Our voters went with NDA out of fear that RJD will bring back jungle raj: Jan Suraaj
Patna, Nov 15 (PTI): Former poll strategist Prashant Kishor's Jan Suraaj Party, which failed to open its account in the Bihar assembly, on Saturday claimed that a section of its voters ended up siding with the BJP-led NDA "out of fear of return of jungle raj under the RJD".
Addressing a press conference here a day after the poll results were announced, its national president Uday Singh also claimed "polarisation" took place in the Seemanchal region in the aftermath of the blast near Red Fort in Delhi, a day before the November 11 polling was held in the area.
"I can say there was fear of the return of jungle raj under the RJD. Although I am not saying that there has been any jungle raj, the fear was there. Many people, who would have given us a chance, ended up voting for the NDA out of that fear," said Singh, the former BJP MP.
He added, "Let me make a distinction here. I am saying people had a problem with RJD, not with the Congress or other constituents of the opposition Mahagathbandhan".
Singh, a former MP from Purnea, also said another factor came into play after the Delhi blast that claimed the lives of at least 13 people.
"I was in the Seemanchal region and the incident did lead to polarisation of votes," he said.
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He also lamented, "Our Muslim brethren did not repose enough trust in us. This was despite the fact that we have been reaching out to them. But we are sure they will support us in the long run".
The party was said to have caught the imagination, especially of upper caste youth, by raising pressing issues such as unemployment, migration and the dearth of industries in the state.
However, this did not translate into enough votes, despite an energetic campaign by Kishor and his team, and the party's vote share, according to Singh, stood at a paltry "four per cent".
The Jan Suraaj leader also said, "We are disappointed with the outcome of the assembly polls, but not upset. Though we have not won even a single seat, we will keep opposing the ruling NDA."
He claimed that "since June, till polls were announced, Rs 40,000 crore were splurged" by the Nitish Kumar government to "purchase" votes of the people through public money".
"The scale was unprecedented. Even money raised through a World Bank loan of Rs 14,000 crore has been diverted for doles and freebies," alleged Singh, who, incidentally, is the younger brother of former Finance Commission chairman N K Singh.
Referring to Mukhyamantri Mahila Rojgar Yojana, under which Rs 10,000 each was transferred to the bank accounts of women in the state, he said, "It must have been for the first time that people kept getting the money till a day before voting took place, despite the model code of conduct. This was enough to sway women who may have been hand-to-mouth."
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Singh said the Jan Suraaj is now waiting to see "how the government will transfer the remaining Rs 2 lakh that it has promised to the accounts of women in the state".
He also claimed that the space for opposition remained there in Bihar, despite the landslide victory of the NDA, which has "polled less than 50 per cent of total votes".
Responding to a query on whether Prashant Kishor would remain active in politics as the JD(U) won more than 25 seats, Singh said, "You should ask this question to Kishor only".
Kishor had previously claimed that he would quit politics if Nitish Kumar's JD(U) won more than 25 seats. The party bagged 85 seats in the assembly polls.
Singh, however, added, "We still believe that the NDA, including the JD(U), would have been decimated had public money not been splurged to buy out votes. Please remember that it was not until the Jan Suraaj Party promised Rs 2,000 old age pension that the government raised the amount from Rs 700 to Rs 1,100 per month".
ALSO READ: We couldn't win an election that was not fair from beginning: Rahul on Bihar poll results
He also made light of the "vote theft" charge by the INDIA bloc, most notably the Congress, saying, "We believe names deleted during SIR were mostly of those who were dead or had migrated to other places. Even if there were a few anomalies, these could not have been on a scale large enough to make much of a difference".
The ruling NDA decimated the Mahagathbandhan in Bihar on Friday to retain power, reaffirming Prime Minister Narendra Modi's popularity and Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's enduring appeal and dealing a body blow to the Congress and ally RJD.
The massive scale of the victory of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) can be gauged from the fact that its two main constituents -- the BJP and the JD(U) -- clocked a nearly 85 per cent strike rate in 101 seats each they had contested.
The alliance secured a "200 paar" win for a three-fourths majority in the 243-member Bihar assembly with the BJP emerging as the single largest party.
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Virudhunagar firecracker unit blast: Toll climbs to 25, Rs 5.5 lakh ex gratia announced
Virudhunagar (Tamil Nadu) (PTI): With most bodies charred beyond recognition, identification remains difficult, police said on Monday, as the toll in the massive explosion at a fireworks unit near Kattanarpatti here rose to 25.
The Virudhunagar district administration has announced Rs 5.5 lakh ex gratia to the kin of deceased.
The accident is one of the deadliest industrial disasters in the region in recent years.
"Bodies were so badly charred that we were able to identify mostly with jewellery that the victims were wearing," a police official told PTI.
He said that the families have not yet claimed the bodies due to the uncertainly in the identities.
The factory owner is absconding, he added.
The accident occurred at the Vanaja firecracker unit, owned by one Muthumanickam, which functions under the Vachakarapatti police station limits.
The unit is reportedly licensed by the Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organisation (PESO), Nagpur.
Post-mortem reports have established that the 25 victims, include 22 women and three men, the police official added.
Eight workers, mostly women, are critically injured with 60 per cent burn injuries. Twelve others, including eight policemen, were injured in a second blast on Sunday evening while rescue operations were underway.
Rescue operations were severely hampered for hours, as unexploded materials continued to detonate.
A second blast at 7.20 pm, triggered as an earthmover was clearing debris, caused chaos and injured several responders, including a revenue official.
Meanwhile, sources said about 1,000 people, including the families of the victims and residents of nearby villages, are threatening a road roko, demanding the arrest of the owner of the factory.
Local eyewitnesses, including Ranganathan from the nearby Seervaikarampatti village, described hearing a massive blast that sent "thick black smoke" into the sky.
"Nothing was recognisable. We saw bodies being loaded four at a time into vehicles," he told PTI Videos.
Many of the deceased were from Seervaikarampatti village, with residents claiming that at least 20 victims belonged to their village.
Among those killed was 46-year-old Indrani, a veteran worker of 25 years.
"My mother was the sole breadwinner. My father is disabled and stays home. I have an MSc degree, but I’m working at a petrol bunk to help out, and we haven't even paid my brother's school fees yet," said Madhubala, Indrani’s daughter, while pleading for government employment assistance.
Virudhunagar Collector N O Sukhaputra confirmed that the unit was operating without permission on a rest day.
Preliminary findings suggest the blast originated in a chemical mixing shed, where nearly 40 workers were busy making crackers, a violation of safety norms that typically limit occupancy to four workers per shed.
"Had these workers followed primary safety norms, the casualties could have been minimal," a senior official stated.
Chief Minister M K Stalin has ordered a high-level probe and directed ministers to oversee relief efforts.
The tragedy follows a similar accident in Vembakottai just days earlier, which claimed four lives, intensifying calls for stricter enforcement of safety regulations in the district’s firecracker hub.
The explosion occurred at approximately 3.15 pm on Sunday. Although the fireworks industry is officially shut on Sundays, over 100 workers were reportedly engaged in production.
Later in the day, Sukhaputra said Rs 5.5 lakh ex gratia each has been finalised for the families of 25 persons killed in the explosion.
Speaking to PTI Videos, he said the ex gratia cheques are ready for immediate distribution to the legal heirs.
"Out of 25 deaths, we have finished conducting post-mortems on 22 bodies. Already we have cheques (that) are ready,” Sukhaputra said.
The announcement followed intense demands from grieving relatives for financial security and government employment.
