Rajkumar Hirani’s biopic on Sanjay Dutt seems to have broken all box-office records and earned over 150 crore rupees in the 4-5 days since its release. It has proved not only Hirani’s abilities a filmmaker who can extract great performances from stars (nee actors) but also catapulted Ranbir Kapoor back to the front-and-centre of Bollywood, where you’re only as good as your last few films. In doing so it has been lopsided in its narrative in glorifying Sanjay Dutt and, what is personally deeply problematic, vilified the media, in a country that is the world’s largest democracy. 
&nbsp; 
Hirani and the producers of Sanju perhaps don’t live in the India that I inhabit. Perhaps Bollywood is cocooned in a mist of luxury, with a serious coating of fluff and make-believe. But in a country, where at least seven journalists have been killed in the last 18 months, Hirani and his ilk would do well to remember that shooting the messenger but failing to see (and perhaps propagate) that message is a great disservice to the society and the nation. This is the freedom of expression that they have, this is the freedom that this democracy affords them, the freedom that is defended vociferously by members of the fourth estate day-in, day-out. 
&nbsp; 
There are journalists and then there are journalists — the same tabloids that spice up the headlines are also the places where most Bollywood stories are planted, promotion deals made and paid reviews written. It is a Frankenstein created by the glitz and glamour of the multi-million dollar film industry and perhaps at the behest of a few corporates who twist it to their advantage. 
&nbsp; 
For most part journalism (and I mean this word in its strictest sense) remains the least corrupt profession. It isn’t the best paying profession, the hours are long and the circumstances trying. Perhaps Rajkumar Hirani should try his hand at working 365x7x24 for bit (for the wages that most journalists make) and give up the creature comforts his status as a ‘numero uno’ filmmaker in Bollywood afford him. Try reporting from a Naxal hit area, being in a conflict zone or reporting on floods, or riots… 
&nbsp; 
Here is a great angst-ridden example from the film that make Sanjay Dutt a hero - and paints a sorry picture of the media. This is the impression you are left with as the end credits roll and you walk out of the theatre. 
&nbsp; 
Chappi jiski khabar, bani uski khabar, 
Kisi high court ka usko nahi dar… 
Loop mein ghumake ek jhooth bar bar, 
Sachhai ka diya usne phich**** ph*** 
Jhooth itna bada hai, ki saach ho gaya, 
Baba bolta hai abhi, bas ho gaya. 
&nbsp;

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There are many stories in the main stream media that have painted Sanjay Dutt as the long-suffering hero — and Hirani (with Dutt in tow) have neglected to take those into account and taken media-bashing to a new low. Perhaps those stories were convenient but no mention is made of those. Instead Sanju singles-out two instances where question-marks were used in the headline. And this isn’t just a matter of semantics, its where a newsperson’s habit of quoting sources is questioned. If sources weren’t quoted, then most news wouldn’t be printed - that I can vouch for with my 18 years in the industry. And while I’m not a great fan a question marks in headlines either, what of the one big question mark that’s still hanging over Sanjay Dutt? Was his liaison with the underworld just a one-time affair and lead by this great need for ‘self-preservation’ as the film out have us believe? 
&nbsp; 
Here’s what I can safely say — most ground reporters have a great passion for news , and in disseminating what they believe is news they earn two squares a day and perhaps some creature comforts. And then a film like Sanju comes along and in the name of creativity reinforces this stereotype of a media that lacks credibility and all that we do is for eyeballs. That’s burning me at the stake. Criticise my handling of a situation as an editor or a reporter - sure, that’s opinion that I’ll take on board. But when you build a whole two-hour plus narrative around media-bashing, it reeks of an agenda. 
&nbsp; 
Besides, what is wrong about trying to sell newspapers or increasing the TRPs of channels? The media in this country is primarily in private hands and isn’t a charitable business. If the a slightly saucier headline gets more people to read it, blame it on the consumers of news and not the journalists. 
&nbsp; 
Surely if Rajkumar Hirani was trying so desperately to get the story out there, he would have made a documentary with the actual people involved in the narrative. Instead, with song-and-dance, he made a multi-starrer with some of the biggest names in the industry and a story line that features just two of Sanjay Dutt’s films — his first one Rocky and Munnabhai MBBS (a film that made Raju Hirani). That’s far from ‘not trying to make money’ and ‘being honest’. 
&nbsp; 
This witch-hunt has gone on for long enough- news need not be convenient and no one needs to empathise with the big Bollywood stars when they commit misdemeanors. Boo-hoo the punishment is harsh, boo-hoo the star has to do jail time but remember that the star also got furlongs galore— and got the out of jail card on the slightest of pretexts. 
&nbsp; 
No Mr Dutt, you aren’t a hero for having kept a automatic assault rifle in your house and the media wasn’t responsible for your being booked under TADA. No Mr Hirani, making a dishonest biopic doesn’t absolve you of the sin of tarring the media and being an irresponsible citizen to boot.&nbsp; 
&nbsp; 
Media Bolta Hai Ab Bas Ho Gaya. FULL STOP.

(The article was first published on The&nbsp;DNA. Read the <a href="http://www.dnaindia.com/blogs/post-rajkumar-hirani-s-sanju-shoots-the-messenger-media-bolta-hai-ab-bas-ho-gaya-2633221">original article</a>)

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

There are many stories in the main stream media that have painted Sanjay Dutt as the long-suffering hero — and Hirani (with Dutt in tow) have neglected to take those into account and taken media-bashing to a new low

Rajkumar Hirani’s biopic on Sanjay Dutt seems to have broken all box-office records and earned over 150 crore rupees in the 4-5 days since its release. It has proved not only Hirani’s abilities a filmmaker who can extract great performances from stars (nee actors) but also catapulted Ranbir Kapoor back to the front-and-centre of Bollywood, where you’re only as good as your last few films. In doing so it has been lopsided in its narrative in glorifying Sanjay Dutt and, what is personally deeply problematic, vilified the media, in a country that is the world’s largest democracy. Hirani and the producers of Sanju perhaps don’t live in the India that I inhabit. Perhaps Bollywood is cocooned in a mist of luxury, with a serious coating of fluff and make-believe. But in a country, where at least seven journalists have been killed in the last 18 months, Hirani and his ilk would do well to remember that shooting the messenger but failing to see (and perhaps propagate) that message is a great disservice to the society and the nation. This is the freedom of expression that they have, this is the freedom that this democracy affords them, the freedom that is defended vociferously by members of the fourth estate day-in, day-out. There are journalists and then there are journalists — the same tabloids that spice up the headlines are also the places where most Bollywood stories are planted, promotion deals made and paid reviews written. It is a Frankenstein created by the glitz and glamour of the multi-million dollar film industry and perhaps at the behest of a few corporates who twist it to their advantage. For most part journalism (and I mean this word in its strictest sense) remains the least corrupt profession. It isn’t the best paying profession, the hours are long and the circumstances trying. Perhaps Rajkumar Hirani should try his hand at working 365x7x24 for bit (for the wages that most journalists make) and give up the creature comforts his status as a ‘numero uno’ filmmaker in Bollywood afford him. Try reporting from a Naxal hit area, being in a conflict zone or reporting on floods, or riots… Here is a great angst-ridden example from the film that make Sanjay Dutt a hero - and paints a sorry picture of the media. This is the impression you are left with as the end credits roll and you walk out of the theatre. Chappi jiski khabar, bani uski khabar, Kisi high court ka usko nahi dar… Loop mein ghumake ek jhooth bar bar, Sachhai ka diya usne phich**** ph*** Jhooth itna bada hai, ki saach ho gaya, Baba bolta hai abhi, bas ho gaya. × There are many stories in the main stream media that have painted Sanjay Dutt as the long-suffering hero — and Hirani (with Dutt in tow) have neglected to take those into account and taken media-bashing to a new low. Perhaps those stories were convenient but no mention is made of those. Instead Sanju singles-out two instances where question-marks were used in the headline. And this isn’t just a matter of semantics, its where a newsperson’s habit of quoting sources is questioned. If sources weren’t quoted, then most news wouldn’t be printed - that I can vouch for with my 18 years in the industry. And while I’m not a great fan a question marks in headlines either, what of the one big question mark that’s still hanging over Sanjay Dutt? Was his liaison with the underworld just a one-time affair and lead by this great need for ‘self-preservation’ as the film out have us believe? Here’s what I can safely say — most ground reporters have a great passion for news , and in disseminating what they believe is news they earn two squares a day and perhaps some creature comforts. And then a film like Sanju comes along and in the name of creativity reinforces this stereotype of a media that lacks credibility and all that we do is for eyeballs. That’s burning me at the stake. Criticise my handling of a situation as an editor or a reporter - sure, that’s opinion that I’ll take on board. But when you build a whole two-hour plus narrative around media-bashing, it reeks of an agenda. Besides, what is wrong about trying to sell newspapers or increasing the TRPs of channels? The media in this country is primarily in private hands and isn’t a charitable business. If the a slightly saucier headline gets more people to read it, blame it on the consumers of news and not the journalists. Surely if Rajkumar Hirani was trying so desperately to get the story out there, he would have made a documentary with the actual people involved in the narrative. Instead, with song-and-dance, he made a multi-starrer with some of the biggest names in the industry and a story line that features just two of Sanjay Dutt’s films — his first one Rocky and Munnabhai MBBS (a film that made Raju Hirani). That’s far from ‘not trying to make money’ and ‘being honest’. This witch-hunt has gone on for long enough- news need not be convenient and no one needs to empathise with the big Bollywood stars when they commit misdemeanors. Boo-hoo the punishment is harsh, boo-hoo the star has to do jail time but remember that the star also got furlongs galore— and got the out of jail card on the slightest of pretexts. No Mr Dutt, you aren’t a hero for having kept a automatic assault rifle in your house and the media wasn’t responsible for your being booked under TADA. No Mr Hirani, making a dishonest biopic doesn’t absolve you of the sin of tarring the media and being an irresponsible citizen to boot. Media Bolta Hai Ab Bas Ho Gaya. FULL STOP. (The article was first published on The DNA. Read the original article) (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Opinion: 'Sanju', a lopsided biopic that blames it on the media

After a fractured mandate, political parties must strive to build coalitions and form a government. Elections are a costly affair and should not be held in close succession. But we must all be careful what we wish for. An undecided Karnataka threw up no single party that has a majority. Perhaps the people of the state were not too enamoured by the choices that they had, or it could be a simple case of poll arithmetic. But all said and done, to have chief minister from a party that finished third at the hustings both in terms of seats and vote percentages seems ‘undemocratic’.

When HD Kumaraswamy speaks about staking a claim or Siddaramaiah says his Congress party will extend unconditional support to Kumaraswamy’s JD(S), it isn’t about the numbers that they help on, it is as much about the spirit of democracy and upholding the mandate that has been given.

The precedent that’s been set by the Supreme Court is that the Governor invites the largest pre-poll alliance, then the single-largest parties. In 2015, hearing a public interest litigation, the then Chief Justice HL Dattu and Justice Amitava Roy had expressed their inability to step-in an act against two political parties that chose to form a post-poll alliance. Justice Roy observed that a promise made by a political party was not a promise enforceable by law.

Apart from the options stated above, there are two other options that were enumerated in the Sarkaria Commission recommendations, which were affirmed by a Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court in Rameshwar Prasad v Union of India in 2005. These are that the governor can invite a post-electoral coalition of parties, with all the partners in the coalition joining the government or that can invite a post-electoral alliance of parties, with some of the parties in the alliance forming a government and the remaining parties, including independents, supporting the government from outside.

The Congress has been harping on what happened in Goa last year where the Governor didn’t consult them even though they were the single largest party and went ahead after the BJP with the support of two other local parties staked claim. Post poll alliances aren’t new to the Indian context — but rarely has the experiment been in interests of the populace if the party that won the most seats or the party that finished second doesn’t manage to lead the government. Remember Madhu Koda anyone — the independent who became Jharkhand chief minister for almost 2 years in 2006. That experiment didn’t augur too well for the people of Jharkhand, did it? He allegedly made 4000-crore rupees in a mining scam, for which he was convicted in 2017 to three years in jail.

We clearly live in interesting times where phone connections are pre-paid and political alliances are post-poll, where consumers have number portability and the parties port ideologies. Politics makes strange bedfellows, no permanent foes or friends and certainly no untouchables. In the land of Mahatma Gandhi where the journey is more important than the destination, we seem to be surrounded by Machiavellian princes for whom the end justifies the means. The only question that then remains is what justifies the end?

The precedent that’s been set by the Supreme Court is that the Governor invites the largest pre-poll alliance

After a fractured mandate, political parties must strive to build coalitions and form a government. Elections are a costly affair and should not be held in close succession. But we must all be careful what we wish for. An undecided Karnataka threw up no single party that has a majority. Perhaps the people of the state were not too enamoured by the choices that they had, or it could be a simple case of poll arithmetic. But all said and done, to have chief minister from a party that finished third at the hustings both in terms of seats and vote percentages seems ‘undemocratic’. When HD Kumaraswamy speaks about staking a claim or Siddaramaiah says his Congress party will extend unconditional support to Kumaraswamy’s JD(S), it isn’t about the numbers that they help on, it is as much about the spirit of democracy and upholding the mandate that has been given. The precedent that’s been set by the Supreme Court is that the Governor invites the largest pre-poll alliance, then the single-largest parties. In 2015, hearing a public interest litigation, the then Chief Justice HL Dattu and Justice Amitava Roy had expressed their inability to step-in an act against two political parties that chose to form a post-poll alliance. Justice Roy observed that a promise made by a political party was not a promise enforceable by law. Apart from the options stated above, there are two other options that were enumerated in the Sarkaria Commission recommendations, which were affirmed by a Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court in Rameshwar Prasad v Union of India in 2005. These are that the governor can invite a post-electoral coalition of parties, with all the partners in the coalition joining the government or that can invite a post-electoral alliance of parties, with some of the parties in the alliance forming a government and the remaining parties, including independents, supporting the government from outside. The Congress has been harping on what happened in Goa last year where the Governor didn’t consult them even though they were the single largest party and went ahead after the BJP with the support of two other local parties staked claim. Post poll alliances aren’t new to the Indian context — but rarely has the experiment been in interests of the populace if the party that won the most seats or the party that finished second doesn’t manage to lead the government. Remember Madhu Koda anyone — the independent who became Jharkhand chief minister for almost 2 years in 2006. That experiment didn’t augur too well for the people of Jharkhand, did it? He allegedly made 4000-crore rupees in a mining scam, for which he was convicted in 2017 to three years in jail. We clearly live in interesting times where phone connections are pre-paid and political alliances are post-poll, where consumers have number portability and the parties port ideologies. Politics makes strange bedfellows, no permanent foes or friends and certainly no untouchables. In the land of Mahatma Gandhi where the journey is more important than the destination, we seem to be surrounded by Machiavellian princes for whom the end justifies the means. The only question that then remains is what justifies the end?

Opinion: Congress-JD(S) deal done, are post-poll alliances undemocratic?

Six hours into counting and the results are self-evident. <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/bjp-leads-in-most-constituencies-modi-campaigned-rahul-effect-fades-for-congress-136926">Prime Minister Modi's campaign form</a> in the last leg of elections has delivered Karnataka to the BJP, it was what saved the party in Gujarat - a political equivalent of slog-over pinch hitting that Dhoni, Kohli and some of the other best finishers in cricket would envy and want to emulate.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/live-karnataka-election-results-counting-underway-as-bjp-congress-wait-for-results-136866">Track Live Results of Karnataka Assembly Elections</a>

Like it or lump it, when you want a 'neta' to deliver and lead the party on the campaign trail, there is no one better than the indefatigable PM who has delivered state after state for the Bharatiya Janata Party.

A beaming Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad did the rounds of TV studios and said on air: "Democracy and accountability go hand-in-hand and the Congress president should look at his own party. The country has accepted Narendra Modi's leadership. It is not the BJP's job to strengthen the party, they have to see why the people didn't vote for them."

Modi had on the campaign trail quipped that <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/karnataka-election-results-what-didnt-work-for-congress-136929">the Congress</a> will be reduced to 'PPP' party - alluding to the fact that <a href="www.wionews.com/india-news/bjps-dream-of-a-congress-free-nation-inching-towards-reality--136946">all the party has</a> are the states of Puducherry, Punjab and Parivaar (then Gandhi family). Perhaps the M from Mizoram did not fit the pun - but it is a fact that after its loss in Karnataka, the Congress has its governments in just the three states of Punjab, Puducherry and Mizoram - tracts of land on which just under three per cent of India's population dwell.

Wave after wave of pollsters said there was no 'Modi ki lehar' (Modi wave) visible in the state but everyone forgot Uttar Pradesh. No 'visible' BJP wave led to 300+ seats there. Of course you sometimes need the right political prism to see a wave and many on the other side of the divide, naysayers and even fence sitters of my ilk, can sometimes miss what stares them in plain sight.

Faced with the chief minister in Siddaramaiah who wasn't a pushover, <a href="http://www.wionews.com/photos/in-pics:-bjp-celebrate-victory-in-karnataka-136956">the BJP</a> pinned its hopes largely on the central government's track record and Prime Minister Modi's charisma to get them out of a tough spot. On Saturday, exit polls were divided and sensible pollsters said it was too close to call. The BJP top-brass seemed quietly confident, the Congress claimed victory is what now seems like braggadocio. Dismissing the exit polls as 'entertainment', BJP's chief ministerial candidate B S Yeddyurappa had even announced that he would take oath on May 17.

What the Congress missed was also the fact that a popular chief minister may not combat anti-incumbency - the performance of the MLAs matters. And while these results may not have a direct fallout in the PM Modi's 2019 bid for a second-term in office, the prime minister is clearly a captain who leads from the front and comes up with the goods when the going gets tough - a trait that augurs well for the BJP as it will look to buck anti-incumbency and retain Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhatisgarh later this year.

Wave after wave of pollsters said there was no 'Modi ki lehar' visible in the state but everyone forgot Uttar Pradesh.

Six hours into counting and the results are self-evident. Prime Minister Modi's campaign form in the last leg of elections has delivered Karnataka to the BJP, it was what saved the party in Gujarat - a political equivalent of slog-over pinch hitting that Dhoni, Kohli and some of the other best finishers in cricket would envy and want to emulate. Track Live Results of Karnataka Assembly Elections Like it or lump it, when you want a 'neta' to deliver and lead the party on the campaign trail, there is no one better than the indefatigable PM who has delivered state after state for the Bharatiya Janata Party. A beaming Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad did the rounds of TV studios and said on air: "Democracy and accountability go hand-in-hand and the Congress president should look at his own party. The country has accepted Narendra Modi's leadership. It is not the BJP's job to strengthen the party, they have to see why the people didn't vote for them." Modi had on the campaign trail quipped that the Congress will be reduced to 'PPP' party - alluding to the fact that all the party has are the states of Puducherry, Punjab and Parivaar (then Gandhi family). Perhaps the M from Mizoram did not fit the pun - but it is a fact that after its loss in Karnataka, the Congress has its governments in just the three states of Punjab, Puducherry and Mizoram - tracts of land on which just under three per cent of India's population dwell. Wave after wave of pollsters said there was no 'Modi ki lehar' (Modi wave) visible in the state but everyone forgot Uttar Pradesh. No 'visible' BJP wave led to 300+ seats there. Of course you sometimes need the right political prism to see a wave and many on the other side of the divide, naysayers and even fence sitters of my ilk, can sometimes miss what stares them in plain sight. Faced with the chief minister in Siddaramaiah who wasn't a pushover, the BJP pinned its hopes largely on the central government's track record and Prime Minister Modi's charisma to get them out of a tough spot. On Saturday, exit polls were divided and sensible pollsters said it was too close to call. The BJP top-brass seemed quietly confident, the Congress claimed victory is what now seems like braggadocio. Dismissing the exit polls as 'entertainment', BJP's chief ministerial candidate B S Yeddyurappa had even announced that he would take oath on May 17. What the Congress missed was also the fact that a popular chief minister may not combat anti-incumbency - the performance of the MLAs matters. And while these results may not have a direct fallout in the PM Modi's 2019 bid for a second-term in office, the prime minister is clearly a captain who leads from the front and comes up with the goods when the going gets tough - a trait that augurs well for the BJP as it will look to buck anti-incumbency and retain Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhatisgarh later this year.

Karnataka election results show Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 'magic' works

Around noon, the expressions of BJP leaders in television studios across the country depicted the party&#39;s swing in fortunes as the Bharatiya Janata Party trailed after seven rounds of counting in Gorakhpur and Phulpur in Uttar Pradesh. The RJD is ahead in Araria in Bihar and that is a seat that the BJP would have liked to wrest - all-in-all not a good morning for BJP&#39;s polls pundits and spokespersons. Added to that were reports doing the rounds that media persons were not allowed inside the counting venue in Gorakhpur.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/live-gorakhpur-phulpur-bypoll-results-bjp-takes-early-lead-in-adityanaths-bastion-35747">Track Live Updates of Goraphpur and Phulpur Bypoll Results</a>

Poll authorities clarified that while the press was inside the campus, they could not be let near the electronic voting machines per the Election Commission guidelines.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
Media is inside counting campus since morning. As per ECI instructions media can&#39;t be allowed in the area of EVMs. There is a Media Centre inside the Campus: EC on Gorakhpur DM not allowing the media to enter counting area despite having valid EC passes <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GorakhpurByPollResult?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#GorakhpurByPollResult</a>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/973813886653739008?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 14, 2018</a></blockquote>
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&nbsp;

When early trends had indicated BJP candidates were leading, Samajwadi Party candidate from Gorakhpur Praveen Kumar Nishad levelled allegations of EVM tampering. &quot;I am confident of my victory and that is what people are saying that SP&#39;s grand alliance will win this seat but there is a doubt in everyone&#39;s mind regarding EVM machines. The government can do anything using state administration,&quot; Nishad said. Perhaps those doubts were dispelled in later rounds when results were more favourable.

So why are two bypolls in Uttar Pradesh for the Lok Sabha such a big deal? After all, the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance government in the Centre has such a big majority that a couple of seats would not result in a big shift in fortunes for the government.

For one, the Opposition takes any win as a sign that the BJP&#39;s poll juggernaut can be stopped. They have had little cause to celebrate after 2014. The BJP led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and party chief Amit Shah have notched up victory after victory - the only exceptions to the case being Delhi and Punjab - and now over 70% of India lives in BJP or BJP-ally-ruled states.

The other reason for such a keen interest in these polls is that both seats in Uttar Pradesh are prestige battles. The current Uttar Pardesh Chief Minister Yogi Aditya Nath represented Gorakhpur for five consecutive terms. He vacated the seat in 2017 after the BJP and its allies swept into power in Uttar Pradesh, winning 325 of the 403 assembly seats in the state. The Phulpur seat, once represented by India&#39;s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, had been vacated by Keshav Prasad Maurya, who was state BJP chief and is currently the Deputy Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh. Losing these seats would no doubt result in a loss of face for the party. In 2014, the BJP&#39;s victory margin in Gorakhpur was over 300,000 with Yogi Adityanath winning over half the votes polled. In Phulpur the margins were better for Keshav Prasad Maurya who polled 52% of the votes.

All Opposition parties would be keenly watching the Samajwadi Party-Bahujan Samaj Party experiment where they pooled their resources to combine against the BJP. This win may be the harbinger for a larger national alliance in 2019. The SP-BSP are not only combining their resources for bypolls but will also support one another in the Rajya Sabha polls later this month. BSP supreme Mayawati, who hasn&#39;t fielded a candidate in these polls, insists that there is <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/bsp-sp-alliance-rumours-for-2019-lok-sabha-elections-false-mayawati-34623">no &#39;alliance&#39; yet</a> and it is just an &#39;agreement&#39; - mere semantics say observers.

The <a href="http://www.wionews.com/videos/bihar-up-by-polls-to-test-new-political-dynamics-9211">Bihar elections</a>, being seen as a referendum on chief minister Nitish Kumar, is also going the BJP&#39;s way. The BJP last year partnered with Kumar to form the government after the chief minister broke off ties with Lalu Prasad Yadav&#39;s Rashtriya Janata Dal. The Araria by-election was necessitated after the death of RJD&#39;s Mohammed Taslimuddin. His son, Sarfarz Alam, is the party&#39;s candidate in these elections and widely expected top retain the seat.

BJP trails in the prestige battles in Gorakhpur and Phulpur, RJD ahead in Araria.

Around noon, the expressions of BJP leaders in television studios across the country depicted the party's swing in fortunes as the Bharatiya Janata Party trailed after seven rounds of counting in Gorakhpur and Phulpur in Uttar Pradesh. The RJD is ahead in Araria in Bihar and that is a seat that the BJP would have liked to wrest - all-in-all not a good morning for BJP's polls pundits and spokespersons. Added to that were reports doing the rounds that media persons were not allowed inside the counting venue in Gorakhpur. Track Live Updates of Goraphpur and Phulpur Bypoll Results Poll authorities clarified that while the press was inside the campus, they could not be let near the electronic voting machines per the Election Commission guidelines. Media is inside counting campus since morning. As per ECI instructions media can't be allowed in the area of EVMs. There is a Media Centre inside the Campus: EC on Gorakhpur DM not allowing the media to enter counting area despite having valid EC passes #GorakhpurByPollResult — ANI (@ANI) March 14, 2018 × When early trends had indicated BJP candidates were leading, Samajwadi Party candidate from Gorakhpur Praveen Kumar Nishad levelled allegations of EVM tampering. "I am confident of my victory and that is what people are saying that SP's grand alliance will win this seat but there is a doubt in everyone's mind regarding EVM machines. The government can do anything using state administration," Nishad said. Perhaps those doubts were dispelled in later rounds when results were more favourable. So why are two bypolls in Uttar Pradesh for the Lok Sabha such a big deal? After all, the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance government in the Centre has such a big majority that a couple of seats would not result in a big shift in fortunes for the government. For one, the Opposition takes any win as a sign that the BJP's poll juggernaut can be stopped. They have had little cause to celebrate after 2014. The BJP led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and party chief Amit Shah have notched up victory after victory - the only exceptions to the case being Delhi and Punjab - and now over 70% of India lives in BJP or BJP-ally-ruled states. The other reason for such a keen interest in these polls is that both seats in Uttar Pradesh are prestige battles. The current Uttar Pardesh Chief Minister Yogi Aditya Nath represented Gorakhpur for five consecutive terms. He vacated the seat in 2017 after the BJP and its allies swept into power in Uttar Pradesh, winning 325 of the 403 assembly seats in the state. The Phulpur seat, once represented by India's first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, had been vacated by Keshav Prasad Maurya, who was state BJP chief and is currently the Deputy Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh. Losing these seats would no doubt result in a loss of face for the party. In 2014, the BJP's victory margin in Gorakhpur was over 300,000 with Yogi Adityanath winning over half the votes polled. In Phulpur the margins were better for Keshav Prasad Maurya who polled 52% of the votes. All Opposition parties would be keenly watching the Samajwadi Party-Bahujan Samaj Party experiment where they pooled their resources to combine against the BJP. This win may be the harbinger for a larger national alliance in 2019. The SP-BSP are not only combining their resources for bypolls but will also support one another in the Rajya Sabha polls later this month. BSP supreme Mayawati, who hasn't fielded a candidate in these polls, insists that there is no 'alliance' yet and it is just an 'agreement' - mere semantics say observers. The Bihar elections, being seen as a referendum on chief minister Nitish Kumar, is also going the BJP's way. The BJP last year partnered with Kumar to form the government after the chief minister broke off ties with Lalu Prasad Yadav's Rashtriya Janata Dal. The Araria by-election was necessitated after the death of RJD's Mohammed Taslimuddin. His son, Sarfarz Alam, is the party's candidate in these elections and widely expected top retain the seat.

In Uttar Pradesh, Bihar bypolls, is there a message for BJP?

A saffron wave seems to have swept through India&rsquo;s three north-eastern states of Tripura, Meghalaya and Nagaland. The results in Tripura are perhaps the most remarkable where the Bharatiya Janata Party is all set to form the government - an unprecedented first in state that has been held by the CPM-led left for over two decades now.

1. As trends started emerging this morning, Kiren Rijiju, Mos Home in the Narendra Modi government, and an MP from Arunachal Pradesh said: &ldquo;The trends in all three states point to a new political direction, it will have an effect on national politics as well. We are confident of forming government in all three states.&rdquo; That confidence wasn&rsquo;t misplaced.

2. Leads available at one in the afternoon suggest that Prime Minister Narendra Mod&rsquo;s BJP is ahead in 40 of the 59 seats that went to the hustings. The Left parties which had 50 seats in the 60-member state assembly were ahead in just 19. Votes are being counted for just 59 of the 60 seats in the state. Polling in Charlilam constituency was deferred after the death of a candidate. It will now be held on March 12.

3. That Chief Minister Manik Sarkar was not able to make it an unprecedented fifth term in office comes as a big blow to the Left. Tripura and Kerala were the the only two states in India where the party held sway. BJP&rsquo;s Ram Madhav said: &ldquo;This is a revolutionary result, all due to the blessings of Tripura Sundari Mata, the people of the state and the hard work of Prime Minister Modi and party workers.&rdquo;

Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad quipped: &quot;In a way the entire north east is now with the BJP. Initially we used to say &quot;Congress mukt Bharat&#39; now I think we can say &#39;Vaampanth Mukt Bharat&#39;.&quot;

4. In Meghalaya, the actual number will count and the big question is whether the Congress will reach the majority mark of 31 - a number too far it the current trends hold. Here too votes are being counted for 59 seats as polling in Williamnagar was countermanded after the killing of one of the candidates.

&nbsp;5. Led by Chief Minister Mukul Sangma, it has managed to emerge as the single-largest party but may have to sit in the Opposition if it falls short of the majority mark. The Congress has dispatched senior leaders Ahmad Patel and Kamal Nath to Shillong ostensibly to keep its flock together. That may not amount to much given how the poll arithmetic is panning out.

&nbsp;6. Lead available at one in the afternoon show the Congress ahead in 24 seats, while BJP&rsquo;s ally at the centre NPP, founded by former Lok Sabha Speaker PA Sangma, was ahead in 14 and the BJP itself in 7. Interestingly, another NDA partner, UDP, which contested the state polls separately, is leading in 6 seats and the others column show 4 independent candidates ahead.

&nbsp;7. Pollsters believe that if these trends hold the NDA partners, who decided to go it alone in the state, may come together in a post-poll alliance to keep the Congress out. Giving strong indications of that, BJP&rsquo;s Meghalaya in-charge Nalin Kohli said: &ldquo;The vote is basically against the Congress if you see the performance of other parties. Leaders will discuss if there can be possibility of a post poll alliance.&rdquo;

8. The BJP has sent Himanta Biswa Sarma, one of its tallest leaders in the North-East to the state. 49-year-old Sharma, who joined the BJP in 2015, is a minister in Assam and in-charge of the party&rsquo;s poll preps in Tripura and has delivered the state to the saffron kitty. He worked in close coordination with Sunil Deodhar, BJP - National Executive Committee Member In-charge of Tripura and a man who managed PM Modi&#39;s campaign in Varanasi in 2014.

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And Tripura shifted its base from Left to Right. <a href="https://twitter.com/BJP4India?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@BJP4India</a> successfully barged into invincible fort of CPM.<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TripuraElection2018?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#TripuraElection2018</a> <a href="https://t.co/kDlqUnsAJe">pic.twitter.com/kDlqUnsAJe</a>
&mdash; Sunil Deodhar (@Sunil_Deodhar) <a href="https://twitter.com/Sunil_Deodhar/status/969831712090763264?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 3, 2018</a></blockquote>
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&nbsp;

9. Most exit polls had predicted the Congress led by Chief Minister Mukul Sangma will win between 13 and 20 seats. The chief minister, who was &nbsp;contesting from two seats, has won &nbsp;both Songsak and &nbsp;Ampati.

10. In Nagaland, BJP and its ally, the newly formed NDPP have pulled ahead. The alliance lead by NDPP&rsquo;s founder and former chief minister Neiphui Rio is ahead in 34 seats. Rio was elected unopposed from his constituency Northern Angami II and looks all set to be sworn in as Nagaland&rsquo;s next chief minister.

Chief Minister TR Zeliang&rsquo;s NPF is ahead in 19 seats in leads available currently. The BJP, which was in alliance with the NPF, broke away before the elections to partner with the NDPP.

The results in Tripura are perhaps the most remarkable where the Bharatiya Janata Party is all set to form the government

A saffron wave seems to have swept through India’s three north-eastern states of Tripura, Meghalaya and Nagaland. The results in Tripura are perhaps the most remarkable where the Bharatiya Janata Party is all set to form the government - an unprecedented first in state that has been held by the CPM-led left for over two decades now. 1. As trends started emerging this morning, Kiren Rijiju, Mos Home in the Narendra Modi government, and an MP from Arunachal Pradesh said: “The trends in all three states point to a new political direction, it will have an effect on national politics as well. We are confident of forming government in all three states.” That confidence wasn’t misplaced. 2. Leads available at one in the afternoon suggest that Prime Minister Narendra Mod’s BJP is ahead in 40 of the 59 seats that went to the hustings. The Left parties which had 50 seats in the 60-member state assembly were ahead in just 19. Votes are being counted for just 59 of the 60 seats in the state. Polling in Charlilam constituency was deferred after the death of a candidate. It will now be held on March 12. 3. That Chief Minister Manik Sarkar was not able to make it an unprecedented fifth term in office comes as a big blow to the Left. Tripura and Kerala were the the only two states in India where the party held sway. BJP’s Ram Madhav said: “This is a revolutionary result, all due to the blessings of Tripura Sundari Mata, the people of the state and the hard work of Prime Minister Modi and party workers.” Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad quipped: "In a way the entire north east is now with the BJP. Initially we used to say "Congress mukt Bharat' now I think we can say 'Vaampanth Mukt Bharat'." 4. In Meghalaya, the actual number will count and the big question is whether the Congress will reach the majority mark of 31 - a number too far it the current trends hold. Here too votes are being counted for 59 seats as polling in Williamnagar was countermanded after the killing of one of the candidates. 5. Led by Chief Minister Mukul Sangma, it has managed to emerge as the single-largest party but may have to sit in the Opposition if it falls short of the majority mark. The Congress has dispatched senior leaders Ahmad Patel and Kamal Nath to Shillong ostensibly to keep its flock together. That may not amount to much given how the poll arithmetic is panning out. 6. Lead available at one in the afternoon show the Congress ahead in 24 seats, while BJP’s ally at the centre NPP, founded by former Lok Sabha Speaker PA Sangma, was ahead in 14 and the BJP itself in 7. Interestingly, another NDA partner, UDP, which contested the state polls separately, is leading in 6 seats and the others column show 4 independent candidates ahead. 7. Pollsters believe that if these trends hold the NDA partners, who decided to go it alone in the state, may come together in a post-poll alliance to keep the Congress out. Giving strong indications of that, BJP’s Meghalaya in-charge Nalin Kohli said: “The vote is basically against the Congress if you see the performance of other parties. Leaders will discuss if there can be possibility of a post poll alliance.” 8. The BJP has sent Himanta Biswa Sarma, one of its tallest leaders in the North-East to the state. 49-year-old Sharma, who joined the BJP in 2015, is a minister in Assam and in-charge of the party’s poll preps in Tripura and has delivered the state to the saffron kitty. He worked in close coordination with Sunil Deodhar, BJP - National Executive Committee Member In-charge of Tripura and a man who managed PM Modi's campaign in Varanasi in 2014. And Tripura shifted its base from Left to Right. @BJP4India successfully barged into invincible fort of CPM.#TripuraElection2018 pic.twitter.com/kDlqUnsAJe — Sunil Deodhar (@Sunil_Deodhar) March 3, 2018 × 9. Most exit polls had predicted the Congress led by Chief Minister Mukul Sangma will win between 13 and 20 seats. The chief minister, who was contesting from two seats, has won both Songsak and Ampati. 10. In Nagaland, BJP and its ally, the newly formed NDPP have pulled ahead. The alliance lead by NDPP’s founder and former chief minister Neiphui Rio is ahead in 34 seats. Rio was elected unopposed from his constituency Northern Angami II and looks all set to be sworn in as Nagaland’s next chief minister. Chief Minister TR Zeliang’s NPF is ahead in 19 seats in leads available currently. The BJP, which was in alliance with the NPF, broke away before the elections to partner with the NDPP.

Bharatiya Janata Party wins Tripura, may form governments in Meghalaya, Nagaland

At a press conference held on the sidelines of the Zee Jaipur Literature Festival on Sunday, two-time Congress MP from Thiruvananthapuram Shashi Tharoor indicated that there may be changes in the Congress party office bearers soon. &ldquo;Give the new President Rahul Gandhi some time to review the situation and make the changes he wants to make. There will be a reshuffling of the deck as it were,&rdquo; he said.

Rahul Gandhi took over as the Congress president last month (December 16, 2017) his mother Sonia, two days before the results to state elections in Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh were announced. While the Congress lost both states, their performance in Gujarat, a state which had not voted for the party in 22 years, was better than many had expected.

Tharoor says the Congress President is far being a &ldquo;reluctant politician&rdquo;, adding &ldquo;He&rsquo;s far from it. I don&rsquo;t think anyone would have put up with the gruelling schedule he had in Gujarat and everyone saw the results.&rdquo;

On the recent violent protests, especially on the release of the film &lsquo;Padmaavat&rsquo;, a penchant question on the media terrace at the Jaipur Literature Festival, Tharoor had this to say: &ldquo;I&rsquo;m very concerned as a citizen about the failure of state authorities to maintain law and order. Are some people not motivated to stop certain groups? Are some kinds of misbehaviour more acceptable than others?&rdquo;

The former minister of state for HRD and External Affairs also shared his Wishlist for what would be the Narendra Modi government&rsquo;s &lsquo;last budget&rsquo; before elections to Parliament are held in 2019. &ldquo;This is their last budget and it will be a political one. The economy isn&rsquo;t doing very well. They&rsquo;ll want to incentivise investments, they&rsquo;ll have to address agricultural stagnation, make good on their promise to provide employment to youth. These are my expectations, let us see what the government does.&rdquo;

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley will present the Union Budget around noon in the Lok Sabha on February 1 (Thursday). The budget session of the Parliament will begin on January 29. The first phase of the Budget session will end on February 9 and then the session will commence after a recess on March 5. The recess is used by the standing committees of parliament to deliberate on the various budgetary proposals and amendments thereto.

Tharoor says the Congress President is far being a 'reluctant politician', adding 'He’s far from it. I don’t think anyone would have put up with the gruelling schedule he had in Gujarat and everyone saw the results'

At a press conference held on the sidelines of the Zee Jaipur Literature Festival on Sunday, two-time Congress MP from Thiruvananthapuram Shashi Tharoor indicated that there may be changes in the Congress party office bearers soon. “Give the new President Rahul Gandhi some time to review the situation and make the changes he wants to make. There will be a reshuffling of the deck as it were,” he said. Rahul Gandhi took over as the Congress president last month (December 16, 2017) his mother Sonia, two days before the results to state elections in Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh were announced. While the Congress lost both states, their performance in Gujarat, a state which had not voted for the party in 22 years, was better than many had expected. Tharoor says the Congress President is far being a “reluctant politician”, adding “He’s far from it. I don’t think anyone would have put up with the gruelling schedule he had in Gujarat and everyone saw the results.” On the recent violent protests, especially on the release of the film ‘Padmaavat’, a penchant question on the media terrace at the Jaipur Literature Festival, Tharoor had this to say: “I’m very concerned as a citizen about the failure of state authorities to maintain law and order. Are some people not motivated to stop certain groups? Are some kinds of misbehaviour more acceptable than others?” The former minister of state for HRD and External Affairs also shared his Wishlist for what would be the Narendra Modi government’s ‘last budget’ before elections to Parliament are held in 2019. “This is their last budget and it will be a political one. The economy isn’t doing very well. They’ll want to incentivise investments, they’ll have to address agricultural stagnation, make good on their promise to provide employment to youth. These are my expectations, let us see what the government does.” Finance Minister Arun Jaitley will present the Union Budget around noon in the Lok Sabha on February 1 (Thursday). The budget session of the Parliament will begin on January 29. The first phase of the Budget session will end on February 9 and then the session will commence after a recess on March 5. The recess is used by the standing committees of parliament to deliberate on the various budgetary proposals and amendments thereto.

Rahul Gandhi needs time, there will be reshuffling of the deck in the Congress party: Shashi Tharoor

Twenty lawmakers of the Aam Aadmi Party were disqualified on Sunday by the President acting on the recommendation of the Election Commission. The legislators have been disqualified for holding &lsquo;offices of profit.&rsquo; They had been appointed &lsquo;Parliamentary Secretaries&rsquo; by the Delhi government headed by AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal. The Delhi High Court set aside the appointments in 2016 and the Aam Aadmi Party would have perhaps thought that&rsquo;s that. Expect that it wasn&rsquo;t. The Election Commission acted on the letter of the law and now many observers and, of course, the Aam Aadmi Party, are claiming that the spirit of the law has been violated.

So did the Election Commission wake up one fine morning and say - &ldquo;I&rsquo;ll huff and I&rsquo;ll puff and I&rsquo;ll blow your house down&rdquo;? Anyone familiar with the goings-on of Nirvachan Sadan would agree that its not how the Election Commission works at all. Most decisions are based on precedent and following the letter of the Constitution and the laws therein to the T. It is an institution that is admired for its impartial conduct and, come elections, it does not shy away from taking uncomfortable decisions in replacing top officials in a state, should they feel that such officials would impede the conduct of free and fair polls.

The appointments as Parliamentary Secretaries were made in March 2015, the AAP sought to exempt theMLAs by amending the provisions of the Delhi Members of Legislative Assembly (Removal of Disqualification) Act 1997, in 2016 &mdash; a year later. The bill seeking the amendments was struck down by the then President, Pranab Mukherjee.

So why then is the disqualification of these 20 MLAs being branded as an excess? Would similar questions have been raised if the members were from the Bharatiya Janata Party? Is it playing into the politics of Centre Vs State and then some? After all, Delhi&rsquo;s state government has gone toe-to-toe with the Lieutenant Governor over the past 3-4 years and the relationship between this state government and the Centre has been tenuous, to say the least. Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has branded the disqualification of AAP MLAs as &lsquo;Tughlaqshahi of the worst order&rsquo;. The reference to a former Sultan of Delhi is ironic - the Chief Minister is also branded as a despot by many within his own ranks and is capable of, shall we say, whimsical behaviour. AAP founder-member, and now a staunch Kejriwal critic, Kumar Vishwas says his opinion on the appointment of the parliamentary secretaries was disregarded.

AAP is now pinning its hopes on the Delhi High Court which will examine the decision not just on the principles of natural justice but also under the provisions of laws like the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi Act, 1991 and Article 239 AA of the Constitution which deals with Centre-State relations.

If the disqualification holds, then Delhi is heading for a mini-poll of sorts in six months to elect 20 lawmakers. The chief minister and his ilk can continue to cry foul, suggest the Election Commission is in cahoots with the Narendra Modi-led government at the Centre and perhaps garner some sympathy (and votes too).

Meanwhile, even with its diminished strength of 45, the Aam Aadmi Party has a comfortable majority in the 70-member Delhi Assembly. Assuming that AAP loses the contest for all 20 seats, while it will be a loss of face, that majority wouldn&rsquo;t change. This churn may also give Arvind Kejriwal a chance to consolidate his flock and inject some fresh loyalists in the party that has been badly plagued with dissension.

Not just an open revolt by Kumar Vishwas who is still smarting from being denied a Rajya Sabha ticket, but the Aam Aadmi Party also has Kapil Mishra and Devendra Sehrawat who are MLAs but have been suspended from the party. Some other lawmakers like Asim Ahmed Khan have been dumped as ministers. The by polls, if won, would not just serve as a referendum of Arvind Kejriwal&rsquo;s policies in government but would also keep detractors at bay.

So what has the Chief Minister to lose from this disqualification? Nothing at all. No matter how the cookie crumbles, it is a win-win situation for Arvind Kejriwal.

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

AAP is now pinning its hopes on the Delhi High Court which will examine the decision.

Twenty lawmakers of the Aam Aadmi Party were disqualified on Sunday by the President acting on the recommendation of the Election Commission. The legislators have been disqualified for holding ‘offices of profit.’ They had been appointed ‘Parliamentary Secretaries’ by the Delhi government headed by AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal. The Delhi High Court set aside the appointments in 2016 and the Aam Aadmi Party would have perhaps thought that’s that. Expect that it wasn’t. The Election Commission acted on the letter of the law and now many observers and, of course, the Aam Aadmi Party, are claiming that the spirit of the law has been violated. So did the Election Commission wake up one fine morning and say - “I’ll huff and I’ll puff and I’ll blow your house down”? Anyone familiar with the goings-on of Nirvachan Sadan would agree that its not how the Election Commission works at all. Most decisions are based on precedent and following the letter of the Constitution and the laws therein to the T. It is an institution that is admired for its impartial conduct and, come elections, it does not shy away from taking uncomfortable decisions in replacing top officials in a state, should they feel that such officials would impede the conduct of free and fair polls. The appointments as Parliamentary Secretaries were made in March 2015, the AAP sought to exempt theMLAs by amending the provisions of the Delhi Members of Legislative Assembly (Removal of Disqualification) Act 1997, in 2016 — a year later. The bill seeking the amendments was struck down by the then President, Pranab Mukherjee. So why then is the disqualification of these 20 MLAs being branded as an excess? Would similar questions have been raised if the members were from the Bharatiya Janata Party? Is it playing into the politics of Centre Vs State and then some? After all, Delhi’s state government has gone toe-to-toe with the Lieutenant Governor over the past 3-4 years and the relationship between this state government and the Centre has been tenuous, to say the least. Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has branded the disqualification of AAP MLAs as ‘Tughlaqshahi of the worst order’. The reference to a former Sultan of Delhi is ironic - the Chief Minister is also branded as a despot by many within his own ranks and is capable of, shall we say, whimsical behaviour. AAP founder-member, and now a staunch Kejriwal critic, Kumar Vishwas says his opinion on the appointment of the parliamentary secretaries was disregarded. AAP is now pinning its hopes on the Delhi High Court which will examine the decision not just on the principles of natural justice but also under the provisions of laws like the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi Act, 1991 and Article 239 AA of the Constitution which deals with Centre-State relations. If the disqualification holds, then Delhi is heading for a mini-poll of sorts in six months to elect 20 lawmakers. The chief minister and his ilk can continue to cry foul, suggest the Election Commission is in cahoots with the Narendra Modi-led government at the Centre and perhaps garner some sympathy (and votes too). Meanwhile, even with its diminished strength of 45, the Aam Aadmi Party has a comfortable majority in the 70-member Delhi Assembly. Assuming that AAP loses the contest for all 20 seats, while it will be a loss of face, that majority wouldn’t change. This churn may also give Arvind Kejriwal a chance to consolidate his flock and inject some fresh loyalists in the party that has been badly plagued with dissension. Not just an open revolt by Kumar Vishwas who is still smarting from being denied a Rajya Sabha ticket, but the Aam Aadmi Party also has Kapil Mishra and Devendra Sehrawat who are MLAs but have been suspended from the party. Some other lawmakers like Asim Ahmed Khan have been dumped as ministers. The by polls, if won, would not just serve as a referendum of Arvind Kejriwal’s policies in government but would also keep detractors at bay. So what has the Chief Minister to lose from this disqualification? Nothing at all. No matter how the cookie crumbles, it is a win-win situation for Arvind Kejriwal. (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Opinion: Undue process? Why AAP MLAs being disqualified is a win-win situation for Arvind Kejriwal

On a day India celebrated its 69th Republic Day, it seemed like all of Jaipur, the well-heeled from Delhi and then some had descended on Jaipur&rsquo;s Diggi Palace for the 2108 edition of the Zee Jaipur Literature Festival. One of the speakers that WION managed to interview on the sidelines was eminent sociologist Dipankar Gupta, who has been a professor at the Jawaharlal Nehru University in Delhi for over three decades and has authored or edited over twenty books. He has served on various boards including the board of directors of the Reserve Bank of India and NABARD. Edited excerpts.&nbsp;

On Combatting Prejudices:&nbsp;

People who are authors, scholars and writers should lead a very active life and when they write something they should be conscious that there is a very strong stream of prejudices flowing through the world and how does one combat it. And because you have instant television, instant WhatsApp so it is very easy for people to be instantly misled. And there is a certain premium in forwarding prejudices which aren&rsquo;t examined. The basic tenet of democracy is citizenship and, while I agree we should be value-neutral, there is one value which we cannot neuter and that is the value of &lsquo;citizenship&rsquo; which is basically about intersubjectivity - how I put myself in your shoes - and this is the conscious task that academics, commentators and journalists must perform. You don&rsquo;t just put out news, you try to ask yourself what impact will my news have.

On Social Sciences, Democracies and Journalism:&nbsp;

Social Sciences are a stream of knowledge that has done well only in democracies. It hasn&rsquo;t prospered in any non-democratic country no matter how rich it is. So if you are a social scientist, you have a vested interest in promoting democracy for your own good. There can be all kinds of social sciences but some of the best in the world is premised on the principles of citizenship meaning - can I put myself in the shoes of those I am writing about. A similar drive, I would say, should exist amongst journalists, because good journalism is only in democracies. In mainstream social sciences, the citizen isn&rsquo;t central. In sociology, it is the &lsquo;other&rsquo;.I&rsquo;m studying villagers. I&rsquo;m not studying myself whom could have been in a village. That&rsquo;s a very big difference. I&rsquo;m not studying a scheduled caste, I&rsquo;m studying myself who could have been a scheduled caste. Once you make that transition which is a very important transition to make, that is when I think good social science emerges.

On Universal Healthcare and Education:&nbsp;

If I&rsquo;m doing health for the poor, just for the poor, or education for the poor, then I&rsquo;m not interested, it is for the others but if I have policies that affect everybody and that policy should be of quality then it is a different kind of ball game altogether. Why is it that in countries in Western Europe they spend 7.5 percent (of GDP) on health whereas we spend only 1 percent? That is because there is the impulse of citizenship that everyone is the same. What we do here is - those poor people, they are at least getting something out of this. Why are you making a fuss? There is the Safdarjung Hospital (government hospital in Delhi), there is that village school, let it be. So this distinction between the rich and the poor or brahmins and the rest is perennial, especially in every discipline of social sciences and this is where I think we have failed our discipline.

Policy for All and not just the Poor:

If you have universal health delivery and education and you make the private sector work hard to match that standard, you will do so much for the poor. The best way to solve the problem of poverty is to forget the poor and think society. When you think of education for the poor or health for the poor, you end up with poor health and poor education where you and I will not participate because that is not for us. We&rsquo;re the ones who sign the papers and yet we have no interest in it. So until we get interested, unless it is our business as well and this is not something that is outlandish&hellip; most countries in Western Europe when they started their programmes on universal health and education was when they were at their poorest. We as citizens don&rsquo;t do enough in the sense that I&rsquo;ve very rarely come across a drawing room conversation in middle class or upper-class families where they discuss issues of health and education in the way we&rsquo;re talking about it. And when you raise the issue, they&rsquo;ll say &lsquo;Where is the money?&rsquo; I tell them tomorrow if Pakistan attacks India, will you say we don&rsquo;t have the money let us surrender. You&rsquo;ll find the money. This is an emergency, find the money.

The basic tenet of democracy is citizenship, Dipankar Gupta said.

On a day India celebrated its 69th Republic Day, it seemed like all of Jaipur, the well-heeled from Delhi and then some had descended on Jaipur’s Diggi Palace for the 2108 edition of the Zee Jaipur Literature Festival. One of the speakers that WION managed to interview on the sidelines was eminent sociologist Dipankar Gupta, who has been a professor at the Jawaharlal Nehru University in Delhi for over three decades and has authored or edited over twenty books. He has served on various boards including the board of directors of the Reserve Bank of India and NABARD. Edited excerpts. On Combatting Prejudices: People who are authors, scholars and writers should lead a very active life and when they write something they should be conscious that there is a very strong stream of prejudices flowing through the world and how does one combat it. And because you have instant television, instant WhatsApp so it is very easy for people to be instantly misled. And there is a certain premium in forwarding prejudices which aren’t examined. The basic tenet of democracy is citizenship and, while I agree we should be value-neutral, there is one value which we cannot neuter and that is the value of ‘citizenship’ which is basically about intersubjectivity - how I put myself in your shoes - and this is the conscious task that academics, commentators and journalists must perform. You don’t just put out news, you try to ask yourself what impact will my news have. On Social Sciences, Democracies and Journalism: Social Sciences are a stream of knowledge that has done well only in democracies. It hasn’t prospered in any non-democratic country no matter how rich it is. So if you are a social scientist, you have a vested interest in promoting democracy for your own good. There can be all kinds of social sciences but some of the best in the world is premised on the principles of citizenship meaning - can I put myself in the shoes of those I am writing about. A similar drive, I would say, should exist amongst journalists, because good journalism is only in democracies. In mainstream social sciences, the citizen isn’t central. In sociology, it is the ‘other’.I’m studying villagers. I’m not studying myself whom could have been in a village. That’s a very big difference. I’m not studying a scheduled caste, I’m studying myself who could have been a scheduled caste. Once you make that transition which is a very important transition to make, that is when I think good social science emerges. On Universal Healthcare and Education: If I’m doing health for the poor, just for the poor, or education for the poor, then I’m not interested, it is for the others but if I have policies that affect everybody and that policy should be of quality then it is a different kind of ball game altogether. Why is it that in countries in Western Europe they spend 7.5 percent (of GDP) on health whereas we spend only 1 percent? That is because there is the impulse of citizenship that everyone is the same. What we do here is - those poor people, they are at least getting something out of this. Why are you making a fuss? There is the Safdarjung Hospital (government hospital in Delhi), there is that village school, let it be. So this distinction between the rich and the poor or brahmins and the rest is perennial, especially in every discipline of social sciences and this is where I think we have failed our discipline. Policy for All and not just the Poor: If you have universal health delivery and education and you make the private sector work hard to match that standard, you will do so much for the poor. The best way to solve the problem of poverty is to forget the poor and think society. When you think of education for the poor or health for the poor, you end up with poor health and poor education where you and I will not participate because that is not for us. We’re the ones who sign the papers and yet we have no interest in it. So until we get interested, unless it is our business as well and this is not something that is outlandish… most countries in Western Europe when they started their programmes on universal health and education was when they were at their poorest. We as citizens don’t do enough in the sense that I’ve very rarely come across a drawing room conversation in middle class or upper-class families where they discuss issues of health and education in the way we’re talking about it. And when you raise the issue, they’ll say ‘Where is the money?’ I tell them tomorrow if Pakistan attacks India, will you say we don’t have the money let us surrender. You’ll find the money. This is an emergency, find the money.

Conversations from the sidelines of ZeeJLF 2018: 'The best way to deal with poverty is to forget poor'

The protests over Sanjay Leela Bhansali&rsquo;s &lsquo;Padmaavat&rsquo; make&nbsp;his fellow film-maker Vishal Bhardwaj &lsquo;sad and scared&rsquo;. Speaking to the press on the sidelines of the Zee Jaipur Literature Festival, Bhardwaj refused to comment on the film itself as he hasn&rsquo;t seen it yet but on the protests almost urged the governments to act more decisively.

&ldquo;It is a sad thing that Indian films are getting targeted. The scary part is that the protesters are getting away by taking law and order into their own hands. I hope the state becomes more powerful and acts against these people who are breaking the law even after the Supreme Court&rsquo;s intervention,&rdquo; he said.

In allowing the film to be released in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and Haryana - four states where the governments had been in favour of banning the film - the Chief Justice of India Deepak Mishra had said maintaining law and order was the state&rsquo;s responsibility, and a film&rsquo;s release could not be stopped citing risk to public order.

Bhardwaj said the Supreme Court and the Central Board for Film Certification (CBFC) had cleared the film for release and there was no reason to give into violent protests. &ldquo;Even if a billion people are there out on the streets, when the government, the Supreme Court says it (Padmaavat) isn&rsquo;t objectionable, we should not give into protests&hellip; No one has the right to violent protests. School buses with children are being stoned, what kind of protests are these in the land of Gandhi?&rdquo;

In Rajasthan distributors have refused to screen the film - which stars Deepika Padukone, Shahid Kapoor and Ranvir Singh - citing protests across the state. Protestors shut down the Delhi-Jaipur highway on Thursday and the Chittor Fort, which provides the historical backdrop for the film , had to be shut down as members of the Karni Sena tried to enter.

There were other violent protests in many areas in Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh - ostensibly by the Rajput Karni Sena. They believe that the film shows the Rajput queen Padmavati in poor light and distorts history.

The Multiplex Association of India has said its members would not screen the film in Rajasthan, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Goa. The association is said to control over 75 percent of the multiplex screens in the country. 
&nbsp;

Bhardwaj said the Supreme Court and the Central Board for Film Certification (CBFC) had cleared the film for release and there was no reason to give into violent protests.

The protests over Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s ‘Padmaavat’ make his fellow film-maker Vishal Bhardwaj ‘sad and scared’. Speaking to the press on the sidelines of the Zee Jaipur Literature Festival, Bhardwaj refused to comment on the film itself as he hasn’t seen it yet but on the protests almost urged the governments to act more decisively. “It is a sad thing that Indian films are getting targeted. The scary part is that the protesters are getting away by taking law and order into their own hands. I hope the state becomes more powerful and acts against these people who are breaking the law even after the Supreme Court’s intervention,” he said. In allowing the film to be released in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and Haryana - four states where the governments had been in favour of banning the film - the Chief Justice of India Deepak Mishra had said maintaining law and order was the state’s responsibility, and a film’s release could not be stopped citing risk to public order. Bhardwaj said the Supreme Court and the Central Board for Film Certification (CBFC) had cleared the film for release and there was no reason to give into violent protests. “Even if a billion people are there out on the streets, when the government, the Supreme Court says it (Padmaavat) isn’t objectionable, we should not give into protests… No one has the right to violent protests. School buses with children are being stoned, what kind of protests are these in the land of Gandhi?” In Rajasthan distributors have refused to screen the film - which stars Deepika Padukone, Shahid Kapoor and Ranvir Singh - citing protests across the state. Protestors shut down the Delhi-Jaipur highway on Thursday and the Chittor Fort, which provides the historical backdrop for the film , had to be shut down as members of the Karni Sena tried to enter. There were other violent protests in many areas in Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh - ostensibly by the Rajput Karni Sena. They believe that the film shows the Rajput queen Padmavati in poor light and distorts history. The Multiplex Association of India has said its members would not screen the film in Rajasthan, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Goa. The association is said to control over 75 percent of the multiplex screens in the country.

'Padmaavat' protests scare film-maker Vishal Bhardwaj, urges government to act

It was a full house that had turned up to hear Shashi Tharoor talk to poet Arundhati Subramaniam about his latest book &quot;Why am I a Hindu&quot;&nbsp;- the aisles were full, the young and the old, the Indian and International delegates had turned up for what promised to be one of the big draws on Day 3 of the Zee Jaipur Literature Festival.

Tharoor said one of the immediate reasons for writing the book was the growth of &lsquo;political Hinduism&rsquo; and how Hindutva had come to the front-and-centre of the political discourse in India. &ldquo;Hindutva is like Hindu wahabism. It is high time that those of us who are better Hindus than them reclaim Hinduism.&rdquo;

Also read:<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/padmaavat-protests-scare-film-maker-vishal-bhardwaj-urges-governments-to-act-30885"> &#39;</a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/padmaavat-protests-scare-film-maker-vishal-bhardwaj-urges-governments-to-act-30885">Padmaavat</a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/padmaavat-protests-scare-film-maker-vishal-bhardwaj-urges-governments-to-act-30885">&#39; protests scare film-maker </a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/padmaavat-protests-scare-film-maker-vishal-bhardwaj-urges-governments-to-act-30885">Vishal</a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/padmaavat-protests-scare-film-maker-vishal-bhardwaj-urges-governments-to-act-30885"> Bhardwaj, urges government to act</a>

Tharoor said the book quoted liberally from Swami Vivekananda, someone he had read and flowed closely as did it have arguments from people who espoused Hindutva like Deen Dayal Updhyay and VD Savarkar. &ldquo;It became necessary to challenge the notion that the only Hinduism was the Sanghi-Bharti Hinduism. The majority in India are unapologetic about being Hindu but that doesn&rsquo;t come at the expense of belittling other faiths. It is urgent to take back Hinduism because a lot of people are expressing thoughts, condoning actions that Hindus of the ranks of Swami Vivekananda would never approve of.&rdquo;

Tharoor said that the idea of Hindus as &lsquo;seekers of truth&rsquo; appealed to his liberal tenor and says the &rsquo;simple attitude of liberalism finds itself a congenial home in Hinduism&rsquo;.

Also read:<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/conversations-from-the-sidelines-of-zee-jlf-2018-the-best-way-to-deal-with-poverty-is-to-forget-the-poor-30886"> Conversations from the sidelines of ZeeJLF 2018: &#39;The best way to deal with poverty is to forget poor&#39;</a>

&ldquo;Why am I a Hindu? Because I was born one. If you are a Hindu, for the most part, you don&rsquo;t have to think why you are one. Hinduism isn&rsquo;t a faith of black and whites - it is a faith open to questioning.&rdquo; As a 14-year-old growing up in a middle-class family in India, Tharoor says he would see his father perform daily prayers but was never asked to join in. &ldquo;Faith was seen as something between you and your idea of your maker.&rdquo;

Referring to Swami Vivekananda&rsquo;s speech in 1899 at Chicago&rsquo;s World Parliament of Religions, Tharoor said he felt as a Hindu, acceptance is a higher virtue than tolerance. Swami Vivekananda had said: I am proud to belong to a religion which has taught the world both tolerance and universal acceptance. We believe not only in universal toleration, but we accept all religions as true.

&ldquo;Tolerance seems like a virtue but is patronising. It suggests I know what is right but I will indulge in your right to be wrong. Acceptance, on the other hand, suggests &lsquo;I will accept your truth and you accept mine&rsquo;&hellip;&rdquo; Tharoor said.

The two-time Congress MP from Thiruvananthapuram, who has written 16 works of fiction and non-fiction and served as the United Nations for over 30 years said he was conscious of the fact that &ldquo;inevitably you can&rsquo;t get away from the political implications of a member of Parliament publishing this book.&rdquo;

Expressing concern at recent violent protests by fringe groups over Sanjay Leela Bhansali&rsquo;s &quot;Padmaavat&quot;, Tharoor said: &ldquo;If people are going to burn effigies and attack buses of school children just to prevent somebody from expressing his creative freedom, that is something to worry about. If people are willing to immolate themselves for a film they haven&rsquo;t seen, there is something wrong with society.&rdquo;

Tharoor said that the idea of Hindus as ‘seekers of truth’ appealed to his liberal tenor and says the ’simple attitude of liberalism finds itself a congenial home in Hinduism’.

It was a full house that had turned up to hear Shashi Tharoor talk to poet Arundhati Subramaniam about his latest book "Why am I a Hindu" - the aisles were full, the young and the old, the Indian and International delegates had turned up for what promised to be one of the big draws on Day 3 of the Zee Jaipur Literature Festival. Tharoor said one of the immediate reasons for writing the book was the growth of ‘political Hinduism’ and how Hindutva had come to the front-and-centre of the political discourse in India. “Hindutva is like Hindu wahabism. It is high time that those of us who are better Hindus than them reclaim Hinduism.” Also read: 'Padmaavat' protests scare film-maker Vishal Bhardwaj, urges government to act Tharoor said the book quoted liberally from Swami Vivekananda, someone he had read and flowed closely as did it have arguments from people who espoused Hindutva like Deen Dayal Updhyay and VD Savarkar. “It became necessary to challenge the notion that the only Hinduism was the Sanghi-Bharti Hinduism. The majority in India are unapologetic about being Hindu but that doesn’t come at the expense of belittling other faiths. It is urgent to take back Hinduism because a lot of people are expressing thoughts, condoning actions that Hindus of the ranks of Swami Vivekananda would never approve of.” Tharoor said that the idea of Hindus as ‘seekers of truth’ appealed to his liberal tenor and says the ’simple attitude of liberalism finds itself a congenial home in Hinduism’. Also read: Conversations from the sidelines of ZeeJLF 2018: 'The best way to deal with poverty is to forget poor' “Why am I a Hindu? Because I was born one. If you are a Hindu, for the most part, you don’t have to think why you are one. Hinduism isn’t a faith of black and whites - it is a faith open to questioning.” As a 14-year-old growing up in a middle-class family in India, Tharoor says he would see his father perform daily prayers but was never asked to join in. “Faith was seen as something between you and your idea of your maker.” Referring to Swami Vivekananda’s speech in 1899 at Chicago’s World Parliament of Religions, Tharoor said he felt as a Hindu, acceptance is a higher virtue than tolerance. Swami Vivekananda had said: I am proud to belong to a religion which has taught the world both tolerance and universal acceptance. We believe not only in universal toleration, but we accept all religions as true. “Tolerance seems like a virtue but is patronising. It suggests I know what is right but I will indulge in your right to be wrong. Acceptance, on the other hand, suggests ‘I will accept your truth and you accept mine’…” Tharoor said. The two-time Congress MP from Thiruvananthapuram, who has written 16 works of fiction and non-fiction and served as the United Nations for over 30 years said he was conscious of the fact that “inevitably you can’t get away from the political implications of a member of Parliament publishing this book.” Expressing concern at recent violent protests by fringe groups over Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s "Padmaavat", Tharoor said: “If people are going to burn effigies and attack buses of school children just to prevent somebody from expressing his creative freedom, that is something to worry about. If people are willing to immolate themselves for a film they haven’t seen, there is something wrong with society.”

At ZeeJLF 2018, Shashi Tharoor explains what drove him to write 'Why am I a Hindu'

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley in his budget speech announced a flagship national health insurance scheme that will cover about 50 crore people in India. That is the first step in India achieving universal healthcare.

The health coverage of the scheme will be up to Rs 5 lakh per family per year for secondary and tertiary hospitalisation. &quot;We are slowly progressing towards universal health coverage,&quot; Arun Jaitley said in his budget speech, adding that the scheme will be the &quot;world&#39;s largest healthcare programme&quot;.

The government gives Rs 30,000 as health insurance for families in economically weaker sections of society under Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana (RSBY) currently. This amount is grossly insufficient for any surgical procedures.

The government is also going to add 24 government medical colleges or hospitals by upgrading existing district hospitals. The additional hospitals would mean there will be at least one government medical college or hospital in each state and every three parliamentary constituencies.

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said the government will be setting up 1.5 lakh health and wellness centres or community healthcare clinics across India under Bharat Ayushman Programme that will provide treatment for non-communicable diseases. Announcing an allocation of Rs 1200 crore based on the National Health Policy of 2017, the finance minister said: &quot;Only a Swastha Bharat (Healthy India) can be Smriddha Bharat (Prosperous India). Demographic dividend realisation impossible without proper healthcare. We propose to take healthcare protection to a new aspirational level.&quot;

A 600-crore rupee corpus has also been allocated for helping tuberculosis patients. Just as the then Finance Minister Dr Manmohan Singh&#39;s budget in 1991 was seen as the harbinger of economic reforms in India, Arun Jaitley&rsquo;s 110-minute budget speech in 2018 may go down as a shot-in-the-arm for health care in India.

Vinay Sethi, Head-Market Development, Tax &amp; Accounting, Thomson Reuters, South Asia expressed concerns on the implementation of the scheme and said: &quot;One of the key highlights of this budget is the launch of the flagship National Health Protection Scheme to cover 10 crore poor and vulnerable families and provide them up to Rs 5 lakh per family per year in secondary and tertiary care institutions. While this is a welcome development, the Government will have to plan the implementation well as it may cripple the existing limited medical infrastructure in the country. For this initiative to thrive, it is imperative for the Government to rapidly augment high quality medical facilities in the country.&quot;

Public sector accounts for only 30 per cent of the total healthcare expenditure in the country, as compared to 42-58 per cent in Brazil, 58 per cent in China, 52 per cent in Russia, 50 per cent in South Africa, 48 per cent in USA and 83 per cent in UK as per the World Health Organisation (WHO) reports.

In a recent interview to Zee News Digital, eminent sociologist Dipankar Gupta said: &quot;If you have universal health delivery and education and you make the private sector work hard to match that standard, you will do so much for the poor. The best way to solve the problem of poverty is to forget the poor and think society. When you think of education for the poor or health for the poor, you end up with poor health and poor education where you and I will not participate because that is not for us. We&rsquo;re the ones who sign the papers and yet we have no interest in it. So until we get interested, unless it is our business as well and this is not something that is outlandish&hellip; most countries in Western Europe when they started their programmes on universal health and education was when they were at their poorest.&quot;

Perhaps the finance minister was listening in.

India&#39;s total public health spending outlay is around 1.5 per cent of GDP, but this year it has gone up to 54,666 crore rupees - a healthy increase of about 12 per cent over last year&#39;s allocation. This is expected rise to over 2.5% of the GDP by the year 2025.

(With inputs from agencies)

The government is also going to add 24 government medical colleges or hospitals by upgrading existing district hospitals.

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley in his budget speech announced a flagship national health insurance scheme that will cover about 50 crore people in India. That is the first step in India achieving universal healthcare. The health coverage of the scheme will be up to Rs 5 lakh per family per year for secondary and tertiary hospitalisation. "We are slowly progressing towards universal health coverage," Arun Jaitley said in his budget speech, adding that the scheme will be the "world's largest healthcare programme". The government gives Rs 30,000 as health insurance for families in economically weaker sections of society under Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana (RSBY) currently. This amount is grossly insufficient for any surgical procedures. The government is also going to add 24 government medical colleges or hospitals by upgrading existing district hospitals. The additional hospitals would mean there will be at least one government medical college or hospital in each state and every three parliamentary constituencies. Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said the government will be setting up 1.5 lakh health and wellness centres or community healthcare clinics across India under Bharat Ayushman Programme that will provide treatment for non-communicable diseases. Announcing an allocation of Rs 1200 crore based on the National Health Policy of 2017, the finance minister said: "Only a Swastha Bharat (Healthy India) can be Smriddha Bharat (Prosperous India). Demographic dividend realisation impossible without proper healthcare. We propose to take healthcare protection to a new aspirational level." A 600-crore rupee corpus has also been allocated for helping tuberculosis patients. Just as the then Finance Minister Dr Manmohan Singh's budget in 1991 was seen as the harbinger of economic reforms in India, Arun Jaitley’s 110-minute budget speech in 2018 may go down as a shot-in-the-arm for health care in India. Vinay Sethi, Head-Market Development, Tax & Accounting, Thomson Reuters, South Asia expressed concerns on the implementation of the scheme and said: "One of the key highlights of this budget is the launch of the flagship National Health Protection Scheme to cover 10 crore poor and vulnerable families and provide them up to Rs 5 lakh per family per year in secondary and tertiary care institutions. While this is a welcome development, the Government will have to plan the implementation well as it may cripple the existing limited medical infrastructure in the country. For this initiative to thrive, it is imperative for the Government to rapidly augment high quality medical facilities in the country." Public sector accounts for only 30 per cent of the total healthcare expenditure in the country, as compared to 42-58 per cent in Brazil, 58 per cent in China, 52 per cent in Russia, 50 per cent in South Africa, 48 per cent in USA and 83 per cent in UK as per the World Health Organisation (WHO) reports. In a recent interview to Zee News Digital, eminent sociologist Dipankar Gupta said: "If you have universal health delivery and education and you make the private sector work hard to match that standard, you will do so much for the poor. The best way to solve the problem of poverty is to forget the poor and think society. When you think of education for the poor or health for the poor, you end up with poor health and poor education where you and I will not participate because that is not for us. We’re the ones who sign the papers and yet we have no interest in it. So until we get interested, unless it is our business as well and this is not something that is outlandish… most countries in Western Europe when they started their programmes on universal health and education was when they were at their poorest." Perhaps the finance minister was listening in. India's total public health spending outlay is around 1.5 per cent of GDP, but this year it has gone up to 54,666 crore rupees - a healthy increase of about 12 per cent over last year's allocation. This is expected rise to over 2.5% of the GDP by the year 2025. (With inputs from agencies)

Union Budget's 'aha' moment: India takes the first steps towards universal healthcare

Farmers, especially the small and marginal ones, have much to cheer about, in Finance Minister Arun Jaitley&#39;s Union Budget. The government seems to have taken note of the signs of distress in the rural economy and the budget has a slew of measures to address some pressing concerns.

As Arun Jaitley rose for his budget speech to thumping desks from the treasury benches in the Lok Sabha, he espoused the key achievements of his government but soon hit his straps as he rolled out the benefits for the <a href="http://www.wionews.com/business-economy/budget-2018-what-jaitley-announced-for-farmers-agricultural-sector-31429">rural and agriculture sectors</a>.

Reiterating the government&rsquo;s commitment to farmers, the finance minister said minimum support prices for Kharif crops will be one and a half times of the cost of production: &ldquo;If prices are lower than MSP then the government has to ensure there are ways to make sure the farmers receive necessary MSP or an apt price for their products.&nbsp; It is not important to increase the minimum support prices on crops, the farmers should get the benefits of that MSP.&rdquo;

The prime minster has repeatedly stressed on his government&rsquo;s focus on doubling farmers&rsquo; incomes by 2020, and the finance minister announced measures that will help achieve that target. The government will spend 14,34,000 crore rupees (14.34 trillion) in 2018-19 on creating rural infrastructure.

Here are some of the key measures announced:

&bull;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;The government plans to set up an agricultural market fund with corpus of&nbsp; Rs 2,000 crore 
&bull;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;Allocation in food processing sector is being doubled from 750 crore last year to 1400 crore in 2018-19. 
&bull;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;Government proposes to launch Operation Green for which a sum of Rs 500 crore will be allocated. &nbsp; 
&bull;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;State of art facility will be set up in 42 food parks for agri exports 
&bull;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;Extending kisan credit card to fisheries and animal husbandry farmers and allocate Rs 10,000 crore for fisheries &amp; aquaculture, animal husbandry funds. &nbsp;

The Finance Minister also said: &ldquo;Ground water irrigation scheme under Krishi Sinchayi Yojana will be taken up in regions where less than 30% land gets assured irrigation currently. Our focus will be get more and more land under irrigation facilities.&rdquo;

The measures announce indicate that the government has clearly aimed at putting a smile on farmers&rsquo; faces while aiming for faster growth.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.wionews.com/business-economy/hawai-chappal-to-hawai-safar-govt-expands-scope-udan-scheme-in-budget-2018-31444">&#39;Hawai chappal to Hawai&nbsp;</a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/business-economy/hawai-chappal-to-hawai-safar-govt-expands-scope-udan-scheme-in-budget-2018-31444">safar</a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/business-economy/hawai-chappal-to-hawai-safar-govt-expands-scope-udan-scheme-in-budget-2018-31444">&#39;: Govt expands scope UDAN scheme in Budget 2018</a>

Also&nbsp;read:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.wionews.com/business-economy/budget-2018-free-lpg-connection-scheme-to-cover-8-crore-poor-women-says-jaitley-31438">Budget 2018: Free LPG connection scheme to cover 8 crore poor women, says Jaitley</a>

&nbsp;

Reiterating the government’s commitment to farmers, the finance minister said minimum support prices for Kharif crops will be one and a half times of the cost of production.

Farmers, especially the small and marginal ones, have much to cheer about, in Finance Minister Arun Jaitley's Union Budget. The government seems to have taken note of the signs of distress in the rural economy and the budget has a slew of measures to address some pressing concerns. As Arun Jaitley rose for his budget speech to thumping desks from the treasury benches in the Lok Sabha, he espoused the key achievements of his government but soon hit his straps as he rolled out the benefits for the rural and agriculture sectors. Reiterating the government’s commitment to farmers, the finance minister said minimum support prices for Kharif crops will be one and a half times of the cost of production: “If prices are lower than MSP then the government has to ensure there are ways to make sure the farmers receive necessary MSP or an apt price for their products. It is not important to increase the minimum support prices on crops, the farmers should get the benefits of that MSP.” The prime minster has repeatedly stressed on his government’s focus on doubling farmers’ incomes by 2020, and the finance minister announced measures that will help achieve that target. The government will spend 14,34,000 crore rupees (14.34 trillion) in 2018-19 on creating rural infrastructure. Here are some of the key measures announced: • The government plans to set up an agricultural market fund with corpus of Rs 2,000 crore • Allocation in food processing sector is being doubled from 750 crore last year to 1400 crore in 2018-19. • Government proposes to launch Operation Green for which a sum of Rs 500 crore will be allocated. • State of art facility will be set up in 42 food parks for agri exports • Extending kisan credit card to fisheries and animal husbandry farmers and allocate Rs 10,000 crore for fisheries & aquaculture, animal husbandry funds. The Finance Minister also said: “Ground water irrigation scheme under Krishi Sinchayi Yojana will be taken up in regions where less than 30% land gets assured irrigation currently. Our focus will be get more and more land under irrigation facilities.” The measures announce indicate that the government has clearly aimed at putting a smile on farmers’ faces while aiming for faster growth. Also read: 'Hawai chappal to Hawai safar': Govt expands scope UDAN scheme in Budget 2018 Also read: Budget 2018: Free LPG connection scheme to cover 8 crore poor women, says Jaitley

Budget 2018: Finance Minister Arun Jaitley focuses on agriculture, allocates 14.34 trillion rupees for rural infrastructure

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Zee News Rajasthan

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Prasad Sanyal

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