Nitish not going along well with BJP; Bihar to witness something major: Tejashwi Yadav
Patna(PTI): RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav on Thursday asserted that "something major" will take place, after Lok Sabha results are out, in Bihar where Chief Minister Nitish Kumar seemed to be "not going along well" with ally BJP.
Yadav, who lost the Deputy CM's post as a result of Kumar's abrupt return to the NDA in January this year, made the claim while interacting with journalists here.
"Ever since I made the prediction that chacha (uncle) will take a big decision after Lok Sabha polls, he has not been going out to campaign", pointed out Yadav, referring to a claim he had made a couple of days ago.
"I have also learnt that it is the Governor who is holding meetings with officials and issuing instructions. On the election front, the BJP and the JD(U) are concentrating on their respective states, with no synergy", alleged the RJD leader.
"All these things confirm my apprehension that after June 4 Bihar is going to witness something big (kucch bada)", said Yadav.
Interestingly, ever since Kumar quit the 'Mahagathbandhan' helmed by the RJD, the RJD leader has refrained from making a frontal attack on the JD(U) president.
During the elections, the young leader has repeatedly sought to fish in the NDA's troubled waters. After ill-health caused Kumar to excuse himself from visiting Varanasi where Prime Minister Narendra Modi was filing his nomination papers, the RJD leader claimed that the JD(U) boss wanted the BJP to be defeated and "his blessings are with me" even though the alliance had come to an end.
The young leader, who has been campaigning on a wheelchair, with a belt wrapped around his injured spine, proudly stated "by the time campaign for the final phase comes to a close, I would have addressed 251 election meetings.
He added "INDIA bloc is heading for a spectacular victory. The alliance may win 300 plus seats. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be defeated by his three beloveds (teen Mehbooba) – poverty, price rise and unemployment.
Asked about Modi's planned visit to Kanyakumari for a marathon meditation session, Yadav said "he might be going to market himself, to get himself photographed. Be that as it may, he must not take the media along for self-publicity. He may meditate to his heart's content but must not take along hindrances (baadha)."
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Right to vote under threat, must be made fundamental right: Cong's Jairam Ramesh
New Delhi (PTI): Congress leader Jairam Ramesh alleged on Thursday that the right to vote is under threat and the time has come when it should be made a fundamental right for citizens.
Speaking with reporters, Ramesh lashed out at Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar, saying the Election Commission (EC) has never been as compromised as it has been under him.
"The rot started under his predecessor. This man is a player and not a neutral observer," the Congress leader said, slamming Kumar.
Kumar is completely compromised and has become a player in elections, he alleged.
"Home Minister Amit Shah had talked about three Ds -- detect, delete and deport. So we want to know how many non-Indian citizens have been detected, how many have been deleted and how many have been deported," Ramesh said, adding that the right to vote is now under threat.
On opposition parties submitting a fresh notice in the Rajya Sabha, seeking to move a motion for the CEC's removal, the Congress leader said they will continue to make efforts for Kumar's removal as he is "compromised".
Ramesh also batted for the right to vote to be recognised as a fundamental right.
"I believe that the time has come that the right to vote should be made a fundamental right. It is a statutory right, it is not a fundamental right. Fundamental rights are justiciable," he said.
The former Union minister said this was discussed in the Constituent Assembly, but it was eventually decided that it should be made part of the Constitution.
B R Ambedkar and Jagjivan Ram had warned that in the future, governments might try to disenfranchise voters, he added.
"Once and for all, include the right to vote as a fundamental right for Indian citizens," Ramesh asserted.
