How political novice Tejashwi Yadav gave veterans a run for their money

News Network
November 11, 2020

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Patna, Nov 11: An avid cricketer whose career never really took off, a political greenhorn who got power on a silver platter but failed to keep it, a scion of Bihar's most powerful family who could not get past the 9th grade.

That was Tejashwi Yadav until the 2020 assembly polls marked the coming of age of a politician who valiantly went down fighting an army of battle-hardened veterans.

He may have failed to learn the textbook lessons at DPS, R K Puram, in the national capital but showed an uncanny knack of reading the mind of voters, like his more famous father, as he led the opposition Grand Alliance to an impressive performance in the polls winning 110 seats in the 243-member assembly.

He also powered the RJD to the status of the single largest party in the House with 75 seats.

Analysts feel Tejashwi's poll promise of sanctioning "10 lakh government jobs at my first cabinet meeting" was a masterstroke which had the young voter swooning in a state reeling from widespread joblessness sparked by Covid-induced lockdown when the return of countless migrants home brought the state's largely agrarian economy under further stress.

The promise was good but not good enough to bring down the NDA government.

As part of a cleverly crafted strategy that endeared him to liberals, he chose to steer clear of contentious issues like the Ram temple, a bait thrown at him by top BJP leaders, and stuck to his core agenda of unemployment and alleged corruption in the Nitish Kumar administration.

For a young man whose ability to lead the party was called into question after the RJD's unprecedented debacle in the Lok Sabha elections when it failed to win even one of the state's 40 seats, it was no mean feat that he succeeded in galvanising an organisational machinery in stupor after the battering.

Doubting his leadership qualities, allies HAM of former chief minister Jitan Ram Manjhi, RLSP of former union minister Upendra Kushwaha and VIP of Mukesh Sahni jumped the ship in search of greener pastures elsewhere.

Humility is a trait which, according to those who saw him at school or later as an aspiring cricketer, defines the younger son of two former chief ministers which was reflected in the manner in which he accommodated the Congress and the Left, seen as a spent force in the state ever since it was swept over by the Mandal wave.

Another hallmark of his personality is the ability to think on his feet. After deciding early on in life that studies were not for him, Yadav chose not to cling to his cricketing aspirations either after the much-needed big break eluded him. Contracted by IPL franchise Delhi Daredevils for some time he remained in the reserve list.

He announced his "retirement" from cricket just a couple of years before entering politics in 2015 at the tender age of 25. The new vocation came as a perfect pitch to bat on as he won from Raghopur in the assembly election comfortably.

Soon Lalu made it clear that Tejashwi was his chosen successor, and he was appointed the Deputy Chief Minister in the Nitish Kumar government.

As fate would have it, Tejashwi's name cropped up in a money laundering case related to alleged illegal land transactions when his father was the railway minister in the UPA-1 government. Tejashwi was in his teens when the alleged scam happened.

The development drew heavy opposition fire and Nitish Kumar snapped his ties with the RJD, before returning to the NDA, giving up his ambition of heading a nationwide coalition for a "Sangh Mukt Bharat" which could pose a challenge to the Narendra Modi juggernaut.

Tejashwi took the sudden loss of power on the chin, transitioning seamlessly into a doughty leader of the opposition.

As Lalu landed in jail following conviction in a number of fodder scam cases, Tejashwi, by now the RJD's chief ministerial candidate, kept the party afloat and also rallied leaders as diverse as Rahul Gandhi, Arvind Kejriwal and the Left bigwigs at a rally in New Delhi against the Muzaffarpur shelter home sex scandal, making his presence felt at the national level.

Towards the end of 2018, he seemed bogged down by problems in the family. Much of his time and energy was spent trying unsuccessfully to prevent mercurial elder brother Tej Pratap's nasty marital dispute from playing out in the open.

After the Lok Sabha poll fiasco, Tejashwi showed signs of torpor, choosing to spend most of his time away from Bihar and even giving a month-long assembly session a miss during an outbreak of brain fever and flash floods in north Bihar, providing the opposition with ample ammunition to attack him.

Leaders of the JD(U)-BJP combine ridiculed him as an "ill-prepared student afraid of facing exams" when he demanded that the assembly elections be deferred in view of the raging Covid-19 pandemic.

However, once the elections were announced, he steeled himself for the fight.

The young leader displayed quiet ruthlessness while marginalising dissenters and guile in keeping his ambitious eldest sister Misa Bharti, a Rajya Sabha MP, away from campaign and Tej Pratap confined to his Hasanpur seat.

As the NDA seemed losing its earlier surefootedness, doddering under the weight of LJP leader Chirag Paswan's rebellion, he seized the moment and launched an indefatigable campaign, addressing more than a dozen rallies a day.

His frequent references to himself as "sher ka beta" (son of a lion) notwithstanding, leaders of the JD(U) and the BJP claimed he was shying away from using the pictures of his parents in his campaign as they were emblematic of the "jungle raj".

Prime Minister Narendra Modi lent weight to the narrative by frequently referring to him as the "Jungle Raj Ke Yuvraj".

He might have failed to lead his alliance to victory, but the assembly polls have heralded the advent of a young leader on Bihar's political firmament who can feel the pulse of youth and has abundant promise.

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News Network
May 8,2025

New Delhi: The government is briefing an all-party meeting on Thursday on the success of "Operation Sindoor" and its aftermath, as top government functionaries and opposition leaders met for a second time in a fortnight amid rising tensions between India and Pakistan following the Pahalgam terror attack on April 22.

Union ministers Rajnath Singh, Amit Shah, S Jaishankar, J P Nadda and Nirmala Sitharaman represented the government, while Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge from the Congress, Sandip Bandyopadhyay of the Trinamool Congress and DMK's T R Baalu were among the leading opposition figures in the meeting.

Other opposition leaders included Ram Gopal Yadav of the Samajwadi Party, Sanjay Singh of the AAP, Shiv Sena (UBT)'s Sanjay Raut, NCP (SP)'s Supriya Sule, BJD's Sasmit Patra and CPI(M)'s John Brittas.

JD(U) leader Sanjay Jha, Union minister and LJP (Ram Vilas) leader Chirag Paswan and AIMIM MP Asaduddin Owaisi were also part of the meeting.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said the government wanted to brief all parties on "Operation Sindoor".

In retaliation for the Pahalgam terror attack, Indian armed forces carried out missile strikes early Wednesday on nine terror targets in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, including the Jaish-e-Mohammad stronghold of Bahawalpur and Lashkar-e-Taiba's base Muridke.

The military strikes were carried out under 'Operation Sindoor' two weeks after the massacre of 26 civilians in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam.

The government had earlier called an all-party meeting on April 24 to brief leaders on the attack.

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News Network
May 13,2025

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Srinagar: Following an unprecedented episode of intense cross-border shelling by the Pakistan Army that directly targeted the towns of Rajouri and Poonch in Jammu and Kashmir, the Indian government is moving to construct community bunkers in these towns and other vulnerable areas along the Line of Control (LoC).

While the government has, over the past decade, supported the construction of both individual and community bunkers along the LoC and the International Border (IB), towns like Rajouri and Poonch had been excluded from such initiatives. These towns were considered safe, as previous shelling incidents were largely restricted to forward villages closer to the border.

Officials now say the latest shelling marks a dangerous shift in the pattern of cross-border hostilities.

“The nature and intensity of the attack marked a significant departure from past ceasefire violations. For the first time in years, heavily populated towns like Rajouri and Poonch were directly hit,” a senior official said.

Caught unprepared, residents in both towns had little access to protective infrastructure as long-range mortar shells struck deep inside civilian areas.

“People weren’t expecting this—these towns had never been targeted before. Without bunkers, many had nowhere to go for safety,” the official added.

In response, the government now plans to build community bunkers at strategic locations throughout Rajouri and Poonch. These reinforced shelters will offer immediate protection to civilians during any future shelling incidents.

“In areas where individual bunkers aren't viable, community shelters become essential. These will provide residents with quick access to safety in emergencies,” the official noted.

The attacks have left local communities rattled.

“This is the first time shells landed so close to our homes in Poonch town,” said Abdul Rashid, a resident. “We never thought this would happen here.”

The sudden escalation has disrupted the fragile calm along the LoC, raising concerns over a potential return to more violent confrontations in the region.

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News Network
May 10,2025

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New Delhi, May 10: In a detailed joint briefing today, India’s defence and foreign ministries dismantled Pakistan’s claims of major strikes on Indian infrastructure and exposed Islamabad’s alleged attempts to escalate conflict along the border. Here's a clear breakdown of 12 crucial points made by Indian military officials:

1. Pakistan’s Claims Are False
The Indian government called Pakistan’s statements about destroying airbases, power grids, and cyber systems “completely false” and “state-sponsored propaganda.”

2. No Damage to Indian Airbases
Indian officials categorically denied Pakistani claims of hitting Sirsa, Suratgarh, and the S-400 radar base in Udhampur.

3. Pakistan Used Multiple Attack Platforms
Pakistan employed UCAVs (unmanned combat aerial vehicles), loitering munitions, long-range missiles, and fighter aircraft to target military and civilian sites.

4. Civilian Infrastructure Targeted
Pakistan struck schools and a Medicare centre near Indian Air Force bases in Srinagar, Awantipora, and Udhampur.

5. Over 26 Locations Attacked
India reported air intrusions and harassment attacks across 26+ locations from Srinagar to Naliya, along the Line of Control (LoC) and international border.

6. Limited Damage at IAF Bases
Minor damage occurred at four IAF stations: Udhampur, Patan, Adampur, and Bhuj — but all operations remain unaffected.

7. Heavy Cross-Border Shelling
Sectors like Kupwara, Baramulla, Poonch, Rajouri, and Akhnoor saw intense artillery, mortar, and small arms fire — all met with strong Indian retaliation.

8. Pakistan Moving Troops to Forward Areas – Signals Possible Escalation
The Indian Army observed significant Pakistani troop mobilisation toward forward posts along the LoC. This movement, described as “indicative of offensive intent,” suggests that Pakistan may be preparing for a wider military escalation. The Indian armed forces are on high operational alert, closely monitoring the situation and ready to respond to any provocation.

9. India’s Response: Swift, Measured, Targeted
In retaliation, India struck only military assets — radar stations, command centres, and storage sites — using precision air-launched weapons.

10. No Damage to Critical Indian Defences
Pakistan’s claims of destroying India’s S-400 systems, BrahMos base, and Chandigarh ammo depot were debunked with timestamped visual evidence.

11. Pakistan Trying to Spread Communal Discord
Indian officials accused Pakistan of fabricating stories to stoke communal unrest in India — calling such efforts "doomed to fail."

12. India Committed to Responsible Conduct
India reiterated its commitment to non-escalation — “provided Pakistan reciprocates.” Officials stressed that India’s military operations have been calibrated and proportionate.

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