In Madhya Pradesh, on Wednesday a minor girl was gang-raped by three men in Marugarh village of the Khargone District. The girl and her brother were inside a hut when three men forcibly dragged her out. They had beaten her brother, took her to the field and raped her. 

The victim’s brother said that the men came to their house asking for water. Suddenly they attacked him and took his sister away. He then called the villagers and started searching for his sister. They tried to chase the attackers but they had fled from the scene leaving their vehicle behind. 

The police said that two-wheeler left behind by the attackers was a stolen vehicle. The complaint was registered. The investigation was started and the police are searching for the culprits. This incident took place a day after the death of the victim of Hathras Gang-rape. When the country was mourning the victim of Hathras case. The state of Uttar Pradesh has the highest number of crimes against women.

Yet another unfortunate case took place in the Balrampur district of Uttar Pradesh, a 22-year-old woman was gang-raped by two men in Gaisari Village. She was working in a firm when on Tuesday, she did not return from her work. The victim did not answer the calls, the family grew worried. 

However, she returned home in an auto with an injection drip inserted in her hand, said the police. The parents took her to the hospital as she was in serious condition. However, she succumbed to her injuries on the way.

The victim’s family claims that she was gang-raped and the perpetrators had drugged her to rape her. They had broken her legs and back. But the police states, otherwise as it was not confirmed in the post-mortem.

The Superintendant of Police and the District Magistrate visited the family and assured them that the victim will get justice. The mahant of Devipatan temple compensated their loss with the financial help of Rs. 6,18,450.

In 2016, 40,000 cases of rape were registered and only 1/4th attackers were convicted. It indicates 4 rape cases are registered every hour. As per the 2019 records of the National Crime Records Bureau, crimes against women have increased by 7.3% in India.

The Uttar Pradesh police were also accused of illegally cremating the body of the  Victim of the Hathras gang-rape. On 1 October, when Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi were on their way to meet the kin of the victim of the Hathras Gang-rape, they were stopped by the police. They then got off the vehicles and started walking. The police tried to detain them, in the ruckus Rahul Gandhi fell on the ground. ‘The police lathi-charged me’, said the backdoor president of Congress.

The Hathras DM said that their ‘visit might affect the law and order in the district’. The DM also stated that Section 144 prohibits public gathering while Rahul Gandhi was accompanied by party workers and security men. The ADCP of Noida said that the congress members had to be stopped and it violated the Epidemic Act.

Mayawati said that the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister is not fit to manage the state and should be replaced by the centre. The UP government is only making tall claims but is actually doing nothing. 

She appealed to the Prime Minister that he should be more concerned about the state as he was elected to the parliament from Varanasi. She also commented, ‘Yogi Adityanath should take charge of the Ram Mandir construction and president’s rule should be imposed in the state’. The matter gains significance here as Uttar Pradesh one of the largest states with the highest population in India, would it do well in President’s rule?

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Stable alliances in Indian politics are myths. The fact was soon discovered after a disastrous performance by BSP and SP in Lol Sabha elections. They are now separate, like they were in the past.

After weeks of blaming SP for the failure in Lok Sabha elections, , BSP supremo Mayawati on Monday announced that her party will contest all elections alone in future.

She tweeted, “The behaviour of the SP after the Lok Sabha general elections compels the BSP to think whether it will be possible to defeat the BJP further. That is not possible. So in the interest of the party and the movement, the BSP will now fight all the major elections on its own.”

“Everyone is aware that forgetting everything of the past, as well as anti-BSP and anti-Dalit decisions such as reservation in promotions and bad law and order during the SP rule in 2012-2017, the BSP adhered to the ‘gathbandhan dharma’ with the Samajwadi Party in the interest of the country,” she tweeted in Hindi.

Mayawati’s statement comes a day after the BSP reviewed its performance in the Lok Sabha polls and its alliance with the Akhilesh Yadav-led party. The BSP, which had contested the election in alliance with the SP and Ajit Singh’s Rashtriya Lok Dal, had won 10 seats and the SP, just five.

Soon after she announced her decision, SP national general secretary Ramashankar Vidyarthi told journalists in Balia that Mayawati was speaking against the SP in haste because of the Dalit support for the SP and Akhilesh.

“She is weakening the fight for social justice,” he said, adding that Dalit society is getting connected with the SP and Akhilesh in a big way. “People know about the reality about what the ‘malkin’ of the alliance has done.”

Earlier in June, Mayawati had announced her decision for the BSP to go solo in the bypolls to 11 Assembly seats in Uttar Pradesh. She had then said that the split would not be permanent if Akhilesh got his act together. Her statement also comes weeks after she said Akhilesh had asked her to not give tickets to Muslims as it would result in religious polarisation.

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The election commission is quite slow in acting but whenever it does, it gives the essence of the presence of democracy in the country. The Election Commission on Monday placed a temporary ban on election campaigning by Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath and BSP supremo Mayawati for violating the model code of conduct.

While Yogi Adityanath has been barred from campaigning, in the form of public meetings, road shows or media interviews, for the next three days from April 16 (6am), Mayawati has been barred for 48 hours. Yogi Adityanath received the slap on the wrists for his ‘Ali-Bajrangbali’ remarks made in Meerut while Mayawati was issued the notice for her speech in Deoband. Her speech appealed Muslims to not vote for a particular party.

The Election Commission action came after the Supreme Court pulled the poll body for failing to act against political leaders making heat speeches. Taking note of the speeches made by BSP supremo Mayawati and UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath during the poll campaign, the Supreme Court on Monday sought to know from the Election Commission the action initiated against them so far.

While hearing a PIL, seeking strict action against the political parties for religion and caste-based remarks, Supreme Court even said that the Election Commission is becoming toothless and it is EC’s duty to punish the politicians making hateful remarks.

The regular intervention by the Supreme Court in election related matters depict the ineffectiveness of the Election Commission. The Commission’s working has already come under sharp criticism and some people even termed it a BJP’s puppet. India needs another T.N. Seshan to control the growing influence of the political parties.

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The government at center and state have fought several elections, promising the construction of Ram Temple at Ayodhya. The magnitude of concern showed for the birth-place of Lord Rama is inversely proportional to that of the birth-place of Lord Buddha. Sidharth Nagar is the birth-place of Lord Buddha and it is struggling for attention from the government.

About Sidharth Nagar

Sidharth Nagar is a district in Uttar Pradesh. It is near the India-Nepal border. It is known for the ruins of Shakya Janapada is one of the most backward districts in India. This is the center of trafficking scams as the district shares its border with Nepal. Siddharth Nagar is also near to the city of “The CM” – Gorakhpur. It has a high rural population with agriculture being the source of bread for the families.

Siddharth Nagar is completely opposite to what the Siddhartha or Lord Buddha desired. Its citizens are living in trenches of poverty. The civic amenities are almost dysfunctional in the city. Black-outs are quite frequent in the city despite claims of electrification by our Prime Minister. Recently, two AK-47 rifles went missing from near the India-Nepal border. Siddharth Nagar is always in the headlines due to wrong reasons only.

Siddharth Nagar – Deflating Government’s claims

Despite the presence of BJP governments in the center and state, the development didn’t reach Siddharth Nagar. It deflates all the claims of Modi and Yogi governments. The frequent blackouts deflate the scheme of 100% electrification claim of the government. The uncontrolled trafficking of weapons and people gives a glimpse of law and order in the district. Siddharth Nagar also failed miserably in civic amenities. According to a story done by Amar Ujala, there are streets which sink in darkness post dust due to unavailability of street lights. Public toilets are only on paper with open defecation a dark reality. Swatchh Bharat Abhiyan hasn’t reached Siddharth Nagar yet. In spite of these flaws, the government is focussing on cattle safety as it is evident in the instructions given by the Deputy of District Magistrate.

Buddhists are not in high numbers and cannot be categorized as a vote-bank. Due to this, the government is treating the birth-place of their Lord Buddha in such a way. No promise ever made for the development of Siddharth Nagar. It could become one of the major tourist attraction due to its historical significance. Due to negligence that potential seems a lost cause.  The citizens of Siddharth Nagar have lost all hopes with the government and now they just want them to provide basic amenities. Even for that too, cows have become the priority.

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Making derogatory comments on the opposing politicians is the essence of Indian Politics. Though it is not something to be proud of and as the elections approach, the ‘hate-speech’ become frequent.

Recently, a lawmaker of BJP in Uttar Pradesh, Sadhana Singh, grab eyeballs with her comments on BSP supremo – Mayawati. She said that Mayawati “was a blot on womankind”. Sadhana also accused her of “selling her dignity for power”.

“She (Mayawati) has no self-respect… she was almost molested earlier and yet… in history, when Draupadi was molested, she took a vow to seek revenge… but this woman, she lost everything, but still sold her dignity for the sake of power. We strongly condemn Mayawati ji. She is a blot on womankind. A woman who gulped insults for comfort and power … is a blot on womankind,” Sadhana Singh, the legislator from Mughalsarai, said at a rally on Saturday.

When her remarks drew attention, she expressed ‘regret’ over her comments. “I had no intentions of disrespecting anyone. I express regret if someone was hurt by my words,” she said in a statement.

Sadhana Singh’s comments referred to the infamous episode when Mayawati was assaulted by Samajwadi Party workers at a guest house in Lucknow in 1995. This incident triggered decades of animosity and would have continued forever. It ended when the two parties decided to come together for the national elections in Uttar Pradesh. The announced a “gathbandhan” or alliance at a joint press conference by Mayawati and Akhilesh Yadav last week. The BSP chief said that she had decided to put the past behind her “for the sake of the nation”, seemingly aimed at Prime Minister Narendra Modi who had, at a rally, taunted her for “forgetting” that episode while allying with the Samajwadi Party.

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A little spice of caste-based politics by SP-BSP changed the flavor of the ‘Fascist’ politics by BJP. SP’s victory in the UP bypolls was not just about the support from BSP alone. Tactical moves made by Akhilesh in the past fortnight made the difference.

Ignore Congress and Form new Alliances

Akhilesh decided to maintain a safe distance from Congress to keep those party workers in good humor. The workers were unhappy over their alliance for the 2017 assembly polls. Since Congress showed no interest in renewing the pact, SP decided to go solo.

Small parties with hardly any presence throughout the state gave active support to SP. The only uniting motive was to defeat BJP. Then Akhilesh turned to those small parties which had strong hold on castes in the region of Gorakhpur and Phulpur.

Akhilesh teamed up with the Nirbal Indian Shoshit Hamara Aam Dal (NISHAD) Party and Peace Party. He then fielded Pravin Nishad from Gorakhpur. Pravin is the son of NISHAD chief Sanjay Nishad. The move proved a masterstroke as the Nishad community is the largest sub-caste of OBC in the constituency, comprising 3.5 lakh or roughly 17% of the total electorate.

In Phulpur, the party fielded Nagendra Pratap Singh Patel to focus on the sizeable chunk of Patels in the region.

Support from BSP

It was not for the nothing that Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav went personally to pay his respects to ‘buaji’ for her support to Samajwadi candidates in Gorakhpur and Phulpur Lok Sabha bypolls.

Due to the choice of candidates and being burned by the same ambition, BSP actively supported SP quite easily. This served two purposes for BSP. First, making its presence felt and second, not relinquishing its strong-hold on lower castes.

Dalits in Uttar Pradesh, who traditionally supported Mayawati, voted in big numbers for Modi in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, only to find his Hindutva brigade going berserk against them. Dozens of cases of violence against Dalits at the hands of upper castes continue to be reported. Thus, Dalits turned against the BJP.

Is this the arrival of wind of change in India?

It is quite a tradition that the party with the most seats in UP serves as the ‘Kingmaker’ in Indian politics. Though its too early to say but still it is clear that now Fascist politics by BJP is not enough. The defeat might end the euphoria which surrounded BJP’s office after winning in North-East. (Read more: Saffronisation Of North East:) This might be the beginning of the end of Modi-Yogi politics. With just 273 seats in the Lok Sabha,1 clear of the majority, there are chances of this end to come sooner.

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