Dipak Mishra, TNN 29 August 2009, 05:00am IST
PATNA: In a major blow to RJD chief Lalu Prasad's bid to rejuvenate the party after its debacle in the last Lok Sabha polls, former Union
minister and RJD vice-president Mohd Taslimuddin on Friday quit the party, spitting venom against Lalu.
He charged Lalu with "fooling Muslims" and using "the party as personal property". "You do not respect leaders and party workers," Taslimuddin said in an open letter to Lalu.
Talking to TOI, Taslimuddin described the RJD as a party of "Saheb, bibi aur ghulam". He said he has offers from Congress, JD(U) and Trinamool Congress. "
Taslimuddin's followers, however, hinted that `Chacha Taslim', as he is known among his supporters, may join the JD(U).
Calling Lalu a `dagabaaj' or betrayer, Taslimuddin said Lalu has betrayed everybody and all sections of Hindus and Muslims. He even betrayed the Yadavas. "RJD is finished. How long can one stay beside a dead wife's body at his in-laws' house?" he said and added he saw no future for Lalu and his party in politics.
In his letter, Taslimuddin accused Lalu of making RJD a family affair. "All the decisions of the party are taken by you. Though the party's vice-president, I was never consulted before a decision was taken," he said.
The former Union minister also charged Lalu with scaring Muslims into voting for the RJD. "But you never bothered to protect the interests of the Muslims," he alleged, recalling his plea to send a party delegation to Gujarat after communal violence there was ignored.
He also accused Lalu of `honouring' one of the main accused of Bhagalpur riots, Kameshwar Yadav. "You have not learnt any lesson from the RJD's defeat in the Lok Sabha polls," Taslimuddin said.
Taslimuddin has been in Bihar politics for the last four decades and has had his share of controversies. He once enjoyed considerable influence over Muslims in Purnia division. However, he miserably lost the last Lok Sabha poll to the Congress nominee. He in fact finished third behind the JD(U) candidate in Kishanganj, which was said to be his stronghold.
"It is difficult for power-hungry persons to continue in a party which is in opposition," RJD leader Shakeel Ahmad Khan said, dismissing the development as "an event which will have no political fallout".
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Paswan hits out at Bihar CM for 'wasting' public money
Patna, Sept 16 Lok Janashakti Party president Ramvilas Paswan today accused the Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar of spending "hard-earned people's money" to beautify his official bungalow.
"Around Rs four crore has been spent on special repair works/provision/construction works to spruce up the bungalow at the 1, Anne Marg, during the past over three-and-a-half years' rule of Kumar," Paswan alleged in a statement.
Paswan said the "wasteful" expenses on the bungalow had exposed the "hollow claim" of Kumar of working for poor people in Bihar.
Meanwhile, state Building Construction Minister Chedi Paswan said, "Leader of a five-star culture has no right to speak against a man (Nitish) committed to the cause of poor people."
"People are well aware of the quantum of money being spent by Paswan on his luxurious lifestyle," he said. - (Agencies)
Sep 16, 2009
"Around Rs four crore has been spent on special repair works/provision/construction works to spruce up the bungalow at the 1, Anne Marg, during the past over three-and-a-half years' rule of Kumar," Paswan alleged in a statement.
Paswan said the "wasteful" expenses on the bungalow had exposed the "hollow claim" of Kumar of working for poor people in Bihar.
Meanwhile, state Building Construction Minister Chedi Paswan said, "Leader of a five-star culture has no right to speak against a man (Nitish) committed to the cause of poor people."
"People are well aware of the quantum of money being spent by Paswan on his luxurious lifestyle," he said. - (Agencies)
Sep 16, 2009
Sunday, September 13, 2009
Congress' roadmap ready for Bihar : Tytler
SIFY NEWS
| 2009-09-07 12:30:00 |
Samastipur: Congress is ready with a road map to strengthen the organisation and regain its lost glory in Bihar, its in-charge of the state Jagdish Tytler said.
Tytler told newsmen here on Sunday evening that he along with other senior Congress leaders will intensively tour Bihar on 15 and seek the people's support for strenghtening the party's organisation and regaining its moorings under the 'gaon ki aorchalo' programme.
The former union minister is on a campaign trail to mobilise votes for his party nominees contesting the by-poll to 18 assembly seats in Bihar. Criticising Nitish Kumar-led NDA government in Bihar, he alleged that it was a 'total failure on all fronts'.
''Whatever development has taken place in the state is only because of the funds provided by the Congress-led government at the Centre ... The state government has, however, been able to spend less than 48 per cent of the assistance on different welfare schemes,'' he said.
The Bihar government had also failed to properly utilise funds allocated under National Rural Employment Guarantee Act,he said adding '' The callous attitude of the government towards reaching benefits under NREGA to unemployed persons can't be tolerated.''
Alleging that Kumar-Lalu Prasad-Ramvilas Paswan trio were involved in caste politics in the state, Tytler said it is deterimental to the growth of a state.
State Cong now has a lot to cheer about
PATNA: "Patna will be my home for the next two years," declared AICC in-charge, Bihar affairs, Jagdish Tytler. Tytler means business and the
state Congress leaders are feeling the `Tytler effect'.
The state unit of the party, which had been ignored and forgotten for years by the AICC, has a lot to cheer about. For campaigning for the 18 assembly seats, Tytler has lined up as many as eight Union ministers, including Congress's `youth brigade' Sachin Pilot, Salman Khurshid, Jyotiraditya Schindia and Jatin Prasad, to campaign for the party candidates.
"Earlier, it was difficult for us to get any Union minister apart from those hailing from Bihar for campaigning," remarked a senior leader.
It is not just confined to getting Union ministers for campaigning. The state unit of party, which has been suffering from infighting for a long time, has for the first time assigned clear-cut jobs to leaders who were virtually sulking or kept in the cold. Old Congress war horses like former speaker Sadanand Singh, Mahachandra Prasad Singh, Shyam Sundar Singh Dheeraj, Ram Jatan Sinha, Kumod Ranjan Jha, V S Dubey and others have been asked either to stay in assembly constituencies going to polls and co-ordinate the election campaigning or accompany Union ministers during their electioneering in Bihar.
"Make sure that the list is followed strictly," ordered Tytler in his letter to the state leadership. Even party new comers like Aniruddha Prasad alias Sadhu Yadav, Vijay Singh Yadav, Ranjit Ranjan and Desai Choudhary have not been left out. "After a long gap every faction has been accommodated in the party's affair," conceded a former Congress MLA. The importance given to `borrowed players' during the Lok Sabha polls had created a lot of heartburn among the traditional Congressmen.
Congress leaders point out that Tytler has also introduced `financial discipline' in the state unit. "Funds are going directly to the organisational heads at the grassroots, even to the block presidents and not via somebody else. There will be optimum use of our limited resources and leaders are not unlikely to accuse each other of gobbling the money meant for elections," remarked an office-bearer.
Tytler has promised installation of a video-conferencing system at state party headquarters Sadaquat Ashram so that he can talk to Congress leaders and workers on a daily basis even when he is in Delhi. "I have known Jagdish Tytler ever since the day the late Indira Gandhi visited Belchi in Bihar on an elephant back to console Dalit families whose kin had been killed. He is basically a man who builds organization and knows how to deal with workers and leaders," remarked former minister Dheeraj.
However, even hardcore Congress leaders concede that Tytler has a tough task as far as revitalising the party is concerned as it has been organisationally dead for the past over one decade and the vote bank too has diminished. "But for the first time there is an honest effort," remarked a senior Congress leader.
The state unit of the party, which had been ignored and forgotten for years by the AICC, has a lot to cheer about. For campaigning for the 18 assembly seats, Tytler has lined up as many as eight Union ministers, including Congress's `youth brigade' Sachin Pilot, Salman Khurshid, Jyotiraditya Schindia and Jatin Prasad, to campaign for the party candidates.
"Earlier, it was difficult for us to get any Union minister apart from those hailing from Bihar for campaigning," remarked a senior leader.
It is not just confined to getting Union ministers for campaigning. The state unit of party, which has been suffering from infighting for a long time, has for the first time assigned clear-cut jobs to leaders who were virtually sulking or kept in the cold. Old Congress war horses like former speaker Sadanand Singh, Mahachandra Prasad Singh, Shyam Sundar Singh Dheeraj, Ram Jatan Sinha, Kumod Ranjan Jha, V S Dubey and others have been asked either to stay in assembly constituencies going to polls and co-ordinate the election campaigning or accompany Union ministers during their electioneering in Bihar.
"Make sure that the list is followed strictly," ordered Tytler in his letter to the state leadership. Even party new comers like Aniruddha Prasad alias Sadhu Yadav, Vijay Singh Yadav, Ranjit Ranjan and Desai Choudhary have not been left out. "After a long gap every faction has been accommodated in the party's affair," conceded a former Congress MLA. The importance given to `borrowed players' during the Lok Sabha polls had created a lot of heartburn among the traditional Congressmen.
Congress leaders point out that Tytler has also introduced `financial discipline' in the state unit. "Funds are going directly to the organisational heads at the grassroots, even to the block presidents and not via somebody else. There will be optimum use of our limited resources and leaders are not unlikely to accuse each other of gobbling the money meant for elections," remarked an office-bearer.
Tytler has promised installation of a video-conferencing system at state party headquarters Sadaquat Ashram so that he can talk to Congress leaders and workers on a daily basis even when he is in Delhi. "I have known Jagdish Tytler ever since the day the late Indira Gandhi visited Belchi in Bihar on an elephant back to console Dalit families whose kin had been killed. He is basically a man who builds organization and knows how to deal with workers and leaders," remarked former minister Dheeraj.
However, even hardcore Congress leaders concede that Tytler has a tough task as far as revitalising the party is concerned as it has been organisationally dead for the past over one decade and the vote bank too has diminished. "But for the first time there is an honest effort," remarked a senior Congress leader.
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