by Editor | Jan 12, 2022 | Entrepreneurship
Maeeshat News Network
Mumbai: Education is the elixir for curing the backwardness of any community. Unfortunately, Muslims in India aren’t so fortunate in this matter due to the lack of requisite attention to it.
It is easy to blame the poverty-stricken Muslim masses for their inability or the unwillingness to educate themselves; however, a large part of the blame should also be shared by our community leaders, privileged and well-off sections and, to an extent, all of us.
We haven’t been able to provide them with enough schools, colleges, and universities so that they unreservedly come forward and seek education to move forward in society.
We have a lesson to learn from other minority groups. Take the example of Jains, who are only 0.40% of the total population of India, but they own a very high percentage of universities and colleges aimed at their education.
Punjabis are another minority group that are not in large numbers- just 1.7% of the Indian population- but you will find numerous schools, colleges, and universities run by them all over the country.
In this scenario, we have no option but to catch up with them by establishing more educational institutions and correcting the ramshackle state of Muslim education.
Hearteningly, this realization has already hit the community, and therefore we can see more modern educational institutions coming up at different places thanks to good Samaritans among Muslims.
One such Samaritan is Maulana Mutiur Rahman, who is moving ahead with his vision of establishing Imam Bukhari University in one of the most backward districts, Kishanganj in Bihar.
“This is a small attempt to serve the community walking on the footprints of Sir Syed Ahmed and Dr Zakir Hussain,” says Mr Rehman referring to two towering personalities who were responsible for establishing Aligarh Muslim University and Jamia Milia Islamia University, respectively.
Maulana Mutiur Rahman is a well-known educationist from Bihar and All India Muslim Personal Law Board member. He heads Tauheed Educational Trust in Kishanganj, founded by his late father Shaikh Abdul Matin in 1988.
The trust has been doing yeoman’s service in the field of Muslim education since its establishment. The trust runs multiple madrasas (including madrasa for girls), schools, Institute for Engineering and Technologies (I.T.I), academies and vocational training centres and more.
Besides education, the trust is also engaged in charity activities providing free health services to the poor and relief works during calamities.
“Imam Bukhari Institute is our long-cherished dream. I am thankful to the Bihar government for granting us the letter of intent. I sincerely believe the university will help equip Muslim youths from the region as well as across the country with higher education to impact their future lives.” Says Mr Rahman.
Mr Rahman has an uphill task in his hand. As per the letter of intent, the trust will have to build at least one lakh square feet structure within two years to launch the university.
Thankfully, the trust has the land. It owns 21-acre land for current requirements and 150-acre land for future projects. All it requires is enough funds for the building and academic facilities.
“Efforts are already underway. We are reaching out to people who can become a part of this journey with their help. We have less time in our hands, but we have tremendous belief in Allah that he will see us through this difficult but noble endeavour,” Mr Rahman added in the end, and we couldn’t stop marvelling at his unwavering optimism.
Appeal to our readers
From our end, we also appeal to our well-meaning readers to come forward and extend their support to Mr Rehman. You can sponsor a building, floor, classroom, or at the least per square feet construction costing you only 1200 INR. Since it is a Waqf project, the area you sponsor will be SadaqatulJariya for you as generations of students study in the university.
For more details contact on: imambukhariuniversity.kne@gmail.com, +91 9065400888
by admin | May 25, 2021 | Corporate, News
Nitish Kumar
CM’s swearing-in ceremony on Monday; BJP names two non-entities from its lot to be deputy chief ministers
Shaheen Nazar | NEW DELHI
Nitish Kumar was elected leader of the NDA Legislature Party in Patna on Sunday, paving way for him to become chief minister of Bihar for the fourth time in a row. His swearing-in ceremony is scheduled for Monday, it was announced following the NDA meeting for which Defence Minister Rajnath Singh specially came from Delhi.
Leaders of four constituent parties of the NDA — JD(U), BJP, HAM(S) and Vikassheel Insaan Party (VIP) attended the meeting to take the “unanimous” decision on Nitish Kumar who is going to create history by becoming chief minister of Bihar for the fourth consecutive term.
Another announcement that followed Nitish’s election is that he is going to have two deputy chief ministers. According to reports, BJP MLAs Tarkishore Prasad and Renu Devi, both non-entities in the party, are going to replace three-term Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi. His stepping aside was in the air ever since the election results came. BJP may shift Bihar’s Modi to Delhi, either accommodating him in the Central government or party organisation.
The fractured Bihar result had left the BJP with no option but to re-elect Nitish as CM. It must be frustrating for the party’s state leadership that despite having 74 MLAs to JD(U)’s 43, they are obliged to remain a junior partner in the NDA government. Nitish knew his unique position. That’s why he preferred to go in slow motion and let the top leadership of BJP speak for him. The result came on 10th of November. He made no statements for the full three days. Then on Friday, he told the media that he has “made no claim on the CM chair, the decision will be taken by NDA.”
According to the Indian Express, senior BJP leaders had to persuade an ‘unwilling’ Nitish to continue as CM. they gave him an assurance that he would have “full independence as before” in running the government.
In a way Nitish is second time lucky. In 2015, too, when he fought in alliance with Lalu Prasad’s Rashtriya Janata Dal, his party got less number of seats than his ally. Still Lalu stick to his pre-poll commitment and made him CM because Lalu was barred by court from holding any constitutional position and his son Tejashwi was then a novice.
Five years later, BJP, too, is in an awkward position. With 74 seats in the 243-seat Assembly, it can’t form a government. Antagonising Nitish would mean pushing him to Tejashwi who is anyway waiting to prey. Senior RJD leader Manoj Jha has already questioned Nitish’s continuation as CM and warned of a “spontaneous” development: “How can someone become chief minister after getting 40 seats? People’s mandate is against him, he is decimated and should decide on it. Bihar will find its alternative, which will be spontaneous. It might take a week, ten days, or a month but it will happen,” he has been quoted by ANI as saying.
The man to be watched in the current scenario is Jitan Ram Manjhi, leader of NDA constituent Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular) which has won four seats. For last 40 years or so the Maha Dalit leader has been a minister in all the governments in Bihar, be it Congress, Lalu or Nitish. In between he has even been chief minister for ten months or so when, after parliamentary election in 2014, Nitish had stepped down taking moral responsibility for the poll debacle. Manjhi has said that he would not join Nitish government. If he really means it, then it’s alarming.
by admin | May 25, 2021 | Corporate, News
Patna: For the ensuing Bihar assembly election, the Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) on Wednesday announced its list of 15 candidates here at a press conference. SDPI is one of the constituents in a newly formed and much talked about political alliance in Bihar that is Progressive Democratic Alliance (PDA) which has 8 partners.
Addressing media persons, M. K. Faizy the National President of SDPI announced the names of candidates in Chanakya Hotel Patna.
He reiterated that all 8 allied parties of PDA are committed to bring a much awaited change in the style of governance in Bihar which is reeking under poverty and backwardness. The alliance PDA which will contest all seats in Bihar assembly election, he added.
Faizy said PDA is all set to bring a political change of Bihar with massive support by the people who are fed up of existing anti people, opportunist, and fascist alliances ruling over the state for the last 30 years without bringing any change to the life of general masses. He said, PDA is committed to the overall development of Bihar and to reinstate the constitutional by means of social justice values.
SDPI leader appealed to the people of Bihar to support PDA and elect its candidates to make Bihar a vibrant and progressive state.
Besides SDPI, Jan Adhikar Party (JAP) of Pappu Yadav, Azad Samaj Party (ASP) of Chandrashekhar Azad Ravan, All India Minority Front (AIMF), Bharatiya Lok Charitha Party (BLCP), Bihar Lok Nirman Dal (BLD), Janatha Congress (JAC), Vanchith Bahujan Aghadi (VBA) are other constituents of the alliance which will take on the ruling NDA led by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and RJD-led Grand Alliance. There is also another alliance of Samajwadi Janata Dal, Assaduddin Owaisi; AIMIM and Upendra Khswah’s VKP and BSP and other political outfits.
Political observers feel that the contest will be tougher this time for the ruling NDA as it is facing an acute anti-incumbency wave while late Ram Vilas Paswan’s LJP, which is fighting elections separately under the tacit backing of the BJP, would eat the votes of ruling JD(U).
SDPI will contest Bihar Shareef, Jokihat, Kishanganj, Kasba Balram pur ,Barari,Jale, Marhoura ,Purnia ,Sadar Mahu,Araria, and Raghunath Pur. Candidates names are Shamim Akhtar ,Mohd. Shabbir Alam, Mahbubur rehman, Nurul haque Munawwar Husain, Nasim Akhtar, Md. Mahboob Alam, Md. Ehsan, Vijay Uraon, Riyaz Ahmed,Qamrul Huda Madani, and Md. Kaif.
Press conference was also addressed by Pappu Yadav- President JAP, Chandershekhar Azad- President ASP, Parkash Ambedkar- President VBA, Mohammad Shafi, National General Secretary, SDPI and Dr. Tasleem Ahmed Rehmani, National Secretary, SDPI.
by admin | May 25, 2021 | News, Opinions
Pappu Yadav (second from left) and other alliance leaders in Patna ( File Photo Courtesy Facebook)
Shams Khan
By Shams Khan |Patna
Even as NDA is battling a strong anti-incumbency wave ahead of Bihar Assembly election the formation of two additional fronts could provide some breather for it. The composition of both the front primarily featuring Yadav, Muslim and Dalits– the constituencies on which the opposition Grand Alliance’s hope depends– suggest some design.
For example, Pappu Yadav’s outfit Jan Adhikar Party stitched an alliance with Dalit leader Chandra Shekhar Azad Raven’s Azad Samaj Party along with Social Democratic Party of India.
Then, Upendra Kushwaha’s Rashtriya Lok Samata Party and Bahujan Samaj Party joined hands with Asaduddin Owaisi’s All India Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul-Muslimeen, Omprakash Rajbhar Suheldev Bhartiya Samaj Party and former Union minister Devendra Prasad Smajwadi Janata Dal Democratic to form Grand Democratic Secular Front.
True, Muslim voters are as politically conscious as any other community of the state. Thus, in spite of leaders like Chandra Shekhar Azad, Pappu Yadav and Assaduddin Owaisi touching their sensibilities, it is highly unlikely that they will vote for these leaders in any sizeable number, considering they do not have a social base.
Yet, apart from their appeal since these leaders are fielding large number of Muslim candidates, it could certainly cause confusion. This is also due to the fact that AIMIM is known for its community-oriented rhetoric. Ironically, the Hyderabad based party goes overboard to blame the Congress and RJD for the backwardness of the community in the state, though the duo has been out of power for the last one and half decades.
What is inherent in this type of Muslim politics is that it causes counter polarisation. Be it in Bihar, Jharkhand and UP and Bihar the AIMIM has got insignificant number of votes, yet the party has succeeded in pushing a large number of neutral majority community votes towards the BJP.
“Our objective is to poach away as much Muslim vote as possible as we know they would primarily be voting for RJD and its allies. Even if we get success in tucking away 10-15%votes, it would cost Grand Alliance dearly and consequently will ease the way of NDA” a Janata Dal United leader privately revealed the strategy of his party to this correspondent.
JDU has given tickets to 11 Muslims candidates therefore it is clear that the party is going along with its plan. What is important to note here is that despite strong prevailing anger of common Muslims towards JDU after the party supported the Citizenship Amendment Bill a section of religious leadership have been still showing their loyalty towards chief minister Nitish Kumar.
Similarly, efforts are on by all the alliances to woo Yadav voters by giving tickets to a sizeable number of candidates of this caste. Though JDU has given tickets to 19 Yadav’s yet it is expected that the votes of this caste will overwhelmingly go for RJD.
If even a small amount of Muslim and Yadav get scatter it may spoil the prospect of GA in some constituencies, where the battle is very tough.
Independent political observers fear that the scattering of Muslim votes may in the long run decrease the electoral importance of the community in the state.
Shams Khan is a Patna based journalist and associated with https://www.thenewsweb.in
by admin | May 25, 2021 | Opinions
DGP Gupteshwar Pandey
By Syed Ali Mujtaba
‘Dabang,’ Salman Khan starrer movie character Chulbul Pandey is reincarnated in Bihar and the protagonist being Gupteshwar Pandey, the current Director General of Police, Bihar.
Playing Chulbul Pandey in real life, Gupteshwar Pandey, is hogging national media limelight for his proactive statements in response to actor Sushant Singh Rajput’s death by suicide on 14 June 2020 in Mumbai. The case is now being investigated by the CBI after Bihar government’s recommendation and Supreme Court’s stamp of approval.
After Julio Ribeiro and KPS Gill, Gupteshwar Pandey is the first police officer to gain media limelight for an inconsequential actor’s suicide death. Pandey is seen on TV debating on Rajput’s death and media channels making him Chulbul Pandey, manufacturing consent for the Dabang Cop.
Republic TV, has given Pandey some 20 minutes of prime time in a TV debate where Pandey eulogized Sushant Singh Rajput as son of Bihar (‘Bihar ka beta‘).
Anyone who had watched the police officer’s comments on Republic TV, could make out that the police officer is making the actor’s death an excuse to promote his political future now in a uniformed way of life.
In the TV show, Gupteshwar Pandey really personified Dabang’s Chulbul Pandey, a serving IPS officer who had qualified the distinguished Civil Service exam.
After the Bihar government recommended a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) inquiry into Sushant’s case, the Bihar DGP gave some sharp statements against late Sushant Singh Rajput’s girlfriend Rhea Chakraborty. His irresponsible statement created a war of words on social media.
Gupteshwar Pandey commented that Rhea Chakraborty does not have ‘aukat’ (stature) to comment on the Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar. His statement left many flummoxed, some supporting him, others slamming him for his ‘masculine’ mentality. Later Pandey apologized for his comment saying his words were being misinterpreted. Nonetheless, such publicity gained Pandey into national limelight.
The career of Gupteshwar Pandey has seen several bizarre incidents, which are now tumbling out of the closet alongside his ‘Dabang’ image.
The first, being his political ambition. On March 14, 2009, Gupteshwar Pandey took voluntary retirement, under the Voluntary Retirement Scheme (VRS). He then served as Inspector General (security) to contest Lok Sabha election on the BJP ticket from Buxar.
However, he could not get the ticket and then he decided to return to the IPS fold, and applied for reinstatement into service. His application was immediately accepted by the Bihar government that reinstated him in service in November 2009, and he returned back to cadre without any publicity.
This is the “rarest of rare cases” in the history of civil servants’ career and such aberration obviously happened due to political lobbying behind the scene.
After that our Chulbul Pandey is reported to have got involved in the ‘Navaruna abduction and murder case’ in 2012 in Muzaffarpur. Then serving as Additional Director General of Police (ADG) Pandey, led the investigation of a 12-year Bengali girl Navaruna’s abduction and murder case.
The case was later transferred to CBI who questioned the investigation officer along with two other police officers in this case. This case took a new twist when deceased Navaruna’s father alleged that Gupteshwar Pandey had connived with the land mafia who wanted to occupy his house and land and had kidnapped his daughter for ransom.
Pandey refuted such allegation and issued a statement that one Hemant Kumar (a habitual eve teaser) and Abhishek Ranjan, (a RTI activist) had falsely implicated him in this case.
Pandey said he had arrested Hemant Kumar and made him an example for other such eve teaser, who had made such allegations to tarnish his image. The Navaruna case that was much talked about in the media in Bihar is still being investigated and there is no sight in closure of this case.
Even the appointment of Gupteswar Pandey as DGP last January is mired in controversy. He superseded three senior police officers running for the post. It’s obvious that he was BJP’s choice, and Bihar’s Chief Minister Nitish Kumar justified his appointment saying the top Cop had done a commendable job in executing the liquor prohibition drive in the state.
Surprisingly, in reality, Gupteswar Pandey is a “JSR” poster boy. He flaunts his religious Brahmin identity in public, wearing a tilak and tik (small ponytail) in uniform. He propagates Sanatan Dharma ideology writing opinion pieces for a news portal in Bihar. He is also a trustee of the Shri Garibnath Temple Trust Committee of Muzaffarpur, and the Hariharnath temple of Sonpur. He has posted an image of Lord Ram on his Facebook page on August 5, 2020. In sum, Pandey is a BJP template in Khaki.
The DGP has become a hero in Bihar after Sushant’s suicide in Mumbai. He is seeing an opportunity in the actor’s death. In the TV debates, the way Pandey has glorified Sushant Singh Rajput, as if Bihar is short of heroes and needs an underrated Bollywood celebrity to pump up the state’s image.
The way Gupteswar Pandey is collecting media limelight in the investigation of actor Sushant Singh Rajput; it appears that he is building a publicity campaign for him to contest the upcoming election in Bihar.
This is something most plausible for the future of Dabang Pandey who retires in February 2021. The rumor is rife that the Bihar top cop may resign earlier than the due date of his retirement and contest forthcoming state election.
Earlier, after an unsuccessful attempt to enter politics in 2009, Pandey could not muster enough courage to enter the electoral fray. But now when his retirement is approaching in 2021, he is clearly focusing on his image building exercise.
The way he is engaging the media in the Sushant Singh case proves the point that Bihar’s top cop is the real Chulbul Pandey of the movie ‘Dabang’.
Tailpiece: This report is prepared from the published sources without any intention of ‘character dhela hai approach.’
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Syed Ali Mujtaba is a journalist based in Chennai. He can be contacted at syedalimujtaba2007@gmail.com
