BJP's conspiracy behind 'Ramcharitmanas' controversy: Tejashwi Yadav
Patna, Jan 15: Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav on Sunday blamed BJP's "conspiracy" for the controversy over alleged insult to the 'Ramcharitmanas' by his cabinet colleague, who belongs to the RJD.
Yadav was talking to reporters late in the evening upon return from the national capital, where he had gone to console bereaved family members of former Union minister and party colleague Sharad Yadav.
"The Mahagathbandhan' has been formed by its two top leaders ( sheersh neta') Lalu Prasad and Nitish Kumar. It is they who enjoy the trust of the people and not the bayanveers' (motormouths)," said Yadav, refusing to be drawn into the spat between leaders of the chief minister's JD(U) and the RJD founded and headed by his father.
The slugfest has been triggered over a statement of Education Minister Chandra Shekhar, who had alleged that certain verses of the Ramcharitmanas' promoted social discrimination, and ended up comparing the popular version of Ramayana to Bunch of Thoughts' penned by RSS ideologue M S Golwalkar.
This evoked sharp criticism from many in the JD(U) as well as some in the RJD itself.
"The Constitution is, for us, like a holy book which gives everyone the right to express one's opinion. Yet, it is the same Constitution that makes it incumbent upon all to accord respect to all religions," said the young leader, in a deft bid to extricate himself from the political wrangle.
"The 'Mahagathbandhan' is unbreakable ( tootne wala nahin hai'). We are working towards fulfilling our promises like the caste survey and 10 lakh jobs," the deputy CM said.
He also said people should be mindful of the "conspiracies" of the BJP, as it is "cunningly" trying to direct the political discourse towards a Hindu versus Muslim binary.
"Let me make a forecast. In near future, you may see central agencies like the ED after me with a fresh case. Then the focus will be on maligning me and my family," said Yadav, in the backdrop of a recent sanction by the Centre to prosecute his father in yet another case pertaining to the latter's tenure as railway minister.
The BJP in Bihar must have received training when a couple of their top leaders visited the state in the recent past, he said, in an apparent reference to Union Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP national president J P Nadda.
"We must understand the BJP's machinations. They had tried to discredit CM Nitish Kumar with rumours that he wanted to cool his heels as governor or the vice-president while trying to break his party. They are at work again since the 'Mahagathbandhan' is an eyesore and can hamper their prospects in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls," the RJD leader claimed.
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2nd phase of Bengal poll: Over 61 pc voting till 1 pm amid sporadic violence
Kolkata (PTI): Over 61 per cent of the 3.21 crore electors exercised their franchise till 1 pm of the second and final phase of polling in West Bengal amid attacks on a few candidates, while tension gripped the Bhabanipur seat briefly as Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and BJP's Suvendu Adhikari took swipes at one another in the same booth area.
Voters queued up from 7 am outside booths in Kolkata, Howrah, Hooghly, Nadia, North and South 24 Parganas and Purba Bardhaman districts, which form Bengal's electoral and political core.
Of the total electorate eligible to vote in this phase, 1.57 crore are women, and 792 are third-gender.
Till 1 pm, West Bengal recorded 61.11 per cent polling with Purba Bardhaman registering the highest turnout at 66.8 per cent, followed by Hooghly at 64.57 per cent and Nadia at 61.41 per cent.
Howrah registered 60.68 per cent polling, while North 24 Parganas recorded 60.18 per cent.
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Kolkata North and Kolkata South recorded 60.18 per cent and 57.73 per cent turnout, respectively.
South 24 Parganas, a politically crucial district witnessing several high-profile contests, registered 58.58 per cent voting.
The first phase of polls in 152 assembly seats of West Bengal on April 23 also recorded more than 62.18 per cent polling till 1 pm.
"Polling is underway peacefully, barring some minor incidents in certain areas. We have sought reports from the officials concerned," a poll panel official said.
The early-morning convergence of Banerjee and Adhikari in the same booth area in Chakraberia turned Bhabanipur -- the chief minister's electoral bastion -- into the centrepiece of the day, reinforcing the symbolic weight of their prestige battle seen as a rematch of Nandigram, where the BJP leader had defeated her in 2021.
Banerjee was seated outside the booth after receiving complaints of alleged intimidation of local TMC leaders when Adhikari arrived there, amid heavy deployment of central forces.
Stepping out of his car, Adhikari said, "I will not allow any hooliganism", while Banerjee accused the BJP of trying to "rig" the election using central forces, police observers and election officials.
"The BJP wants to rig this election. Polls in Bengal are usually peaceful. Is there 'goonda raj' (hooliganism) here?" Banerjee told reporters, alleging CRPF personnel had visited the homes of TMC leaders late Tuesday night and unleashed terror in the area.
She alleged that election observers were acting at the BJP's behest and claimed TMC workers were being selectively targeted across districts.
Adhikari dismissed the charges as signs of "frustration", claiming Banerjee had realised that "not a single vote" was coming her way.
Banerjee, who usually steps out of her Kalighat residence late in the day to cast her vote at Mitra Institution School, broke convention and hit the ground before 8 am, moving through Chetla, Padmapukur and Chakraberia, underlining the stakes attached to Bhabanipur and the wider battle for south Bengal.
Later in the day, tension flared up in the Kalighat area when Adhikari visited a polling booth and was greeted with slogans by TMC workers, prompting police intervention and a complaint by the opposition leader to the EC seeking deployment of additional central forces.
Security forces had to resort to a lathi-charge to disperse the crowd. Adhikari chased the sloganeering crowds, whom he alleged were "outsiders trying to influence the polls".
As soon as he reached the area, TMC workers and supporters raised slogans of 'Jai Bangla' and 'chor, chor' against him, while BJP activists responded with chants of 'Jai Shri Ram'.
Reports of violence, vandalism and tension surfaced from several districts.
In Nadia district's Chapra, a BJP polling agent was allegedly assaulted inside a booth during a mock poll. The BJP accused TMC supporters of attacking its agent, while the ruling party denied the charge. In Shantipur, a BJP camp office was found vandalised.
The ISF alleged that its polling agents were prevented from entering booths in South 24 Pargana's Bhangar.
Howrah's Bally constituency saw tension at a booth in Liluah after an EVM malfunction delayed voting, prompting central forces to lathi-charge agitated voters. Two people were arrested in the matter.
Police and RAF personnel were also seen chasing away crowds near a booth in Amdanga following complaints of unlawful gathering by bike-borne supporters.
In Panihati, BJP candidate Ratna Debnath, the mother of the RG Kar victim, faced protests and her car was allegedly stopped by TMC workers, while in Jagaddal, the recovery of a firearm near a polling booth triggered tension before police and central forces restored order.
BJP candidate from Basanti assembly constituency in South 24 Parganas, Bikash Sardar, on Wednesday, alleged that "200-250 TMC goons" attacked his car and assaulted his driver when he was visiting polling booths in the constituency.
The TMC did not immediately respond to the allegations.
Unlike the first phase, where the BJP sought to defend its north Bengal gains, the final round has shifted the battle squarely to the TMC's strongest belt.
In 2021, the ruling party had won 123 of these 142 seats, leaving just 18 for the BJP and one for the ISF. For the BJP, breaching this southern fortress remains critical if it hopes to mount a serious challenge for power in the state.
