Ranchi | Updated: November 27, 2024 01:56 IST 10 min read ‘Have to do things the hard way’: Trump admin warns Harvard could lose State BJP chief Babulal Marandi. (Express File) The Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM)-led INDIA alliance clinched a second consecutive term by winning 56 of Jharkhand’s 81 Assembly seats as it left the BJPled NDA reeling with just 24 seats. In an interview with The Indian Express, state BJP chief Babulal Marandi speaks on The Trump administration is threatening Harvard University with loss of accreditation due to allegations of antisemitism and failure to address harassment against Jewish students.
The Department of Homeland Secur… will issue subpoenas to obtain information about the university's student visitor program. This is part of the a range of issues including what went wrong for the party, why its infiltration pitch did not resonate among voters, the road ahead for the party, and his probable role in the Opposition. Excerpts: The BJP performed worse than the 2019 election.
What is being talked about within the party? The result was not in our favour. We are worried as our workers had given us positive feedback. Is prakar ki umeed nahi thi (This was unexpected). Samsung Galaxy Unpacked Event 2025 One of the reasons (for the JMM’s success) is probably the deep percolation of the Maiyya Samman Yojana (financial assistance scheme for underprivileged women), whose impact we were unable to gauge.
The poor saw this as an immediate relief and it made an impact. Bharat Bandh Highlights: Protests break out in Chennai, Kolkata; trade union workers block roads, railway tracks statements beg the question — is this the MP Mandi deserves? 2012 hotel brawl case: Malaika Arora appears before court, dropped Rajiv Gandhi's own loyalists tried to 'derail The BJP went all out in this election.
Do you think you missed out? ‘I knew they were dead…’: Survivors recall minutes after part of Gujarat bridge gave way There were no misses from the BJP’s end. All big party leaders came (to Jharkhand) and were able to convey a message to the people. We are deliberating on it (the loss). Your message was centered around alleged Bangladeshi infiltration. Do you think the people rejected it?
The message was two-pronged – infiltration and corruption. More than the people rejecting our message, the people saw benefit in the Maiyya Samman Yojana and Trump administration issues subpoenas to Harvard, warns it could lose accreditation thus voted for the JMM. Another reason was the new political player (Jharkhand Loktantrik Krantikari Morcha chief) Jairam Mahato, whose candidates secured votes across several constituencies.
While the JLKM won only one seat, its leaders polled more votes than the victory margin in at least 16 seats. Guru Dutt's muse Waheeda Rehman went from being his inspiration to getting banished from his studio Did the BJP underestimate Jairam Mahato? Yes, we can say that. Moreover, our ally AJSU Party, on whom we were relying, Bollywood star who debuted with Kajol saw his family killed in front of him; father shot mother, sister before turning the gun on himself could not hold on to its core votes.
While they were also affected, we were affected on the seats we contested. Do you think it was the BJP’s mistake not to project you or any other leader as the CM face? No, I don’t think so. In 2014 too, we had gone into the polls without a CM face and managed to secure 37 seats on our own. You had earlier said that there is a misinformation campaign against the BJP among the tribals.
Given that you could win only one tribal seat, how do you plan to build confidence among the Adivasi community? IFS officer shares chilling clip of man holding giant king cobra: ‘Real size of King cobra…’ There is no shortcut to this. We have to work among them and earn their trust. It cannot be done only with a face but needs to be done organisationally and through our policies.
Pehle worker, phir samarthak, phir mass (Worker first, supporter next and then the masses). We have to fight elections keeping all-time development in Do you think your polarisation-related campaign fueled dissatisfaction among those communities which do not vote in your favour or are anti-BJP? Christian Horner sacked as Red Bull team principal after 20 years amid Max Verstappen-Mercedes rumours I don’t think so.
They have not been with us since the beginning. Like the Prime Minister (Narendra Modi) says, Sabka saath, sabka vikas, sabka vishwas (With everyone, for everyone’s development and to earn everyone’s trust). Vikas is not subject to discrimination. Like the Atal Bihar Vajpayee government, the Modi government or any other BJP-led state government has not resorted to favouritism. The PMAY and Ayushman Bharat schemes are benefiting everyone while toilets are being built for those in need, irrespective of political affiliations.
Everyone is getting support. Farmers are getting money in their bank accounts and no Lord's Test: Why even with Jasprit Bumrah's return, Shubham Gill's team can't afford to let guard down particular community or religion is being chosen (as beneficiaries). The point is that some sections do not want to vote for the BJP as the Congress has instilled fear in their hearts for years.
You say the Congress polarised voters but so did the BJP… We are not polarising voters but seeking votes on the development pitch. What is the problem with Modi’s ek rahoge toh safe rahoge (united, we are safe) slogan? Don’t we all, in our homes and villages adhere to the saying, ghar toote toh gawar loote (When a house is broken, a village is looted)? It is for everyone to see that the Stories from Yuvraj Singh's fundraiser: Pant’s highest bid, Kohli’s dyed-beard joke, Tendulkar’s 2011 country becomes a slave for a thousand years when it is divided.
But does it not have an undertone that the Hindu community will remain safe if it is united? Anti-BJP people propagate it like this. You must have never heard Modiji saying, “All Hindus, awake, unite…”. It is for the sake of the country that the slogan was coined. Ek nahi rahoge toh doosre log mehfil sajayenge (If we are not united, others will Old Delhi, new Washington arrange a banquet).
You spoke about corruption as a part of your campaign against the JMM. Do you feel Hemant Soren’s jail stint and its timing boosted his image and created a perception in his favour? I do not think so. We need to look at the history of the country. While there were people standing by Lord Ram, there were also people standing with Ravan. There were people with Krishna as well as with Kansa.
In the Mahabharata, there were two camps that fought against one another. Its eye on dark mysteries, how Rubin observatory will reveal the cosmos like never before Similarly, in politics too there will be people on either side. However long Lalu Prasad Yadav remained in jail, his support base had been standing by him. This will keep happening but it does not mean someone does something wrong and we tolerate it.
It needs to be protested against or wrong people will thrive. I admit that he (Soren) holds sway among people who thought their leader was being implicated and tricks were played in his defence. Even with the wars happening now, some countries are standing by Ukraine while When Ed Sheeran picks up the some are with Russia. Same is the case with Palestine and Israel. I am not speaking about the pros and cons but trying to say that one’s support base stays intact.
Did the BJP end up making Soren a mass leader? That is not the case. Like I was saying, the anti-BJP vote needs a place and it is with As a significant chunk of tribal vote is in favour of the JMM, are you trying to say that the tribal population is anti-BJP? See the number of our party workers from the religious minority as compared to our tribal workers, of whom we have no dearth.
To this day, we do not have many Samsung unveils thin $2000 Galaxy Z Fold 7 foldable phone as it aims to catch up with Chinese rivals workers from the minority community. We will try to change that as well but there is a fear instilled in their minds. We will rectify this and get rid of this “bhoot IFS officer shares chilling clip of man holding giant king cobra: ‘Real size of Voters, especially in Santhal Pargana, did not believe in your infiltration pitch.
Do you think raising issues like unemployment and corruption would have yielded better results? It (infiltration) may seem more or less, but it certainly exists. Since the first Census of Independent India in 1951 to the one in 2011, there has been a 10% reduction of tribal population in Jharkhand while in Santhal Pargana, the fall has been 16%. Christian Horner sacked as Red Bull team principal after 20 years amid Max This is a big number and the reduction of population will adversely impact reservations, which are based on population.
The next Census will be held in 2025. If it shows a reduced tribal population, the next delimitation will see a reduction of seats for them in the Lok Sabha, Assemblies and government services. We need to educate them about this to help them understand the truth. The current magnitude of population rise (among minorities) cannot be organic. As the Opposition, what will your focus be inside and outside the Assembly? ‘Teri yaad aa rahi hai’: While we will constructively cooperate with the government in the Assembly, we will also raise our voice if something is wrong.
Vatsala, Asia’s oldest elephant aged over 100, dies in Madhya Pradesh Soren says his government will work for the people but the BJP’s “badmashi (mischief)” must be reduced. He seems to be hinting at the alleged misuse of the ED and CBI… What badmashi? Won’t we protest if he engages in loot? Where did the crores and crores of rupees recovered during the last government’s tenure come from?
I read in the papers about the seizure of property documents worth crores from the home of Soren’s personal assistant, whose wife is the director of 18 companies with links to Dubai. Even if he (Soren) wants people not to talk about it, this is not an autocracy. It is true that the people have given him the mandate but he needs to work well and in a transparent manner. If there is “gadbad (discrepancy)”, we will More Premium Stories The lingua of power: English and the making of modern India Solar energy systems: What is the science behind clean energy Zohran Mamdani, a plate of biryani and the Brown man's burden Jatin Anand is an Assistant Editor with The Indian Express.
Over the last 15 years, he has covered bureaucracy & politics, crime, trahc & intelligence, the Election Commission