Bihar, the state that had stood up against communalism and stopped Advani’s rath yatra when it was spreading hatred throughout the country, is now virtually in the hands of the BJP.  Lalu Prasad Yadav who had saved Bihar from communal hatred is in jail. Modi has achieved what Advani failed at by using socialist leaders. BJP has won Bihar in the name of NDA. Nitish’s party has personally lost the elections. Compared to Nitish, RJD led by Tejaswi Yadav who is very young has won maximum seats. While RJD that contested in 144 constituencies won 75 seats, the JDU that contested in 115 seats has won only 43 seats and BJP has won 74 seats. The strength of the JDU that won 71 seats in the 2015 elections has been reduced to 43 seats. The BJP that had then won 53 seats has increased its tally to 74. Though BJP has captured Bihar that was in the hands of regional parties through Nitish, Bihar has accepted Tejaswi Yadav as its future leader. BJP has already announced Nitish Kumar as the NDA Chief Minister. Tragically, though he has become Bihar’s Chief Minister with the support of the BJP, the people of Bihar have partially rejected him. In the absence of Lalu Prasad Yadav, the way Tejaswi strengthened the party and captured 75 seats is a huge development in Bihar. The Bihar election results have shown that the era of senior and seasoned politicians such as Nitish and Lalu Prasad Yadav has ended and a new era of young politicians has begun. 

Conscientious citizens had great expectations from the Bihar Assembly elections as the elections were held after the sustained dark period post the Coronavirus and lockdown. Bihar that has the maximum number of migrant labourers suffered enormously due to the lockdown. The government that failed to handle the Coronavirus and imposed a nation-wide lockdown transferred the lives of the poor from the frying pan to the fire. Also, the several anti-people policies of the Central government impacted the lives of the common man of Bihar. In such a grim scenario, it is normal for an election to throw up an anti-establishment result. But BJP has emerged as the second largest party in the state. Not just this, it has also partially eaten away at a regional party rooted in the state such as the JDU. With the memories of the pain of lockdown still etched in public memory, BJP improving its performance tremendously in Bihar is a defeat of the ‘politics of development.’ In a way, this election has primarily given a ‘small clean chit’ to Modi from the losses the country suffered due to the lockdown. Even though there was rampant misuse of power, misuse of media, brazen display of money power, and a full display of Modi’s lies, none of them seemed to have mattered in the election. However, by contributing to the growth of BJP, Nitish Kumar and Dalit youth leader Chirag Paswan have cheated the victims of the lockdown in the Assembly elections.  

Election analysis reports are referring to the significant role played by Asaduddin Owaisi and Chirag Paswan. Of these two leaders who have proclaimed themselves as leaders of two communities that are experiencing maximum distress, Chirag Paswan, son of Ramvilas Paswan, has admitted openly that he contested against the JDU to strengthen the BJP.  But perhaps Paswan has no answers as to how strengthening the BJP would help him politically or how the Dalit community would benefit. During the campaign, Chirag spoke in support of Modi. In public rallies, Chirag, who did not even  mistakenly utter the name of Ambedkar, was citing the name of Modi as though he would be his savior. He regarded Nitish’s defeat as his victory and succeeded in achieving that but he won only one seat. The politics of Chirag Paswan who hails from a community that is defeated is directionless. Forget benefitting Dalits, he is not benefitting from his politics.

Owaisi’s is a different case. Owaisi has clarified after the election results that though he was interested in being a part of Mahaghatbandhan, everyone considered him as an untouchable. By bagging five seats in the elections, Owaisi’s party has registered surprising results. There is no doubt that Asaduddin, who has won the best parliamentarian award, is a seasoned politician. But other secular parties hesitated to identify themselves with his party that targets Muslims as its base. Having taken this as a challenge, Owaisi not only chose to field candidates in several constituencies but also won five seats and proved his stature. Parties such as Congress that are politically pushing the minorities into a corner have no moral authority to hold Owaisi responsible for their failures. Congress leaders who believe that Muslims will not win if they are given tickets are solely responsible for Owaisi winning five seats. Though the Muslim, Dalit, and secular votes are divided differently, the one promising factor that has emerged is the emergence of RJD as a major political force. At the same time, the Left has captured 16 seats having joined hands with other parties. If they come out of their superiority bubble, the Left parties have the potential to play a significant role in the country’s politics by joining hands with other political parties to defeat communal and anti-Constitutional forces. The election results have thus conveyed a clear message to the leaders of the left parties who should amplify their intellect to absorb this message.  

The results of by-elections in Karnataka, held along with Bihar elections, are not even worth analyzing. If Munirathna’s money power won the elections in RR Nagar, in Sira, BJP won because of the opportunism of the JD(S). In R.R.Nagar, Congress made the mistake of fielding Kusuma, wife of the Late D.K.Ravi, a popular IAS officer who had killed himself. The media then had written about the wife’s role in Ravi’s death, quoting his parents. Kusuma could not therefore convert into votes the popularity of Ravi.  It appears that the people voted in favour of justice for Ravi and against Kusuma. That the by-election results have further strengthened Chief Minister Yediyurappa’s position is the only conclusion that can be drawn from the by-election results. 

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United Nations (PTI): India has said it stands united with the UN members in condemning incidents of religious intolerance against Muslims, as it underlined the need to recognise that religious discrimination is a broader challenge affecting followers of all faiths.

“India is a land of diversity and pluralism. We are home to followers of virtually every major religion in the world and India has been the birthplace of four world religions namely Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism. With over 200 million of its citizens practising Islam, India is home to one of the largest Muslim populations in the world,” India’s Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador P Harish said on Friday.

Addressing the informal meeting of the plenary in the UN General Assembly to commemorate the International Day to Combat Islamophobia, Harish said that fostering a world free from religious discrimination, hatred and violence has been a way of life for India since time immemorial. 

“We stand united with the UN membership in condemning incidents of religious intolerance against Muslims. However, it is also imperative to recognise that religious discrimination is a broader challenge that affects followers of all faiths,” the Indian envoy said.

“We strongly believe that the path to meaningful progress lies in acknowledging that religio-phobia in its various forms threatens the fabric of our diverse, global society,” he added.

Harish began his statement Friday by conveying greetings on the holy month of Ramadan as well as Holi wishes as the festival of colours was celebrated across India and around the world.

India voiced concern over the disturbing rise in violence targeting places of worship and religious communities. Harish said this can only be countered by sustained commitment and concrete action from all Member States to the principle of equal respect for all faiths. 

“All countries must commit to equal treatment of all their citizens and not practice policies that promote religious discrimination. We must also ensure that the education system does not perpetuate stereotypes or encourage bigotry,” Harish said.

Harish said that as the international community observes the day, it is important to "remember that the fight against Islamophobia is inseparable from the broader struggle against religious discrimination in all its forms” and urged nations to work towards a future where every individual, regardless of their faith, can live with dignity, security, and respect. 

The UN General Assembly had adopted a resolution sponsored by 60 member-states of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) designating March 15 as the International Day to Combat Islamophobia.

The document stressed that terrorism and violent extremism cannot and should not be associated with any religion, nationality, civilization, or ethnic group.

It called for strengthened international efforts to foster a global dialogue on the promotion of a culture of tolerance and peace at all levels, based on respect for human rights and for the diversity of religions and beliefs.

It strongly deplored all acts of violence against persons on the basis of their religion or belief and such acts directed against their places of worship, as well as all attacks on and in religious places, sites and shrines that are in violation of international law.

Harish underlined that in an increasingly fractured world, the United Nations is envisaged as an entity that rises above differences. The UN derives its credibility from its perseverance to promote peace and security, growth and development.

The work done by the United Nations and its entities in supporting the maintenance of international peace and security, promoting social development, advancing women’s empowerment and fostering capacity building is immense. “In keeping with this core agenda, any deliberation on issues of faith must seek to unite, not divide,” he said. 

In his message for the day, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said that as Muslims around the world come together to mark the holy month of Ramadan, “many do so in fear – fear of discrimination, exclusion, and even violence.”

Guterres said the world is witnessing a disturbing rise in anti-Muslim bigotry - from racial profiling and discriminatory policies that violate human rights and dignity, to outright violence against individuals and places of worship.

“This is part of a wider scourge of intolerance, extremist ideologies, and attacks against religious groups and vulnerable populations,” he said.

The UN chief underlined that when one group is attacked, the rights and freedoms of all are at risk.

Urging the global community to reject and eradicate bigotry, Guterres said governments must foster social cohesion and protect religious freedom, and online platforms must curb hate speech and harassment. “We must all speak out against bigotry, xenophobia, and discrimination.”