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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Agencies
March 3,2025

An Indian woman sentenced to death in Abu Dhabi for allegedly murdering a four-month-old child was executed on February 15, the Delhi High Court was informed on Monday. The revelation came during a hearing on a petition filed by her father, who was seeking information about her well-being.

Court Calls Execution "Unfortunate"

Justice Sachin Datta, upon learning of the execution, described it as "very unfortunate."

"It is over. She was executed on February 15. Her last rites will be held on March 5," Additional Solicitor General Chetan Sharma told the court.

Family’s Fight for Information

During the hearing, the petitioner’s counsel said the family had been desperately seeking clarity on whether she was alive or had been executed.

He mentioned that Shahzadi Khan had called her family from prison on February 14, informing them that she would be executed within a day or two and that it would be her final call. Since then, they had received no updates about her condition.

The Centre’s counsel stated that embassy officials were in touch with the petitioner and were making arrangements for the family to attend her last rites in Abu Dhabi.

"We did our best. We hired a law firm to represent her in court. But the laws there deal with the murder of an infant very severely," he submitted.

Case Background

According to the petition, Shahzadi contacted her father from detention on February 14, 2025, saying she had been moved within the facility and wanted to speak with her parents before her execution.

Her father, Shabbir Khan, a resident of Banda in Uttar Pradesh, filed an application with the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on February 21, 2025, seeking official confirmation of whether his daughter had been executed.

Shahzadi had been handed over to Abu Dhabi police on February 10, 2023. She was sentenced to death on July 31, 2023, and was held at Al Wathba jail.

The petition alleged that Shahzadi did not receive proper legal representation in court and was pressured into confessing, leading to her death sentence.

Events Leading to the Case

Shahzadi traveled to Abu Dhabi in December 2021 on a legal visa. In August 2022, her employer gave birth to a son, and she was hired as the child’s caregiver.

On December 7, 2022, the infant received routine vaccinations but tragically passed away that same evening.

The petition claimed that the child’s parents refused to allow a post-mortem and signed an agreement waiving further investigation into the death. However, despite this, Shahzadi was arrested and later sentenced to death.

Her family continues to seek justice and closure following her execution.

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News Network
March 15,2025

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Mangaluru, Mar 15: Noted Tulu-Kannada scholar, folklorist, and former president of the Karnataka Tulu Sahitya Academy, Dr. Vamana Nandavara, passed away on Saturday at the age of 82 after a prolonged illness.

A distinguished literary figure, Dr. Nandavara made significant contributions to the study of Tulu folklore, poetry, and cultural history. He was a native of Nandavara village in Bantwal taluk and was the son of Babu Balepuni and Poovamma. He is survived by his wife, writer Chandrakala Nandavara, a son, and a daughter.

A Life Dedicated to Literature and Folklore

Throughout his illustrious career, Dr. Nandavara was honored with numerous prestigious awards, including the Kantavara Kannada Sangha Award, Tulu Sahitya Academy Honorary Award, Polali Sheenappa Hegde Award, Karnataka Nataka Academy Honorary Award, and the Bannanje Babu Amin Award.

His literary works encompassed multiple genres, including poetry, folklore studies, and critical essays. Some of his most celebrated publications include:

Taalamela – A Kannada poetry collection

Olepataki – A compilation of Tulu-Kannada riddles

Tuluvere Kusal-Kusel – A study of Tulu folklore

Singadana and Tulu Panikate – Analytical works on Tulu folk traditions

Koti-Chennaya: Folklore and Beyond – A study of Tulu history and mythology

Nambike – A critique of D.V. Gundappa’s literature

Tulu Sahitya Charitre and Tulu Janapadada Acharane – Scholarly explorations of Tulu literature and customs

Ajji Tankina Puli, Nettara Neera, and Inchitti Tulu Natakolu – Collections of folk narratives and plays

Dr. Nandavara also made remarkable contributions to children's literature, with notable works such as Koti-Chennaya, Beer (Tulu poetry collection), and story anthologies Kidigediya Keetale and Onji Kope Katikulu.

Recognitions and Awards

His deep-rooted research and literary contributions earned him several accolades. His book Tuluvere Kusal-Kusel won the Central Institute of Indian Languages Award, while Singadana Mattu Janapada Suttamutta was recognized by the Kannada and Culture Department. His work Koti Chennaya Janapadiya Adhyayana also received the Book Authority's Pustaka Sogasu award.

Dr. Vamana Nandavara's passing marks a significant loss to the fields of Tulu and Kannada literature. His legacy as a scholar, poet, and folklorist will continue to inspire generations to come.

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News Network
March 15,2025

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The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has confirmed that Ranjani Srinivasan, an Indian doctoral student at Columbia University, has voluntarily left the United States after her visa was revoked over alleged support for Hamas, the democratically elected party in Gaza.

Srinivasan, a PhD student in Urban Planning, was in the US on an F-1 student visa. The US Department of State revoked her visa on March 5, 2025, citing security concerns related to her alleged involvement in activities supporting Hamas. On March 11, 2025, she self-deported using the CBP Home App, with officials confirming video footage of her departure.

US Homeland Security's Response

Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem emphasized that studying in the US on a visa is a privilege, which can be revoked if an individual is found to support violence and terrorism. She stated that such individuals should not be permitted to stay in the country.

Srinivasan’s Academic Background

Srinivasan’s academic credentials include:

  • M.Phil in Urban Planning – Columbia University (GSAPP)
  • Master’s in Design – Harvard University (Graduate School of Design)
  • Bachelor of Design (B.Des.) – CEPT University, India
  • Her research focuses on land-labor relations in India’s peri-urban areas, with academic interests in political economy, land politics, and labor sociology.

'Security Concerns'

Her case has gained attention amid increased US government scrutiny of individuals and organizations allegedly supporting Hamas. Visa revocations for security reasons have become more frequent, reflecting the government's strict stance on national security and immigration policies.

Srinivasan’s self-deportation highlights the US government’s ongoing efforts to enforce visa regulations and prevent individuals it considers a security threat from remaining in the country.

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