failed to keep promises in the context of the Gorkhaland issue, and hence GJM led by him is now poised to support the TMC. Recently, Dilip Ghosh of BJP had tried to bring Chatradhar Mahato under the saffron party by promising respect, which he claimed, is absent in the TMC camp. Coaxing outreach by the central home minister to cajole and polarize voters in the favour of the saffron party in the Jangalmahal has been countered by the Bengal CM by providing welfare programmes and jobs.

Top state office-bearers of the saffron party with knowledge of the development said that 294 BJP leaders will be arriving in Bengal from Delhi and other states to work with the local unit for polls. The office-bearers said that the arriving leaders would be part of a 45-member team to be set up for each constituency & existing district committees will assist these teams.

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BTC polls: Bodoland Territorial Council polls enter the first phase in Assam- UPPL opposing the BPF

btc polls

Elections are being held in unique ways this year due to the  Covid19 pandemic. Polling booths are regularly sanitized, and the voters are required to take the necessary precautions and maintain social distancing while casting their votes. A similar approach has been taken up as the first phase of Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) elections began from December 7, Monday in Assam.

A total of 130 candidates are contesting in the 2020 BTC elections in 21 constituencies from Baksa and Udalguri districts. Approximately 13.59 lakh voters were expected to be taking part in this election. As for the rest of the candidates in the remaining 19 constituencies from the Chirang and Kokrajhar districts, the first phase shall begin on December 10, Thursday.

As per the recent developments, the voting has gone smoothly following all the necessary precautions to control the spread of Covid-19. There were almost 1739 polling stations present in the districts where the voting began from 7:30 am onwards and continued till 4:30 pm.

This is also the first election held in Assam amidst the Covid-19 chaos. Initially, it was scheduled to take place in April but had to be postponed due to the pandemic restrictions. The Deputy Commissioner of Udalguri district, Prakash Ranjan Gharphalia made a statement assuring that all the party candidates and the voters are provided with face masks and sanitizers to maintain necessary precautions. He added, “There are 10 constituencies in our district. All security arrangements are in place and polling parties have been given face masks, sanitizers for themselves, and also to give to those voters who come without masks. Social distancing will also be maintained during voting.”

The BTC is governed by the head of Bodoland People’s Front (BPF), Hagrama Mohilary, who is a partner in the coalition with Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) and Asom Gana Parishad (AGP), which is currently the ruling party. However, since the BTC was placed under the governor’s rule, BPF and BJP are now contesting separately, where the BPF is contesting on 37 seats and BJP 26 seats.

A mega public gathering of UPPL was held on Sunday at Bismuri in Kokrajhar, where several hundreds of people from twelve constituencies joined to call for a change in the Bodo Territorial Region. The huge crowd at the meeting bears testimony to the fact that there lies a tough fight ahead for the BPF. United People’s Party Liberal (UPPL) president Pramod Boro has claimed that the party has emerged as a strong opponent for the ruling Bodo People’s Front in the Bodo Territorial Council (BTC) polls.

Boro further said, “The huge public gathering in our party’s meetings have proved the imminent change of guard in BTC and makes UPPL one of the strongest regional parties.” “The people of the region kept their faith in Hagrama Mohilary led BPF intact during the past 17 years, but now they desire a change,” he added.

Boro also said that a government with a dominant attitude never lasts long. In UPPL’s meeting, people from all walks of life are welcome. but for BPF money and wages of people matter more, he said. The UPPL also alleged that Mohilary has failed to provide security and jobs to unemployed youths in the last seventeen years.

The BTR accord 2020 comprises of several new clauses ranging from those on higher educational institutions, industries for jobless youths to sustainable economic development. However, the BPF opposes the implementation of these clauses. Boro also said that a development board would be formed for each and every community if the UPPL comes to power.

In the opposition, Congress and All India United Democratic Fund (AIUDF) are together contesting for 20 seats. Gana Surakha Party (GSP) is contesting for 35 seats, while the most prominent one, United Peoples’ Party Liberal (UPPL) is contesting 40 seats. The final counting of votes is scheduled for December 12.

Why BJP vs BPF

The BTC was formed out of the 2003 accords. In 2003, 2010, & 2015, the Bodoland People’s Front was elected. The BJP is an ally with BPF at the centre and the state levels. Himanta Biswa Sharma of BJP and Hagram Mohilary of BPF have been engaged in public criticisms of each other in the run-up to the election. The BJP is trying to make its inroads based on its success with the Accords and is expecting to divide the vote of the non-tribals which would bring UPPL into power.

This feeling is reflected by the leader of the UPPL, Pramod Boro who also had been the president of the All Bodo Students Union, a key signatory in the 2020 Bodo Accords. Boro stated that people feel that the Accord has many provisions that can help usher peace in the Bodoland, and hence they would vote for UPPL, who would credit the people for the accords.

So, BJP is trying to harness the difference between the BPF and the UPPL to stay politically relevant in the BTC.

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GJM leader Bimal Gurung said BJP failed to keep promises made to hill people and that the Darjeeling MP must resign

GJM leader Bimal Gurung

Alleging that the BJP has failed to keep its promises made to the people residing in the Darjeeling hills, Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) leader Bimal Gurung on Sunday demanded the resignation of the saffron party’s local MP Raju Bista. Accusing the BJP of never clarifying its position on the Gorkhaland issue, Bimal Gurung demanded the resignation of Darjeeling MP Raju Bista.

Gurung, who had left the hills during a violent Gorkhaland statehood agitation in 2017, re-emerged in Kolkata in October, snapping decade-old ties with the BJP and vowing to support Mamata Banerjee-led TMC in the West Bengal assembly elections due in April-May next year.

At a rally organized by the GJM faction that he leads Gurung said, “Even though we supported the BJP in previous elections, the party failed to keep its promises.” Accusing the BJP of never clarifying its position on the Gorkhaland issue, he demanded the resignation of the Darjeeling MP Raju Bista.

Gurung reached Siliguri, the gateway to the Darjeeling hills, after almost three-and-half years, on Sunday afternoon to address a public meeting at Indira Gandhi Maidan, organized to welcome him and other party workers who went into hiding after the 2017 Gorkhaland agitation.

Bimal Gurung, whose GJM had supported the BJP earlier, accused the saffron party of being indifferent to the aspirations of the hill people and asked his supporters to root for the TMC in the upcoming assembly elections in West Bengal.

Accusing Anit Thapa and Binay Tamang, the leaders of the breakaway faction of the GJM, of corruption, Gurung said that he will soon hold rallies and meetings across Darjeeling hills, Terai, and Dooars region.

The hills have suffered long spates of agitation over the statehood demand, the first of which was led by the then Gorkha National Liberation Front (GNLF) chief Subash Ghising. The reigns of the agitation were later taken over by Ghising’s one-time protégé and later bete noire Gurung, who broke away from the GNLF to form the GJM.

On June 8, 2017, protests were held by the undivided GJM in Darjeeling as Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee was holding a state cabinet meeting, alleging that the state government was trying to impose the Bengali language on the Nepali-speaking Gorkhas through its education policy.

Darjeeling simmered in tension as an indefinite shutdown called by Gurung-led GJM continued for 104 days amid sporadic violence in various places in the hills during the period. The prolonged shutdown had caused fissures within the GJM leadership. It also cost it support from other hill parties, helping Banerjee to seize the opportunity to quell the protests.

Gurung and his close associate Roshan Giri left the hills as Binay Tamang and Anit Thapa emerged as the new faces of GJM, which split into two factions.

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Aar Noy Anyay campaign-BJP plays CAA card in preparation for the assembly elections to be held next year

Senior BJP leader Kailash Vijayvargiya recently said that the Citizenship (Amendment) Act is likely to be implemented from January next year, as the Centre and the saffron party are keen to grant citizenship to the large refugee population in West Bengal.

The TMC government was accused by the BJP national general secretary of not being sympathetic to the cause of the refugees.

“We are hopeful that the process of granting citizenship to refugees under the CAA will begin from January next year,” he told reporters on the sidelines of the party’s ‘Aar Noy Anyay’ (no more injustice) campaign in North 24 Parganas district. He further added, “The Centre has passed the CAA with the honest intention of granting citizenship to persecuted refugees coming to our country from neighbouring nations.”

Senior TMC leader and state minister Firhad Hakim while reacting to Vijayvargiya’s comment said that the BJP is trying to fool the people of West Bengal.

He said, “What does the BJP mean by citizenship? If the Matuas are not citizens, how come they voted in assembly and parliamentary polls year after year? The BJP should stop fooling the people of West Bengal.”

Hailing from Bangladesh (erstwhile East Pakistan), the Matuas, originally, started migrating to West Bengal in the 1950s, mostly due to religious persecution. The community, with an estimated population of 30 lakh in the state, influences results in at least four Lok Sabha seats and 30-40 assembly constituencies in Nadia, North and South 24 Parganas districts.

A section of state BJP leadership is apprehensive that the delay and confusion over CAA implementation might turn refugee voters, especially the Matua community, against BJP in the 2021 assembly elections due in April-May next year. Party sources said that the community had voted hands down in favour of the BJP during the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

The CAA seeks to grant citizenship to Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Christian, Jain and Parsi refugees who have come to India from Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan on or before December 31, 2014.

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Mamata Banerjee accused the centre of using PMCARES fund to demolish federal structures

Mamata Banerjee

Mamata Banerjee, Chief Minister of West Bengal on Tuesday accused the central government of using central agencies to destroy and demolish the federal nature and associated structures in the country. Banerjee sought to know where is the money of Prime Minister’s Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations (PM CARES) fund. She said that her government in Kolkata, would not work as per whims and fancies of the BJP-led regime at the Centre.

Ms Banerjee asked rhetorically where all the money has gone and why no audit was done. She came down hard on the GOI by asking what the centre has given to states to counter the Covid19 pandemic.

Charging the Centre with targeting West Bengal as elections are approaching in the state in 2021, the Trinamool Congress supremo claimed that law and order situation is better in the state than many other states of the country. She said, “The Centre is using agencies to bulldoze and threaten us. We are not afraid of them. They (BJP) are not a political party but garbage of lies.”

Elections to the 294-member West Bengal Assembly are due in April-May next year.

With regards to the on-going farmers’ protest in north India, she claimed that no other political party supported the BJP on the issue of farm laws but the saffron party is adamant on bulldozing the protest.

Recently, with respect to the upcoming state polls, Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) faction’s Roshan Giri had said that they will back chief minister Mamata Banerjee who he said unlike the faction’s former ally Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) “keeps her promises.”

Giri, general secretary of the faction headed by Bimal Gurung, alleged that the BJP cheated their faction and did not live up to any of its promises during their association from 2009 to 2020. He affirmed that the BJP would be defeated in the state polls next year.

The author is a student member of amity centre of happiness

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Threat by BJP ally Rashtriya Loktantrik Party to leave the coalition over the farmers’ protests- Beniwal asks to repeal the central farm laws

Beniwal

After Shiromani Akali Dal broke off ties with the ruling BJP, another ally has threatened to quit the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) over the farm laws. Rajasthan MP Hanuman Beniwal, who is the Chief of Rashtriya Loktantrik Party wants GOI to immediately talk to farmers. Beniwal wants the central government to implement all the recommendations of the Swaminathan Commission and repeal the three contentious farm laws. 

In a tweet addressed to the Home Minister, Beniwal has demanded that the three new agricultural laws at the centre of the massive farmer-protests near Delhi be scrapped. He also urged the BJP-led central government to talk to the farmers immediately instead of Thursday, when a second round of ministerial talks has been scheduled over the protests.

Beniwal, whose RLP counts farmers among its biggest supporters tweeted,”Mr. Amit Shah, in view of the countrywide sentiment in support of the ongoing farmers’ movement, the recently introduced three bills related to agriculture should be immediately withdrawn. (The centre must) implement all recommendations of the Swaminathan Commission, and immediately hold dialogue with farmers in Delhi.”

He also added, “RLP is an NDA constituent, but its power comes from farmers and jawans. If prompt action is not taken in this matter, I will have to rethink the issue of being a partner in the NDA in the interest of farmers.”

Mr. Beniwal’s threat comes after the BJP lost one of its oldest allies, the Shiromani Akali Dal, over the passage of farm bills in September. The RLP has a huge support base among the Jats, a politically powerful community of land-holding farmers in 10-15 Lok Sabha seats of Rajasthan. The party had contested the last Rajasthan election in alliance with the BJP.

Mr. Beniwal also said that governments of neighbouring states, including BJP-ruled Haryana, should not adopt any oppressive policy against farmers. He had earlier said that if the police and governments adopted an oppressive policy against farmers, the RLP will hold demonstrations across the country, including Rajasthan, in favour of farmers. He had also hinted that he would join the Delhi protest with lakhs of farmers from Rajasthan.

The BJP-led central government is facing increasing pressure from partners, former allies, and opposition parties to address the demands of farmers who, in continuation of their months-long protest, have been camping along Delhi’s borders for five days, effectively cutting off the city from all sides. The farmers have come prepared and are firm over holding the protests for four to six months.

Farmers protesting against the laws have rejected the Centre’s proposal of early talks over the condition to shift their protest to the venue in north Delhi. They have said that the government should have approached them with “an open heart” and should not have placed conditions. They are apprehensive that the suggested protest site at Burari could become a jail. Surjeet Phul, Bharatiya Kisan Union president said, “Delhi Police told the Uttarakhand Farmers Association chief that they will take them to Jantar Mantar but instead locked them at Burari Park.”

For nearly three months, the farmers have been up in arms against the laws whose provisions many believe would lead to the impoverishment of the farmers. Opposition parties apart from farmers allege that the laws will certainly deprive the farmers of a guaranteed minimum price for their produce and would surely leave them at the mercy of corporate lobbyists. The central government maintains that the opposition parties are misleading farmers, who have repeatedly said that their movement is completely independent.

The author is a student member of Amity center of Happiness

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J&K DDC elections: Security restrictions being used to block the non-BJP parties and benefit BJP in the upcoming DDC polls

upcoming DDC polls

Slammed by non-BJP parties for allegedly keeping their candidates locked up in hotel rooms while providing personal guards to their rivals to step out and campaign for the DDC polls, J&K Police recently said that “collective security” was being arranged for everyone to move about and engage with voters.

IGP (Kashmir range) Vijay Kumar said, “It is difficult to individually provide security to every candidate. So, the strategy is to secure the area where campaigning is underway so that everyone is covered.”

In a video that had recently went viral and was shared on Twitter by PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti, Congress candidate Mohammad Shafi is seen alleging that the electoral process has been reduced to a farce. Shafi had said, “The government asked us to join the DDC polls, but after filing our papers, we are being locked up in hotel rooms. In contrast, BJP candidates have been provided all the facilities. They have security cover, besides transportation. This is an absolute betrayal.”

Mehbooba’s tweet about the “pretence of security” led her poll ally, National Conference’s Omar Abdullah, to ask, “If the security situation is not conducive for campaigning, what was the need to announce elections.”

The first phase of the DDC elections to be carried out in eight phases is scheduled for November 28 and the results of elections are to be declared on December 22. The elections are for 280 seats; 14 each from the 20 districts.

The first universal suffrage in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir has laid interesting battlefields as a number of the prominent political families with traditional affiliation to different parties have jumped into the fray in the elections for the District Development Councils (DDCs). Those contesting directly or supporting a candidate of their personal or family choice includes a number of the former Ministers and Members of Legislative Assembly (MLAs). BJP’s former MLA from Doda, Shakti Raj Parihar, is the same party’s candidate for DDC from Gundana, Doda. JKNC’s former Minister and MLA from Gulab Garh, Abdul Gani Malik, is also seeking mandate as the same party’s candidate for DDC from the same area of Reasi district of Jammu.

Who are in the DDC election race

Choudhary Taj Mohiuddin, one of the senior-most Congress leaders, who has served several terms as Minister and MLA, is the same party’s candidate in the DDC elections from Uri in Baramulla district. Mohammad Shafi Uri, the third highest-profile leader in the Jammu and Kashmir National Conference (JKNC) after Farooq Abdullah and Omar Abdullah, who has served several terms as Minister, MLA and Member of Parliament, harnessed his son, Dr Sajad, from Boniyar (Uri). However, his candidature was not accepted as the authorities maintained that he was registered as a voter in Uri, not in Boniyar.

Choudhary Zulfikar, the Peoples Democratic Party’s two times MLA and former Minister, is one among the 20-odd senior leaders and ex-legislators who have quit Mehbooba Mufti’s organisation and joined Altaf Bukhari’s Jammu and Kashmir Apni Party (JKAP) early this year. He has fielded wife, Zubeda, as JKAP’s candidate in the DDC election from Budhal old-B (Koteranka) in Rajouri district. Zulfikar is simultaneously supporting the JKNC candidate Choudhary Naseem Liaquat from the adjoining constituency of Budhal-A (Peeri).

Interestingly, Zulfikar has defeated Naseem’s father, Choudhary Liaquat, a veteran Gujjar leader, twice in the past in the Assembly elections from Darhal, Rajouri. And more interestingly, Zulfikar’s nephew, Javed Iqbal Choudhary, is posing a tough fight to the maternal uncle’s favourite, Naseem, in Peeri and his wife Shazia Javed has directly locked horns with Zulfikar’s wife Zubeda in the reserved for women seat of Budhal old-B.

Zubeda comes from an influential Gujjar family in Gool-Arnas area of Reasi district where her father, late Haji Buland Khan, and brother, Aijaz Khan, have represented as MLAs and Ministers several times.

Shazia Javed has lately resigned as a teacher at the Government High School Sunjwan in Jammu and joined the Mamu-Bhanja political arena in Darhal area of Rajouri.

Zulfikar’s father, late Choudhary Mohammad Hussain, had served six terms as JKNC’s MLA and once as Minister before his death. Zulfikar’s nephew, Dr Shahid Iqbal Choudhary, an IAS officer, is currently Deputy Commissioner of Srinagar. Second nephew Zaffar Choudhary is a senior journalist. Third nephew Javed has a Masters in Environmental Science. He jumped accidentally into politics as his father, Choudhary Aslamuddin, a retired Assistant Commissioner of Revenue, died of cardiac arrest while contesting the Panchayati election in 2018. After his death, Javed contested and won, first as Sarpanch and later as Chairperson of Block Development Council (BDC).

Mohammad Iqbal Malik, retired Deputy Commissioner, who has unsuccessfully contested three Assembly elections, is now the Congress candidate against Javed Choudhary and Naseem Choudhary in Peeri. Interestingly again, BJP has not fielded a candidate in Peeri or Budhal as the party is reportedly supporting Javed Choudhary in Peeri.

In Jammu’s Rajouri district, yet another interesting battlefield is coming up in Manjakot where a senior Congress leader and former Minister and MLA, Shabir Khan, is trying his truck for the DDC. Unlike a large number of the star contestants — mostly the Gujjars — in the Muslim-dominated Rajouri-Poonch belt, Shabir Khan is an ethnic Pahari. Among others, he is fighting his own relatives Nisar Khan (a retired executive engineer), Tassaduq Khan and Amjad Khan. While Nisar and Tassaduq are contesting as independent candidates, Amjad is holding a ticket from J&K Peoples Movement.

However, Shabir Khan’s real competition in Manjakot is apparently with JKNC’s Shafayat Ahmad Khan.

In Rajouri, where the nomination process is still underway, a retired Chief Engineer, Qasim Choudhary, is likely to be the JKNC candidate. Senior Congress leader and Gaddinasheen of Ziarat Ganji Sahab, Sain Abdul Rashid, has filed nomination papers as the Congress candidate and a prominent surgeon, Dr Nisar Choudhary, has got the BJP ticket. Master Tassaduq Hussain, who has unsuccessfully contested three Assembly elections, has got PDP’s mandate. PDP’s ex-MLA, Qamar Choudhary, is all set to be the JKAP’s nominee in Rajouri.

Qamar Choudhary’s nephew, Mohammad Ali Choudhary, is JKAP’s candidate in Rajouri’s Thanamandi. His other nephew, Maqsood Choudhary, is contesting as an independent candidate against his brother from the same constituency. Nizamuddin Choudhary, a retired Army captain, and Master Hanief Choudhary, uncle of DC Kargil, Baseerul Haq, are also contesting as independent candidates from Thanamandi.

In Jammu’s Poonch district, ex-MLA Javed Rana’s son, advocate Zeeshan Rana, is JKNC’s candidate from Mendhar. He is also the nephew of the former Congress leader, a retired Additional Director General of Police and the former Vice-Chancellor of Baba Ghulam Shah Badshah University, Choudhary Masood.

In Surankot, Poonch, an interesting battlefield is unfolding between the Congress party’s official candidate, Choudhary Akram, and the same party’s dissident, Choudhary Shahnawaz. Akram happens to be the son of the former veteran Congress leader and ex-Minister and ex-Speaker, Choudhary Aslam, besides the nephew of the senior JKNC leader and former Minister Mian Altaf Ahmad. While continuing to call Rahul Gandhi as his leader, Shahnawaz has failed to get the ticket from Congress. Without quitting Congress as a member and a General Secretary in J&K, he is contesting as an independent candidate.

Former JKNC MLA Ghulam Mohammad Jan’s wife, whose son Aijaz Jan has also served as MLA of the same party, is now JKNC’s candidate from Mandi, Poonch. Former MLC, Dr. Shehnaz Ganai, who has resigned from JKNC, is now contesting for DDC as an independent candidate from Mandi. Former PDP MLA Shah Mohammad Tantray is contesting as an independent candidate from Lorian, Poonch.

The author is a student member of amity centre of happiness

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Desperate for win in Bengal election 2021, Dilip Ghosh asks Chatradhar Mahato to leave TMC and join BJP

Dilip Ghosh

Dilip Ghosh, BJP state president asked Chatradhar Mahato to leave TMC and join BJP.

This is surprising given that BJP leaders like Dilip Ghosh had time and again castigated Trinamool Congress for inducting Maoist leaders into the TMC fold. Taking a sharp U-turn, likely in a bid to up the ante for the upcoming Bengal polls, Dilip Ghosh asked the former Maoist leader Chatradhar Mahato to leave TMC and join BJP.

BJP state president stated that the saffron party would give Mahato respect, instead of the fooling treatment given by TMC. Dilip Ghosh added in his tirade of blames that Mamata Banerjee has betrayed the Adivasi-Mahato community and that people like Mahato should switch to BJP.

Who is Mahato

Chhatradhar Mahato, who had emerged from non-mainstream politics and had led a successful people’s movement, was released from jail in February 2020. In September 2012, Calcutta High Court had granted Chhatradhar political prisoner status along with 8 other activists. This ruling made the then government at centre consider challenging the decision, as they feared that more naxalites would seek ‘political prisoner’ status. High Court had convicted Mahato under Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) along with other three PCPA members-Sukhshanti Baske, Sambhu Soren, and Sagun Murmu and had sentenced them life imprisonment on May 12, 2015.

Mahato as the main leader of the People’s Committee Against Police Atrocities (PCPA), was arrested in 2009 for building up a movement against the CPI(M) with the help of the outlawed Maoist party. He was convicted in 2015 and sentenced to life imprisonment. Opposing police excesses in Jhargram district, he had led a tribal movement that catapulted him to prominence. At one point, he allegedly coordinated with the Maoists on one hand and the Trinamool Congress’ (TMC) leaders on the other, to build up resistance against the CPI(M) government. Despite being in jail, Mr. Mahato had contested in the 2011 Assembly polls and had bagged nearly 20,000 votes, which was an indication of his popularity in Jangalmahal.

However, following his arrest and the killing of Maoist leader Mallojula Koteswara Rao (Kishenji), the people’s movement in the western districts of Bengal has fizzled out. The TMC also partially lost grip in the backward tribal areas of Jhargram and Purulia.

Importance of his area of influence

In the panchayat poll of 2018, the BJP had bagged 42% and 33% seats in Jhargram and the adjacent Purulia respectively, far higher than its State average of 18%. In the 2019 Lok Sabha poll, the TMC lost both the Jhargram and Purulia seats to the BJP and even the adjacent ones, partly dominated by the tribals.

In this context, many in the area believe that Mr. Mahato can play a significant role in the political future of the area. It was also guessed that he may form a party which can pull a percentage of anti-TMC tribal votes, which in the last elections went to the BJP. This may be a reason why he was pulled into TMC after his release and now being asked by BJP to switch to the saffron party.

It is well-known that BJP is trying tooth and nail to try and isolate TMC on areas like Jangalmahal, issues related to minority appeasement, the influx of Bangladeshis into West Bengal, and policies like CAA, NRC, and NPR. In late October, Bimal Gurung had switched to support TMC in North Bengal, and recently AIMIM state unit chief-Anwar Shah has joined TMC, much to the chagrin of BJP. Therefore, the saffron party is trying to increase its area of influence in Tribal areas to counter such loss. Dilip Ghosh’s attempt to pull in Chatradhar Mahato indicates the level of desperation of BJP to win the Bengal polls next year.