नीतिश को ग्रैंड अलायन्स के लिए सुझाव

• ग्रैंड अलायन्स को एक राष्ट्रिय स्वरुप देने का प्रयास हो। 
• सदस्य पार्टी यो को सभी तह पर एक पद एक उम्मेदवार पर जाना होगा। 
• सदस्य पार्टी के दिल्ली में जितने सांसद हैं सब एक जगह आएंगे, वो निर्वाचक मंडल हुवा। उसमें ५०% से ज्यादा मत जो बटोरे वो ग्रैंड अलायन्स का राष्ट्रिय अध्यक्ष हुवा। 
• वही फोर्मुला राज्य स्तर पर भी लागु हो। 
• लेकिन ये तो संगठन वाली बात हुई। उससे ज्यादा महत्वपुर्ण बात है विज़न। Anti-BJP is not a vision. 
• ५ स: सुशासन, शिक्षा, स्वास्थ्य, संरचना, सुलभता। 
• लक्ष्य है डबल डिजिट ग्रोथ रेट। 

युपी में ऐसा नहीं हो सकता? मायावती और अखिलेश ५०-५० सीट डिस्ट्रीब्यूशन करें २०१७ में। जो ज्यादा सीट जितेगा वो मुख मंत्री। ये बात मायावती को बोलो तो वो कहेंगी आप अपनी हवा मिठाई घी के साथ खाओ। 

Bipolar Politics In India?

As Nitish Kumar Meets Assam Leader, Signs Of A Bihar-Like Formula



I have no idea what Nitish is upto, but a few days back I read he wants a Bihar repeat in Uttar Pradesh. And I was skeptical. Mayawati revolves in a world of her own. For the Nitish swearing in ceremony, her terse response was: "Jana jaroori hai kya?"

But Grand Alliance is a catchy name. It feels like a fresh start. The Third Front has been put to rest. The Federal Front never materialized, except in Mamata's brain.

Never underestimate a Bihari. Biharis are like Greeks. Ek samay ke superpower jab sirf India hi duniya tha. Modi and Nitish are the two most talented Indian politicians of their generation. Easily. Obvious baat hai. And Laloo is a powerhouse on his own. And Laloo's conviction, in a strange way, has turned him into a Nitish Hanuman, which probably would have been hard, perhaps impossible otherwise. Yane ke Laloo ko to koi pad lena nahin. Us sthiti mein political relevance hi bahut bara puraskar ho jata hai. Yane ke alag party hote bhi Laloo ke sare ke sare MP Nitish apna gin sakte hain. Bhagwan deta hai to chhappar far ke. Isi ko kahte hain.

To Bihar ke 40 MP ek nucleus ban jate hain. A national alternative can be imagined around that nucleus.

Pechinda baat ye hai ki Uttar Pradesh is galaxy mein hi nahin. Uska apna hi alag orbit hai. Kucchh planets hote hain, na is galaxy mein, na us galaxy mein. Wo between galaxies fenka jate hain. Andhere mein lattoo ki tarah golchakkar lagate rah jate hain.

Abhi desh ka rajniti na unipolar hai, na bipolar, na multi-polar. Desh ka rajniti abhi comet ki tarah hai. Sirf ek banda PM ke liye lada pichhle saal. Aur us ke pichhe ek lamba dhunwa sa hai koso tak.

To agar Grand Alliance Bihar se failte failte Assam pahunch jaye to badi baat hai. Laloo barishth neta ke rup mein sab jagah golchakkar lagate rahenge. Agar rashtriya star par hi ek Grand Alliance banti hai aur desh ke rajniti mein ek clean bi-polarization ho jati hai to wo desh ke liye, loktantr ke liye, double digit growth ke liye bahut achha hoga. PM bhi development man, Opposition Leader bhi development man ho jaye to sustained double digit growth shayad mil jaye desh ko.

Nitishism akhir hai kya? Nitish ne kabhi codify nahin kiya. Karna chahiye. Ki humne Bihar mein aise kiya. Wo dusre jagah bhi kiye jaa sakte hain. Usi tarah Laloo ko codify karna chahiye. Railway mein unhone jo kiya so kaise kiya. Kisi paschima textbook mein hi nahin hai. Laloo ke populism ("I am a man of the people!") ne western capitalism ko maat kar diya. And it is relevant to India. Jis desh mein ghans kam aadmi jyada ho, wahan people intensive economic activity ki sakht jaroorat hai shayad. Bagair katni chhantni kiye kaise logon ke marfat bumper profit karein. 

National level par Modi bahut aage hain. Indian economy ke fundamental level par itna bejod kaam ho raha hai, iska asar kuchh saal ke baad bade thos kism se padega.

Gelling the Grand Alliance at the national level is hard. Jaise Mayawati ko lo. Unhe to lagta hai BJP aur Congress ke baad hum hi to hain. To pahle unke charan sparsh karo tab koi alliance ki baat karo. Nahin to wo to mere to lagta hai chai pe bhi nahin bulayegi. Akhilesh kam nahin. Mulayam ko PM mano pahle, uske baad hi koi allaince balaince ki baat shuru ho sakti hai. Kahan na maine, kuchh planets galaxy ko hi chhod dete hain. Spin out ho jate hain. Aur Mulayam. Safal rajnitigya rahe hain. Dimag bhi shayad chalta ho. Lekin boli se to nahin lagta. Aur waise bhi wo ek apne hi kism ke Advani hain: way past retirement age. Lekin neta logon ko pata hi nahin chalta. Ghadi mein time kya hai, nabj mein daudahat banki hai bhi ki nahin. Log salam karte rahte hain. To lagta hai ek round aur dekh lete hain, rakha kya hai, log pyar de hi rahe hain.

Nitish ne Bihar mein vikas kar diya. Honestly bol raha hoon, maine kabhi kalpana bhi nahin kiya tha ki koi bhi sakhs Bihar mein vikas kar sakta hai. Like how? Where would you start? Lekin Bihar mein vikas se jyada kathin baat hai UP mein Mayawati aur Akhilesh ko ek jagah lana, usse bhi kathin unhe manana ki koi teesra neta banega. Unhe lagta hai wo hain Amrika, banki Bharat hai Fiji. Size to dekho.

Bobby Jindal 2024

photo of gurudwara ponta sahib (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

• You have to be yourself. If you talk fast, if that is you, don't slow down. You can be only one person, and that is you. Just be yourself. You slowed down artificially for that speech in 2009, and that was the beginning of your end. 
• You became particularly shrill after that. Two reasons. One, the Great Recession hit you and your state. When that happens, people sometimes end up in dark corners. Two, that counter Obama speech in 2009 put you at the receiving end of racism. People who say they are only individuals, they don't have group identities are two dimensional creatures. And racism is a three dimensional reality. When 2D creatures get hit with a 3D reality, they don't know what hit them. You got infantilized. That was racist. But you will not understand if you keep claiming you are only an individual. 
• I have had hundreds of meals at the local Gurudwara. India is sorry 1984 happened. Now own up to it. You are Indian. Like JFK was Irish. He wore it on his sleeve. You are Indian, your wife is Indian, your kids are Indian. Your Indian identity goes back thousands of years. America would not be great if it did not allow you room for your Indian identity. I mean, my favorite thing about America are inter-racial, cross-cultural kids. But that does not take away from heritage, mine, or yours, or anyone else's.
• On social issues you may hold any view you want, that does not bother people. But to say the alternative view is not valid is Taliban, it is not America. So on the social issues, you have to be live and let live. And since America is a free country, and social views don't change fast, it is best to push the social views to the background. You know where you stand, you respect where others stand, and you make them feel like you respect them, and you are done. No one is convincing nobody. Everybody is too smart by one and a half. 
• And focus hard core on the economic issues. This is where you will sink or swim. If you can show America you can help create the industries of tomorrow, you will regain your pre-2008 aura and seeming invincibility. Barack Obama is a tough guy to go against. Hillary knows. So do you. But she is running again. 
• As for the industries of tomorrow, talk to Vivek Wadhwa, the smartest dude in Silicon Valley. He was your active supporter, before you became shrill. 

Donald's Poll Numbers Are Name Recognition

A derivate work. John McCain official photo portrait. This image is an edit of Image:John McCain official photo portrait.JPG to alter the background from black to a blue/white gradient. The background mask used in Image:John McCain official photo portrait-cropped-background edit.JPG was also used here. The edits to the original were performed by User:Andrew c with help from User:Navy Blue. This was a request processed through the en.wiki graphics lab, see here. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The US presidential election used to last a year. Barack Obama changed that. He made it last two full years. People were so sick and tired of W, they are like, bring it on, Barack. Everywhere else in the world, most places, all places I know, elections last a month. It is over before you know it.

The US presidential election process is pretty well designed. It is a vast country of 300 million. Not as vast as India, but still very vast. But then you have the Iowa caucuses where you are made to feel like you are running for City Council in a town of 500. It is pretty amazing. It is very hard to fool people when you have to go to them direct. No media, no social media, no TV ads, no flyers, no bells, no whistles. It's you and them, face to face, often in their living room, no neighbors. Their opinions get made when they sit down with their neighbors. It is pretty heady stuff. Old school and heady.

By the time New York and California happen, it feels like it is over. But New Yorkers get to feel like, so what, who paid for your breakfast?

My point being, it is a pretty well designed process. I am confident it will not let idiots through. And The Donald is an idiot through and through.

Where was John McCain at this stage in 2007? He was out. Maybe Bobby made a mistake.

The Donald was on TV. Why do you think he switched? To a presidential run? Attention. The guy wants some attention. He has no intention of winning. He will lose and act like the country's Opposition Leader for eight years without showing up in DC: all the TV studios are in NYC, why go to DC! You want to know how I feel about the Defense Bill? Oh, you want to know how I feel about the Budget Deficit? Jobs? I have an opinion about jobs. That is what this is about. The guy has a narcissistic desire to be on TV. It is not like he does not have a small base. There is a far right in every country, in every society. Heck, there is a far right on the Upper West Side. And the far right does not ask you for ideas. It just needs to be fed some vague prejudice. Every policy debate can be wrapped up in about three or four vague emotions.

So, no, I don't feel like 40% of the Americans are rabidly racist. I do know that most people are not even paying attention. I have yet to watch a debate, Democratic or Republican. I might wait until the two parties are done nominating.

Very likely we will see a three way race: Hillary, a Republican (Rubio? Bush? maybe both will end up on the ticket, I'd love to see two women on the Democratic ticket running against two men on the Republican ticket), and Donald (the dude does not need a running mate, why share attention). This guy is not getting out. He is going to run as an Independent. It is the attention thing. He has no platform.

He said somewhere he is "strong on defense." Now, that to me is rocket science. Wow, Donald, how did you figure that one out?

Russian far-right leader calls for birth control in Caucasus

Trump's business dealings in Muslim-majority countries

“It’s a very exciting time for the Trump Organisation in the Middle East” – Donald J. Trump, December 2013.The Republican front-runner may now want a ban on Muslims entering the United States, but he has not been shy of doing deals in Muslim-majority countries to expand his business empire.

Posted by Channel 4 News on Tuesday, December 8, 2015

Donald Trump: Marxist? Hitlerian?

The San Diego Shooting: Defining Terrorism

What is Donald Trump? Marxist? Hitlerian? What? We know he is German. It has got to be one of the above. He does business with the Chinese. Does that make him Marxist? Yes? No?

I know a whole bunch of Marxists. Too many. In Nepal, everyone is a Marxist. The ruling party is Marxist. The opposition party is Marxist. So when they switch sides, it gets really confusing.

कौन है ये बन्दा? आखिर है कौन? पता लगाओ। For the sake of Aamir. पता करो। आधे इधर जाओ। आधे उधर जाओ। बाँकी बिखर जाओ।



The Donald is a Hitlerian. I have proof.



ये हिटलर का नाजायज औलाद। जब हिटलर बंकर में बंद था जहाँ उसने ख़ुदकुशी की वहाँ से एक बच्चा गायब हो गया था। एगो ननकिरबा गायब भ गइलबा।

Republicans Asked For Unlimited Money In Politics

And they got Donald Trump. Like they say, be careful what you ask for, you just might get it. The party be combusting at all ends.

The San Diego Shooting: Defining Terrorism

I have yet to read a full news item on this San Diego shooting, so forgive if I am missing out on details, but this incident has been hard to ignore in the headlines.

This Pakistani woman's neighbors back in Pakistan are in disbelief. It is unimaginable she did that, they say. So obviously her radicalization did not happen in Pakistan. Ordinary Pakistanis are overwhelmingly lower middle class, God fearing and peace loving. It is pretty humdrum. Pakistan is a larger population than Russia.

So if her radicalization did not happen in Pakistan, where did it happen? Obviously it happened in San Diego. Where in San Diego? It is possible she saw Donald Trump on TV.

And I grew up around Muslims. It was a total non-issue when Muslims dropped by my house. They were biologically identical in terms of skin color and looks, spoke the exact same language, shared the same culture. They were just a different religion. But then so are Buddhists.

And you have to understand, what Shahrukh Khan, Aamir Khan and Salman Khan mean to Indians across the world -- and Indians are across the world, Indians live in every town in America -- there is no parallel in Hollywood and America. So when you badmouth Muslims across the board, don't get surprised if Indians across the religious spectrum get offended. I will. I am offended that you might be talking about Aamir. I am deeply, personally offended.

Maybe this woman saw Donald Trump on TV. And I don't mean that in a Jimmy Fallon way, I mean that in a Charlie Rose way.

It has always struck me as to the clarity of thought in the Muslim worldview. When you wrong a Muslim there is no foggy thinking that maybe I belong to the wrong caste and that's why. They are more like, I am a child of God, how dare you! I am fond of that.

So if her radicalization happened in San Diego, or on TV, who supplied her with the gun? Not ISIS. ISIS is not that sophisticated.

I have news, people. America does not need ISIS. It has the NRA.

Terrorism has to be precisely defined. When you kill one person, that is murder. When your motivation is that you don't like their kind, that is a hate crime. And hate crime IS different from murder. If one Sikh person got killed and it was a hate crime, then all Sikhs in that community should take note. Because there is a killer at large who are after people like them.

But when you kill a bunch of people, and you are driven by some kind of ideology, then that is an act of terrorism. Terrorism simply is hate crime magnified. It is possible you have never been recruited by any person or organization. It is possible your indoctrination happened over the Internet. It is possible your gun was provided to you by the NRA. But the act is an act of terrorism.

White guys are primarily guilty in this country. There is no ISIS. Not yet. That white guy killing black church goers is a terrorist. He was not sick, he was driven by ideology.

A serial killer is a serial killer, as opposed to a murderer.

Then there are some people who are mentally sick. They are not terrorists in that they are not driven by ideology. They are just not okay upstairs, it is clinical, and they got hold of a gun, and they went some place and started shooting. For me the most important question there is, how did they get hold of that gun? That is the top question. There's also the issue of universal health insurance. Where could they have gone for help?

NRA.

This is a barbaric nation with a homegrown epidemic of acts of terrorism. It does not need the ISIS. It has the NRA.

This country needs a constitutional amendment. You got done killing Indians (Native Americans), now amend it. By the way, that was also terrorism. On a massive scale. Colonialism is the El Nino of terrorism.

Objectively speaking, head count by head count, the US is no less barbaric than the territory ISIS controls. Look at all those gun deaths. The numbers are of epidemic proportions.

The only plausible explanation.

Posted by Manjushree Thapa on Tuesday, December 8, 2015

In The News (1)

PM Narendra Modi one of best prime ministers India has had: Mufti Muhammad Sayeed
Debate is Parliament's soul: PM Narendra Modi
PM Narendra Modi willing to speak to everyone on GST Bill: Arun Jaitley
Narendra Modi remains a popular Prime Minister with 74% approval rating

The approval of 74% reflects a marginal dip for Modi from 79% in August, and 82% last August...... In May, when his government and he completed a year in office, his approval rating was 74% again..... “There is some level of disillusionment” but expectations “are still high”, said Shastri...... “His persona is projected in multiple ways—he is travelling (around the world), speaking to different audiences… His visibility is high on social media.” ...... The government has agreed to a debate on intolerance in Parliament in a bid to address these concerns and push through its legislative agenda—including a much-awaited bill on Goods and Services Tax (GST), which will unify the Indian market and boost the economy by over a percentage point according to some economists...... The results of the survey show “that Bihar polls are not being viewed as a referendum on Modi or the central government,” said Shastri.

Bihar fastest growing state, Maharashtra tops in economic size: Report

Bihar has emerged as the fastest growing state in terms of gross state domestic product (GSDP), clocking a growth rate of

17.06 per cent

in FY 2014-15, while Maharashtra grew by 11.69 per cent to become the biggest state with Rs 16.87 trillion economy ...... Fastest-growing states are Bihar at 17.06 per cent, Madhya Pradesh at 16.86 per cent and Goa at 16.43 per cent

A contest in 2019 between Nitish Kumar and Narendra Modi too early to predict?

A week after the Congress and non-NDA parties shared the stage at the swearing-in ceremony of the Grand Alliance government in Bihar, strains have come to the fore. Delhi chief Mminister Arvind Kejriwal distanced himself from the tight hug he got from Rashtriya Janata Dal head Lalu Prasad at the event. ..... The Aam Aadmi Party leader who campaigns against corruption not only blamed Prasad for the embrace but also expressed displeasure at his dynasty politics .... The regional parties that shared the dais at Nitish Kumar's oath-taking ceremony are a disparate group and many of them have the Congress as their main opponent in the state where they are a potent force. ...... Some, such as the SP and the Bahujan Samaj Party, or the Trinamool Congress and the Left parties, don't see eye to eye. BSP leader Mayawati made it clear that her party would not attend the November 20 swearing-in event in Patna, ensuring that there is no ambiguity about her party going it alone in the 2017 Uttar Pradesh elections. The SP backed out at the last moment, although initially, UP CM Akhilesh Yadav was to attend. ...... Naveen Patnaik's Biju Janata Dal will never be a part of an alliance that includes the Congress, its primary opponent in Odisha. Patnaik sent a congratulatory letter to Nitish Kumar and kept away from the swearing in. ....... While Nitish may have higher credibility and gravitas than Rahul Gandhi as a challenger to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Congress would not want the Bihar CM to become the pivot of the opposition alliance.

Arithmetic will outweigh all the credentials that Nitish Kumar enjoys.

..... At most, the Bihar CM can head a Third Front with outside support from the Congress, a scenario the grand old party would not be looking at as it prepares itself to do battle under Gandhi's leadership in 2019.

Modi to blame for Nepal crisis, Madhesi plight: Lalu

Lalu is planning to visit some of the states where elections are due next year. ...... "Just after taking over as the PM, he went to Nepal with much fanfare and even made big claims of strengthening relations with a country that already shared cordial ties with India. China has entered Nepal and he is on world tour," Lalu said. "I am afraid what will happen to our relationship with other countries," he added. ..... Lalu's younger son and deputy chief minister Tejashwi Prasad Yadav had also criticised the PM for frequent foreign tours, saying he only returns to India for dry cleaning his costly suits.

Normalise situation as soon as possible: India to Nepal
Madhesi agitation leads to cross-border weddings falling through
This one thing may decide Yahoo’s future

a proposal to sell the company's core business — the search and advertising sections of the 20-year-old company that have struggled to compete with Google and Facebook. ..... Right now, the company has a total market value of $34 billion. But much of that is because it owns 15 percent of the fast-growing Chinese Web retailer Alibaba. Yahoo's stake is estimated to be worth as much as $32 billion.

LinkedIn Tries to Clear the Clutter With App Update
LinkedIn's new Facebook-like app arrives on iOS and Android
Justin Bieber Posts Throwback Picture With Selena Gomez Because of Course He Did
Why I ditched Spotify for Google Music

Preet Bharara, Eliot Spitzer Parallels

EMBOLDENED BY SILVER CONVICTION, BHARARA TO INDICT CUOMO JAN 2ND

Preet Bharara, no elected official, right now has the ring of an Eliot Spitzer before that dude combusted, or before he ran for Governor. This is interesting. This is some Cowboy Indian. I must not know the process well. When Sheldon Silver was ram shackled Hollywood style, I thought Cuomo was behind it. What do I know!

Aamir Khan And The India Intolerance Debate

आमिर खान बोलें --- ये गर्व की बात है, हिम्मत की बात है। बोलना चाहिए। ताकि पब्लिक विचार विमर्श हो इस मुद्दे पर। आमिर खान लोगों के दिल में रहते हैं। हिन्दु मुस्लिम फर्क नहीं पड़ता। और उनका करियर दिलचस्प रहा है। मेनस्ट्रीम सुपरस्टार रह के उन्होंने बहुत सारे experimental roles ही नहीं किए हैं, फोर्मुला सिनेमा से अलग जा के भी बॉक्स ऑफिस सफलता दिखा दिया है। जैसे कि PK, फोर्मुला फिल्म नहीं है लेकिन सारे रिकॉर्ड तोड़ दिए। तो, he is not just a movie star, which he is, there is ample proof, लेकिन उनका अपना एक जगह है भारतीय पहचान में। He is an element of the Indian identity, and I am so glad that is the case. वो critically सोचते हैं और अपने दिलकी बोलते हैं। ये एक ऐसा quality है जिसकी भारत के शिक्षा के क्षेत्र को बहुत जरूरत है। टॉपिक कुछ भी हो।

रह गयी अभी वाली मुद्दा की बात।

भारत इतना बड़ा देश है। जितना और देशों में मेजोरिटी नहीं होता है उससे बड़ा भारत में माइनॉरिटी है। मैं जब भारत के मुसलमानों के बारे में सोचता हुँ तो मेरा ध्यान जाता है socio-economic indicators पे, मेरा ध्यान जाता है per capita income पे। कि democracy has to be seen to be working for India's muslims.

प्रत्येक भारतीय का धर्म हिन्दु धर्म नहीं है, लेकिन प्रत्येक भारतीय का धर्म लोकतंत्र है। और मानव अधिकार उस लोकतंत्र धर्म की नींव है। मानव अधिकार नहीं तो लोकतंत्र नहीं। सीधी सी बात है। धार्मिक स्वतंत्रता एक मानव अधिकार है। किसी भी व्यक्ति को हक़ है कि वोअपने इच्छा के धर्म को मानें। कोइ हिन्दु परिवार में जन्म ले के ईसाइ या बुद्धिस्ट या मुसलमान बन सकता है। ये उसका मानव अधिकार है। और वो संविधान प्रदत अधिकार है। देशकी जो मुल कानुन है उसके द्वारा सुरक्षित है वो अधिकार।

लेकिन उतने से काम नहीं चलता। १२ साल हाई स्कूल कंपल्सरी होना चाहिए देश भरमें और एक विषय होना चाहिए सामाजिक शिक्षा जिसमें मानव अधिकार, लोकतंत्र, नागरिक कर्तव्य, बिभिन्न्न धर्मों के बारे में, सांस्कृतिक विविधता के बारे में पढाई हो। प्रमुख धर्मों के बारे में पढाई होनी चाहिए ताकि प्रत्येक नागरिक शिक्षित हो प्रत्येक नागरिक को सभी प्रमुख धर्मों के बारे में ज्ञान हो।

हिंसा अपराध है। चाहे वो धर्म को नाम पे हो या और कोई बहाने पर हो। तो hate crime के विरुद्ध सख्त कानुन होने चाहिए और उनको लागु किया जाना चाहिए। दंगा के विरुद्ध सख्त मैकेनिज्म होने चाहिए। दंगा एक लॉ एंड आर्डर प्रॉब्लम है। सोल्व किया जा सकता है।

हिंसा के अलाबे discrimination. रिपोर्ट आते रहते हैं कि मुस्लमान को घर किराए पर नहीं दिया। वो व्यवहार गैर कानुनी नहीं है तो होना चाहिए। प्राइवेट सेक्टर में नौकरी के तलाश में जाते हैं तो मुसलमान होने के नाते discrimination नहीं होने चाहिए।

लेकिन सब से मुख्य मुद्दा है education, health, job creation, entrepreneurship. मुसलमान बस्तियों में ये सब पहुँचाना है। मुसलमान जम के पढाई लिखाई करे और खुदका बिजनेस शुरू करे। लोगों को नौकरी दे।

और एक होता है public space का poisoning ----- कुछ लोग पब्लिक फिगर होते हुवे भी बहुत गलत बोल देते हैं। इस समुदाय के विरुद्ध तो कभी उस समुदाय के विरुद्ध। तो उसका काउंटर होना बहुत जरुरी है।

Hindu pride is a great idea, but Hindu supremacist thinking is not okay. आप गर्व करो। लेकिन पिछले साल जो लव जिहाद और घर वापसी के मुद्दे उछाले गए, बहुत गलत बात है। प्यार, मुहबत, शादी तो किसी की प्राइवेट बात है। कभी हिन्दु और मुसलमान एक जगह आ जाते हैं, जैसे की आमिर और शाहरुख़। करीना कपुर। तो ये  सुन्दर बात है। उसमें आपको लव जिहाद कैसे दिखाई दिया?

घर वापसी का मुद्दा भी उल्टापुल्टा है। भारत के भुमि पर जितने हैं सबको हिन्दु होना चाहिए ---- ये कितना अव्यवहारिक बात है! भुमि और मानव को उस तरह mixup मत करो। धार्मिक स्वतंत्रता तो मानव अधिकार है। किसी व्यक्ति की ख़ुशी की वो किस धर्म को अपनावे। Religious harassment should be illegal -----

बीफ। हिन्दु है कोइ बीफ नहीं खाता है -- तो that is respectable --- लेकिन ये कहने लगे कि खुद भी नहीं खाउंगा तुझे भी खाने नहीं दुंगा --- वो तो मोदीजी रिश्वत के बारे में वैसा बोलते हैं। कि खुद भी नहीं खाउंगा तुझे भी खाने नहीं दुंगा। बीफ और रिश्वत में कुछ तो फर्क होना चाहिए। आप अपना धर्म दुसरो पर कैसे थोपर सकते हो? Religious harassment should be illegal -----

मुसलमान बीफ नहीं खायेगा तो क्या खायेगा? खरगोश?

बल्कि हिन्दु धर्म प्रचार करने जाओ। जाओ दुनिया घुमो। जूलिया रॉबर्ट्स ने कन्वर्ट किया वो हिन्दु बन गयी। उन्हें अच्छा लगा। तो वैसे लोग ढूंढो। लेकिन कोइ आएगा तो स्वेच्छा से आएगा। किसी का मानव अधिकार हनन करने स्टाइल में आप धर्म प्रचार नहीं कर सकते।

India's diversity is India's strength. अभी तो भारत चीन से भी पिछे है। But if someday India is to beat America, it will be because India started celebrating free speech better than America, India started celebrating diversity better than America.

तो जो लोग भारत के भितर धार्मिक असहिष्णुता का जहर फैलाते हैं, वो भारत को विश्व शक्ति बनने के रास्ते पर नहीं ले जाना चाहते। जो थोड़ा बहुत शक्ति है भारत के पास वो भी चाहते हैं गायब हो जाए।

Democracy और Diversity में गहरा विश्वास रखने वाले लोगों को बोलते रहना चाहिए और संगठित होना चाहिए। वो देशप्रेम का सच्चा रूप है जो कि आमिर दिखा रहे हैं। मैं तो वैसे भी बड़ा फैन था, अब और बड़ा फैन हो गया।

Intolerance row: Agra Muslims condemn Aamir Khan's statement
Talking to India Today, Imran Qureshi of Bhartiya Muslim Vikas Parishad said the Muslims of India were born on this land and will be buried in this land.

Local Social activist Md. Arif Advocate said that it was questionable that the Aamir who had produced a patriotic movie like Lagaan, could have made such a statement. In fact, he said, Aamir was just voicing the thoughts of his wife who is a Hindu. ....... Imamuddin, a senior citizen aged 96 years, said that during the Friday Namaz, it was prayed that Aamir regains his senses and the country remains at peace.

Aamir Khan's PK Wouldn't Have Been a Success if India Was Intolerant: Shatrughan Sinha

Mr Khan's remarks expressing his "alarm and despondency" over the rise in recent incidents of intolerance hotly debated, he had again yesterday asserted that he stood by his comments and made it clear that neither he nor his wife Kiran Rao had any intention of leaving the country.

Shatrughan disapproves of Aamir’s remark on intolerance
Last thing Indian Muslims need: Naseer on Aamir's intolerance row

Veteran Bollywood actor Naseeruddin Shah has expressed concern over Aamir Khan’s intolerance remark saying that it may cause further problems for the Muslims of India. ..... “I don’t think he [Aamir] should have said this. Regardless of what he feels, we Muslims do not need any further aggravation of our feeling of persecution,” said Shah. ..... Earlier, Oscar-winning music composer AR Rahman expressed solidarity with Aamir Khan over growing intolerance in India and admitted that he too faced a situation similar to that of the actor recently. ......

The music maestro spoke in relation to the fatwa issued against him by Mumbai-based Muslim academy for composing music for an Iranian film. Subsequently, his scheduled concerts in Delhi and Uttar Pradesh were cancelled.

..... The fatwa also prompted Hindu extremists to bring up the issue of religious conversions. They invited the composer to “re-convert to Hinduism” and said it was time for Rahman’s “ghar wapsi“. ..... “Aamir Khan should either indulge in ‘ghar wapsi’ which will help him getting free of ‘crimes of love jihad’ of his previous as well as his present wife Kiran Rao or go to Pakistan for the benefit of India,” Hindu Mahasabha’s national general secretary Munna Kumar Sharma said. ...... “A case of treason should be filed against Khan for insulting India and traitors like Aamir Khan and Shah Rukh Khan should leave India,” he added.

Aamir Khan safe in India, his comments are insult to fans: BJP

“We won’t let Aamir leave the country, he is safe. This kind of comment influenced by a politically motivated campaign insults those who have given so much honour to Aamir in India,” said Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, the Minister of State for Minority Affairs. ....... reacting to Aamir’s statement, Kiren Rijiju, the junior home minister claimed that the number of deaths in communal incidents had come down since BJP came to power last year and “to make a blatant statement is not proper.” ..... Incidences of communal violence have been growing in India, with a mob killing a Muslim man over beef-eating rumours in September. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, facing questions during his recent trip to Britain, said,

“India is committed to protecting every citizen’s freedom, and the law will deal severely with those who are intolerant.”

......... Speaking at Ramnath Goenka Excellence in Journalism Awards, Aamir had said, “I have been alarmed. I can’t deny. I have been alarmed by a number of incidents.”

BJP shud stop silencing voices thro abuses n threats. Its high time centrl govt took concrete steps 2 instil sense of security amngst people

— Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) November 23, 2015

Intolerance debate: Hindu Sena buys Aamir Khan, family tickets to Pakistan!

Hindu Sena, the group that booked a one-way ticket for Khan, his wife Kiran Rao and their son, was in news last month after they led a Delhi police patrolling team into Kerala House claiming that a restaurant there was serving cow meat. Vishnu Gupta, the head of the group, was arrested and later released on bail.

Aamir Khan Intolerance Row: Woman commits suicide after husband criticizes actor

A dispute with her husband over remarks by Bollywood actor Aamir Khan saw a woman here committing suicide by consuming poison, her family members claimed. Police said they are investigating the alleged suicide by one Sonam Pandey and the claims by her family members that she took the extreme step as she was distressed by her husband's comments mocking Khan. ...... "Sonam Pandey and her husband Mayank were talking about newspaper reports about Khan's statement yesterday morning. My son poked fun at Sonam, saying what kind of man is the Bollywood star, who wants to settle abroad on the advice of his wife," said Mayank's father, RP Pandey. Angered by her husband's criticism of Khan, Sonam ran upstairs and locked herself inside a room, he added.

Shatrughan Sinha disapproves of Aamir Khan's remark on intolerance
No one can ask Aamir to leave India, says West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee
West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee extended support to Bollywood actor Aamir Khan who is at the centre of a controversy over his remarks on 'growing intolerance' in the country.

“They have criticised actors like Shah Rukh Khan and Aamir Khan and musician A R Rahman. Who are they to decide what we will say or what we will eat?,” the CM said.

Aamir Khan has said what he felt; India belongs to everyone: Mamata Banerjee



Aamir Khan: India Bollywood actor stands by intolerance remark

The ruling BJP said he should not forget that India made him a star, and it was wrong to malign the country. ...... "Anyone implying the opposite has either not seen my interview or is deliberately trying to distort what I have said. India is my country, I love it, I feel fortunate for being born here, and this is where I am staying," the actor wrote. ...... Khan said he stood by his earlier statement, and added that all those people who had called him "anti-national" and shouted "obscenities at me for speaking my heart out, it saddens me to say you are only proving my point". ...... BJP spokesperson Shahnawaz Hussain had criticised Khan's remarks and said there was a "political conspiracy to defame India" and there was "no better neighbour than a Hindu for a Muslim". ..... Another BJP spokesperson, Sambit Patra, said that "Aamir Khan is the face of 'Incredible India' [a TV campaign by Mr Khan to promote tourism], how can he make such a remark? I request Aamir Khan not to leave India and he won't find another nation like it". ..... Earlier this month, fellow superstar Shah Rukh Khan also spoke out against what he called "extreme intolerance" in India. .....A movement that began with writers returning state awards spread to scientists, historians and filmmakers. ......

They cited the killing of rationalists MM Kalburgi and Govind Pansare, as well as the lynching of a man over suspicions he consumed beef, as examples of rising intolerance in the country.

Aamir Khan clearly played to a script, and it does not do him credit

Given the nature of minority politics in India, where such issues are drummed up by "secular" parties to ensure that the minorities continue to vote on the basis of fear rather than pursuing their real economic and political interests ..... What Khan's statement reveals is his decision to fall in line with the dominant narrative being tom-tommed by the mainstream English media that has been left out in the cold by Narendra Modi. Incidentally, an interesting aspect of the rising English media chorus of "growing intolerance" is that it is not supported by any kind of data or a benchmark from which this "rise" can be calculated. Barring a cacophony of statements by Sanghis, there is no evidence whatsoever that there is any actual rise in intolerance. ........... Aamir's calculated statement can at best be put down as another voice added to this self-indulgent and self-righteous echo chamber in the English language media. ...... First, I doubt if anybody in India thinks we have nothing to fear, given the state of our policing, our weak legal systems, and the space we have given to criminals and vested interests in cities and villages. I too would fear for the safety of my daughters in India, especially given the patriarchal nature of our society and its inability to bring up its sons to respect women.

We have strong laws and a weak state, making it near impossible to assume that we will be protected from rabid elements.

......... Many Indians have left Indian shores for better prospects, and it is this diaspora that believes in Modi and his idea of India by and large. From businessmen to ordinary students to techies, Indians have always sought to improve their material condition by taking advantage of merit-based systems in the West. The poor, on the other hand, went to West Asia to earn more while living like second-class citizens, whether in Saudi Arabia or even parts of the UAE. After decades, they are still not given citizenship. ......

In the sub-continent, Hindus and Muslims from Bangladesh, Nepal, Myanmar, and now even Pakistan have, legally or illegally, moved into India as economic or political refugees. The Nepalese have been welcomed like they were our own citizens, and despite some hesitation to accept Muslim economic refugees from Bangladesh, they are here and voting their own leaders in Assam, West Bengal and Bihar.

...... If there is a beacon of tolerance in the sub-continent, it is India. The only areas of long-term intolerance (as opposed to short-term intolerance caused by riots) are in Kashmir, where an entire generation of Pandits has been driven out in the worst act of ethnic cleansing ever practised after 1947. ..... The fringe will be the fringe, and there is no point assuming that in a country of 125 crore, no one will ever make politically-incorrect statements. ...... Two years ago, a white supremacist shot people in a gurdwara in Wisconsin. Over the last two years, we have seen race riots after the shooting of African-Americans in Ferguson and Baltimore by trigger-happy cops.

When his name is Khan, can Aamir really expect to be treated as an equal in America?

....... The far right is rising under Marine Le Pen. The face veil is banned in France, not in India. ...... For a country with 125 crore people and all their multiple diversities, insecurities and concerns involving caste, religion, and ethnicity, we are a mighty tolerant lot. ........ This does not also mean that the Sangh hotheads should continue to vitiate the atmosphere. Modi would do well to put a tape across their mouths or even chuck them out of his ministry. But that still will be no guarantee that someone will not make an intolerant statement somewhere...... Surely, Aamir Khan does not want a state where everyone is gagged. That would be even more intolerant than the intolerance he would like to complain about.

I stand by everything I have said: Aamir Khan on his comments about intolerance

The actor ended his statement by quoting Rabindranath Tagore's famous poem, "Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high, Where knowledge is free, Where the world has not been broken up into fragments, by narrow domestic walls, Where words come out from the depth of truth, ..... "Where tireless striving stretches its arms towards perfection, Where the clear stream of reason has not lost its way, Into the dreary desert sand of dead habit, Where the mind is led forward by thee, Into ever-widening thought and action, Into that heaven of freedom, my father, let my country awake."

Aamir Khan: India home minister Rajnath Singh's jibe at actor

Without naming Khan, Rajnath Singh told the parliament that despite insults, iconic Dalit leader "BR Ambedkar never said he would leave India". ..... "Dr BR Ambedkar had to put up with insults and derision. Yet, he controlled his emotion and put forward an objective point of view for India. He never said how he was being ignored and insulted in India," Mr Singh said in his remarks in the Lok Sabha, the lower house of the parliament...... "He said I will stay in India and keeping the Indian values and culture in mind, I will strengthen the country," Mr Singh added. ..... Despite his clarification, the controversy refuses to die down and the home minister's comments are seen as the latest salvo fired at him by BJP politicians. ..... However, the session is likely to be a stormy one, with opposition parties demanding a debate on "growing intolerance" in the country. ..... BJP leader Venkaiah Naidu said the government was "willing to discuss all issues, including the so-called issue of rising intolerance even though the incidents that happened were in the domain of states… We do not support or condone such incidents".

Controversy Over Aamir's 'Intolerance' Remarks Refuses to Die

BJP national spokesman Shahnawaz Hussain advised Khan to visit his ancestral village Akhtiyaarpur in Hardoi district in Uttar Pradesh and see for himself with how much love and harmony people live there. ...... Hussain said that Aamir left the village at an early age and joined Bollywood, but people there still believe in 'Ganga-Jamuni tehzeeb', a term used to describe mutually participatory co-existence of Hindu and Muslim culture. He was talking to reporters in Lucknow.

Anupam Kher Lashes Out At Aamir Khan, Asks Him To 'Spread Hope Not Fear'
Aamir Khan has insulted India with intolerance statement, says Ramdas Athawale

Senior Shiv Sena leader and the state Environment Minister Ramdas Kadam on Tuesday said Khan "can go to Pakistan" if he didn't love India. "The police should also conduct an inquiry whether Aamir's statement is anti-national," he said.

An open letter to Aamir Khan

Your name is Khan and you Sir, are a hypocrite.

Aamir Khan’s answer at RNG awards an innocent one: PK director Rajkumar Hirani
Coming out in support of under fire Aamir Khan, director Rajkumar Hirani stoutly defended his 'PK' star.

the director said, “Aamir Khan didn’t call for a press conference. He was at an award function where he was asked questions on various topics and one of the topics was this which he answered and his answer was I was distressed and sad that my wife once said this to me. To me it is an innocent answer. He spoke about what was said inside his home affairs in public and one should have ignored it. But the way people jumped and attacked him, intolerance was visible.” ..... For Raju, the most distressing factor was linking Aamir’s statements to his Muslim identity. Said Raju, “His statements were then linked to him being a Muslim. Such a thought never crossed my mind.

I have celebrated every Diwali at Aamir’s place.

The way these talks are spreading through social media, some divide is visible. We should pick positive things in life and talk about it.”

@aamir_khan Aamir Khand And The India Intolerance Debate https://t.co/xwIjcudoHq

— Paramendra Bhagat (@paramendra) November 27, 2015

@AnupamPkher आप @aamir_khan पर थोड़ा ज्यादा ही कड़ा प्रतीत हुवे ऐसा लगा हमें। https://t.co/xwIjcudoHq

— Paramendra Bhagat (@paramendra) December 3, 2015

बीजेपी, उत्तर प्रदेश और २०१७

बिहार में बीजेपी हारा नहीं बल्कि नीतिश जीते हैं। २०१४ में भी बिहार में नीतिश हारे नहीं बल्कि बिहार के जनता ने उनको स्पष्ट कह दिया आपको पटना तो छोड़ना ही नहीं है। आप जो काम कर रहे हैं वो दुसरा करेगा कौन?

लेकिन अखिलेश नीतिश नहीं हैं। नीतिश का विकास का ट्रैक रेकॉर्ड stellar रहा है।

मायावती कोई ग्रैंड अलायन्स में आ जाए वो संभव नहीं दिखता। उनको तो लग रहा है मोदी दिल्ली में और अखिलेश लखनऊ में --- दोनों से जनता जब उब जाए तो जाना कहाँ? तो वो अपना झोली पसारेंगी। विकास का कोइ रेकॉर्ड तो है नहीं। अम्बेडकर तो गांधी लेवल के लोग। उनका statue बनाओ। खांसीराम तक ठीक है। लेकिन ये तो खुदकी statue बनवाने लगी।

लालु और नीतिश का तो कोइ presence है नहीं युपी में। मुलायम तो कतरा के भाग गए। नीतिश ने पहल किया, कि आप नेता बन जाओ। तो मुलायाम को लगा कह रहे हैं, आप बिल्ली मोदी शेर जाओ कुद जाओ मैदान में। तो वो अपना चालाकी से खिसक लिए।

कमसेकम चार खेमें तो रहेंगे। मायावती एक तरफ, अखिलेश एक तरफ, बीजेपी एक तरफ, अन्य एक तरफ। बीजेपी शायद २०१४ के तरह स्वीप न दे लेकिन फिर भी बीजेपी का पलड़ा अभी भारी है। फिर अभी वक्त भी तो है। काम करके दिखाने के लिए अभी वक्त है।

लेकिन मुद्दा विकासका होना चाहिए, सिर्फ विकासका।

Uttar Pradesh 2017 will be do or die for Modi.

Banaarasi Modi Ki Najar Mission UP 2017 Par
State BJP wants a CM nominee for #UP2017. Will Modi, Amit Shah oblige?
Modi might have lost UP elections already
In Bihar, the BJP was at least in the race to the throne, but Uttar Pradesh may not be so merciful.

Apparently, Prime Minister Narendra Modi sleeps just four hours a day. .....

LS 2014 saw the rise of Narendra Modi into a political rock star, Bihar 2015 saw the rise of his possible nemesis.

..... UPites love politics; it's their favourite pastime gossip. Even during the not-so-newsy days they are never short of topics to discuss it. And I say this for general UPites, not any more-politically-aware class; because there is no such class that enjoys politics less than the other. Even amid the Diwali fervour, Bihar results retain the top spot among the most happening conversations. More than who won, it is the who-lost-Bihar point which is discussed. Such chatter is usually inconclusive, but in a state where people wear their political opinions on their sleeves, it gives a clue of what the UP elections, due in 2017, may hold for the BJP. ....... In LS polls, BJP's vote share in the state was 42 per cent. It was a substantial increase from the last state Assembly elections in 2012 when the party got a mere 15 per cent votes. In an SP, BSP stronghold where BJP hasn't been in power for the last 20 years, it is a fairly impressive number. ........

In UP, the general feeling is that voters have been disillusioned by the BJP.

BSP and SP have upped their game which changes things further. Whether BJP fights UP with Modi at helm or not, the challenges at hand would be different this time. And it would be true for forthcoming state elections as well as the big one in 2019. ........ The Akhilesh government has sped up the work on all the major developmental programmes. With a massive ad campaign, strong social media presence, and sacking of eight non-performing ministers he has also undertaken an image makeover exercise. ...... Another advantage these parties have is strong leadership at state level, as well as district and city levels, an advantage the BJP doesn't have. ..... SP and BSP have a loyal voter base in Yadavs, Muslims, and Dalits which form more than 40 per cent of UP's population. .... 2017 may be a tough fight between BSP and SP. In Bihar, the BJP was at least in the race to the throne but UP may not be so merciful.

Buoyed by Bihar, Congress warns SP, BSP: In 2017 UP assembly elections, will target you
Congress launched a direct attack on Samajwadi Party supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav and BSP chief Mayawati accusing them of trying to serve the agenda of BJP and PM Narendra Modi

A senior leader said that aggressive attack by party vice-president Rahul Gandhi on Narendra Modi government gave such results in Bihar and has raised the morale of party workers across UP. He said the party is now expecting to be in a fighting position against the SP and BSP in 2017 UP polls. ...... Congress MLA from Marihan in Mirzapur district, Lalitesh Pati Tripathi said, “RJD chief Lalu Prasad has announced to visit PM’s constituency Varanasi after Chhath puja to expose the development that has taken place so far in the NDA rule. Congress workers have decided to welcome him in Varanasi and take him on a tour of city to show him the real condition”.

In fight against BJP, Lalu to strengthen SP in 2017
Lalu Prasad will be campaigning for the Mulayam Singh Yadav-led party for the Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls in 2017.

WHILE THE Samajwadi Party is said to be reconsidering to unite with the Mahagathbandhan after its landslide victory in Bihar polls, Rashtriya Janata Dal chief Lalu Prasad will be campaigning for the Mulayam Singh Yadav-led party for the Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls in 2017. ...... Lalu has already announced to visit Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Lok Sabha constituency Varanasi next month “where he would search with the help of his ‘lantern’ (RJD symbol) the development promised” during the 2014 Lok Sabha polls”. Besides undertaking a tour of the city as well as Jayapur village — adopted by PM under the Sansad Adarsh Gram Yojana – Lalu will also address a public meeting there. The Congress, too, has announced to give a warm welcome to Lalu in Varanasi. ......... The party’s Uttar Pradesh unit, that had been sidelined for the past several years, got a major morale boost after the Bihar poll victory. “Bihar results proved that Lalu ji has acceptability among the masses. We are going to turn it into a wave against BJP across the country. It will begin from UP where the party will work to strengthen SP in 2017 Assembly polls,” said Ashok Singh. ....... SP leader Shivpal Yadav has said that they would welcome the the RJD chief here as a ‘samdhi’ (relative).

Bihar Verdict: Patch-up in sight as RJD extends hand to Samajwadi Party in UP
Lalu has already announced he will visit Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s constituency of Varanasi, UP, next month to “expose the reality” of what change has happened after Modi’s 2014 Lok Sabha victory.
Bihar polls impact on Uttar Pradesh: Samajwadi Party wants to ‘forget past’, work with Grand Alliance
Mulayam and Shivpal called up Nitish and Lalu to congratulate them on their victory while Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav extended greetings on Twitter.



No chance of a UP grand alliance: It will be a BJP-BSP contest in the 2017 state polls

Bahujan Samaj Party supremo Mayawati has predictably shot down chief minister Akhilesh Yadav's trial balloon of a mahagathbandhan to take on the BJP in the Uttar Pradesh assembly elections. ..... Though politics is known as the art of impossible, to expect Mayawati and Mulayam Singh to contest the election together would have been equivalent to the naiveté of imagining a snake and mongoose playing together. Mayawati is known for her ego and ambition, Mulayam Singh is infamous for his betrayals, backstabbing and even bigger ego and ambition; both of them depend largely on the same vote bank and fancy their chances of winning the next election on their own. No, Mayawati is the west of Lucknow politics, Mulayam its east and the twain would have never come together. ........ One, the Congress is likely to be wiped out and reduced to a non-entity; two, the Samajwadi Party will lose a huge chunk of votes; and, three,

the real fight would be between the BJP and the BSP.

...... a Congress-mukt election harms the BJP. ...... By now, the BJP must have realised that it does well in UP only when Hindu voters are polarised and there is confusion among Muslim voters, leading to their division. ..... With the SP facing anti-incumbency and the state's nearly 20 percent minorities having tasted the fruits of tactical voting in Bihar, the BSP's support base is likely to widen and that of the SP is expected to shrink in 2017, making Mayawati the face of the anti-BJP campaign. ...... In 2007, Mayawati had managed to win over the Brahmins of UP, considered to be around 10 percent of the electorate. If she manages to once again become the leader of sarv samaj (Muslims, Dalits and Brahmins), instead of remaining the supremo of just the Bahujan Samaj, Mayawati could turn out to be the Nitish Kumar of UP, even without a mahagathbandhan.

UP elections: After Narendra Modi and Nitish Kumar, Congress enters Prashant Kishor's fan club

Kishor has been sounded out for campaigns in Bengal (Trinamool), Tamil Nadu (AIADMK) and Assam (Congress) as well but the UP assignment for Congress is for him the most important decision. ...... Kishor is well aware that the "road to 2019 (the next general election) runs through 2017 (when UP assembly polls are due)". "He (Kishor) knows

the party that wins UP in 2017 will have a huge advantage in 2019"

..... Kishor, however, is likely to face a job considerably tougher than the 2012 Gujarat victory for Modi or the 2014 Modi assignment for the general election or the 2015 Nitish assignment. ...... unlike in Bihar, Congress doesn't plan to play second or third fiddle to satraps in UP. The state in 2017 is likely to see a 4-cornered contest between BJP, Congress, SP and BSP. ..... UP's political observers consider Congress to be the weakest of the four contestants. Kishor, therefore, will have arguably his toughest challenge so far because both Modi in 2014 and Nitish in 2015 had certain advantages that could be exploited. ...... "Prashant has his own way of working and has little patience with intrigue and politicking. With Modi, he had direct access, same with Nitish and Lalu. He doesn't deal with gatekeepers"

Countdown for 2017 begins in U.P.

Over the last few months he has also come out from under the shadow of his father, SP chief Mulayam Singh and his uncles Shivpal Singh and Ram Gopal Yadav and according to officials in the Shastri Bhavan secretariat from where his government is run, far more assertive than he was in 2012-13.

Top parties begin electoral strategies for 2017 UP polls

Uttar Pradesh assembly polls is more than 15 months away from now ..... February 2017 ..... If Bihar returns Kumar and backs Laloo, Mulayam is confident of returning to a nation-wide grand alliance against prime minister Narendra Modi. After all, if backwards do not side with the BJP in Bihar, Samajwadis feel they too will have a chance to keep UP for another five years. ........

The BJP in Uttar Pradesh is working rapidly on ground. It goes to the credit of party’s national president that BJP cadre throughout Uttar Pradesh is confident of forming its government in 2017.

The communal tension and sporadic violence in some district may be coincidental but contributing favourably to the BJP....... at the time of country’s independence, Mahatma Gandhi was walking barefooted village after village in Noakhali district of Bengal, in a hostile atmosphere created by riots, making people to take a pledge not to kill others. He carried holy books, appealing to Hindus as well as Muslims, to ensure peace. There was a moving incident at one village. Gandhi visited that village. He asked the Hindus and Muslims to come out of their hutments for a common prayer and a common pledge for peace. No elderly person turned up. He waited for half an hour, not even one Hindu or Muslim turned up. Gandhiji was very ingenious. He had carried a ball with him and then addressing children from the village he said: “Small kids from this village, your parents are frightened of each other but what fright you can have? Elderly Hindus and Muslims might be frightened of one another. But children are innocent. You are children of God. I am inviting you to play the game of ball.” The Hindu and Muslim children started moving towards the dais where Gandhi was sitting. Gandhi threw the ball at them. Boys and girls threw it back. He played for half an hour and then he told the villagers: “You have no courage but if you want that courage, induct it from your children.”