Arun Jaitley holds a press conference after the BJP Parliamentary review meet on the Bihar debacle ends.


Jaitley said the senior leadership in the party had met to discuss and debate the reasons behind the Bihar loss and believes that the alliance unity (the coming together of the JD-U, RJD and the Congress to form the Mahagathbandhan) was the biggest cause. "After detailed analysis we've observed that vote transferability of the Grand Alliance was quite good and had a major impact on the Bihar elections," he said. 


He said that the party does not t believe that RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat's remark on quota was the reason and the Alliance's campaign on the quota issue was incorrect. "Our stand on reservation is clear. RSS also thinks on that line. We've accepted the concept of reservation based on social consideration, that's also the stand of the RSS and there should be no cause for confusion," Jaitley said.


Jaitley was quick to shield Narendra Modi from blame, saying when it comes to accountability in a election, a party collectively wins or loses elections.


When asked if the BJP would act against divisive leaders and the fringe in the BJP, Jaitley says it wasn't discussed.


He said the BJP accepts the challenge and will work as a strong Opposition in Bihar and promised to abide by its commitment on aid. "The Centre will offer all help for the development of Bihar. We hope the new govt in Bihar will deliver as well," he said.

Clearly, the BJP has not learnt its lessons after Bihar.


The Opposition BJP has announced the boycott of Karnataka government's birth anniversary celebrations of the 18th century legendary king Tipu Sultan tomorrow, stating that the king was a "religious bigot".


"It's a total boycott on our part, no public representative from our party at any level should participate in the official function," state BJP President Prahlad Joshi said. Describing Tipu Sultan as a "fanatic" and "anti-Kannada", he said, "....we have 44 legislators, and it is a practice that wherever such events are organised local legislator presides over it. We have instructed our legislators that they should not preside over this event, they should not go on the dais."


"As the party state President, I'm giving this instruction to all our party public representatives through the media. We will also be sending this instruction through all our district presidents and zonal office bearers," he told reporters at Hubballi in north Karnataka.

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley today said BJP's electoral drubbing in Bihar will not impact economy or the reforms programme and the government will go ahead with the process of enacting Goods and Services Tax (GST) law.


"I don't see it as a setback to the economy... structural reforms will continue. They should continue at a rapid pace," he said and expressed the hope that JD(U) would support the Constitutional amendment bill to roll out the long-pending GST as the new tax structure would benefit Bihar.


About reforms, Jaitley told television channels that government would continue them by taking executive actions and also in the Budget, which would be announced in February next year. To a question of the pending GST bill, he hoped that Bihar would support the legislation because as a consuming state it would benefit from the new indirect tax legislation.


"Bihar and JD(U) had supported this in the Lower House...If Nitish Kumar, as a responsible leader, has been elected on the plank of development, then certainly he wants more revenue for Bihar,....," Jaitley said.


The government had planned to roll out GST from April 1, 2016 but the Constitution Amendment Bill is stuck in the Rajya Sabha where the ruling NDA does not have a majority. Once rolled out, it will subsume various levies like excise, service tax, sales tax, octroi, etc, and ensure a single indirect tax regime for the entire country


Stating that GST roll out is a "matter of time, Jaitley said the "obstructionist" position of the Congress would not continue for long as the country's mood is reform oriented.


On whether he would talk to Nitish Kumar for supporting GST, he said, "I don't see any reason, why just because he is in alliance with the Congress at the moment, he will...change his position. If he changes his position, then I will have to explain this and I am quite certain, as a responsible leader, that will not happen".

A day after the NDA was defeated in the Bihar elections, Prime Minister Narendra Modi found himself unwelcome in the UK where he is scheduled to land on November 12.


On Sunday evening, Indians in Britain projected the words


"Modi not welcome" on the Houses of Parliament building to lodge their protest against Modi's upcoming visit. The protest against Modi's UK visit is being led by the Awaaz Network which has been mobilising people to join them in a protest planned for the day Modi will speak at the British Parliament. Read more

Kailash Vijayvargiya, BJP on Shatrughan Sinha: Jab gaadi chalti hai, kutta niche chalta hai, kutta samajhta hai gaadi mere bharose chal rahi hai.

The CBI is likely to file in court this month its chargesheet against the three arrested accused, including Indrani Mukerjea, in the sensational Sheena Bora murder case.


Besides 43-year-old Indrani, her former husband Sanjeev Khanna and her driver Shyamvar Rai are accused in the case. While Indrani, mother of Sheena, and Rai were arrested on August 25, Khanna was held the next day. "As per the provisions of Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), we have to file the charge sheet in the case within 90 days of the arrest of the accused, otherwise the accused are eligible for a default bail," said a CBI official. "We have prepared a watertight case and the charge sheet will include the statements of witnesses, statements of certain witnesses recorded before magistrate (which they cannot retract), call data records, DNA samples, besides other documents," the official said. A court here had on November 7 extended the trio's judicial custody till November 20. The court also allowed CBI to interrogate the accused in jail till November 17. Indrani, Khanna and Rai were arrested on charges of murdering 24-year-old Sheena and disposing of her body at a Raigad forest in April 2012, about 84 kms from Mumbai. Sheena was allegedly strangled in a car, then her body was burnt before being dumped in the forest. Indrani was recently hospitalised after her platelet count dipped drastically. However, doctors at J J hospital had later made it clear that she had not contracted dengue, as suspected.

Angad Paul, son of non-resident Indian industrialist Lord Swraj Paul, has died after falling from his penthouse home in central London on Sunday.


Angad, 45, was CEO of Caparo group, which was founded by his father. He suffered massive injuries after falling eight storeys. He was pronounced dead by paramedics who rushed to the scene.


The London police said that it was inquiring into the circumstances of the incident but Angad's death was being treated as non-suspicious at this stage.


His death comes in the backdrop of a crisis facing Caparo, which has been hit by a collapse in steel prices, forcing 16 of its companies to be put into administration, a process that is an alternative to liquidation. Angad married media lawyer Michelle Bonn 10 years ago.


The Caparo group encompasses 40 companies employing 10,000 people worldwide including India and has a turnover of over one billion pounds a year.


Its interests include manufacture of car components and steel pipes, hotels and hospitality. Several other projects include manufacture of superfast cars, films and design. Angad was executive producer of a hit movie 'Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels'.

Just in: PM Narendra Modi arrives at the BJP Parliamentary meet to review the humiliating defeat in Bihar. Modi called the meeting with a group of 12 senior leaders, to discuss the impact of its mammoth defeat in Bihar.


This morning, BJP president Amit Shah told RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat that his remarks on quota did not have a negative effect on the polls. He said the reason for the debacle was because the party failed to project a backward leader in Bihar.


Meanwhile, BJP ally Jitan Ram Manjhi (who kept his seat) blamed Mohan Bhagwat for the poor showing at the polls saying the RSS chief should not have made the quota remark at such a crucial time.

"The BJP should realise that a very large number of people -- from the 'perfumed liberals' to the 'illiterate' masses of Bihar -- is trying to tell them that this is not the 'development' they wanted. Stop telling people what to eat, what to wear, what to read, who to love and how not to show dissent," says Mango Indian. Read

Even for Internet standards this is a new low.


Former union minister Arun Shourie told NDTV that he has been the target of severe abuse online by BJP supporters ever since he turned a critic of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.


Shourie, a one-time admirer of Modi, also said that the BJP supporters did not even spare his son, who has cerebral palsy.


"If you gave me an opportunity to read the kind of abuse that has been hurled at me and my handicapped son, your viewers will be horrified," Shourie told NDTV, citing one such insensitive remark. "They wrote, 'Iska mental son hai, woh aur bhi mental banega.' These damned fools are followed by the PM on the social media," he said.


A visibly upset Mr Shourie made the remarks during a discussion on the perception that the BJP's election campaign in Bihar was negative and often divisive. "The result of this election has been that the direction the country was being hurled, which was division, which was abuse, has been blocked by the people of Bihar."


Shourie also said that several of these 'influencers' were abusive on Twitter, and that despite their continuing  abuse, the PM followed them on the micro-blogging site.


Read what Shourie said about the BJP here

Hedy Lamarr, the actress and inventor in today's Google doodle, is credited as acting the first female orgasm to be shown in a non-pornographic film.  Read more

Bihari babus meet a day after the Bihar results.

Parliament to have a special two-day sitting on November 26 and 27 to discuss the Indian Constitution and BR Ambedkar's contribution to the nation.

With the resurgence of the One Rank One Pension (OROP) row, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar on Monday said that every one had the right to put forth their demand in a democracy, but that did not mean that 'every demand' could be satisfied.


"Look, we have fulfilled the main one rank one pension demand including the VRS. This is a democracy and one has the right to put forth their demand, but they can't expect it to be fulfilled every time. You fulfil one demand and another one springs up," Parrikar said today.

Veteran actor Rishi Kapoor certainly has a sense of humour. @chintskap  posts this picture and tweets: "Wishing all a very Happy Dhanteras!"

After meeting Nitish Kumar, BJP MP Shatrughan Sinha will now meet RJD Chief Lalu Prasad Yadav.

Leaving Bihar CM Nitish Kumar's residence after a brief meeting, rebel BJP MP Shatrughan Sinha is generous with his praise. "After Jyoti Basu, Nitish Kumar is the most respected politician. Nitish is the tallest man in Bihar and the most successful CM," Sinha who has been miffed after being sidelined said. When asked if he had been sent any feelers by the BJP top brass about the likely action against him for his jibes against his party, Sinha said, "I have not made any anti-party statement, but I cannot stop anyone from taking action against me. I believe local BJP leaders gave wrong information to PM Modi."

The BCCI has also removed Roger Binny as part of its measures to ensure there is not conflict of interest. Binny's son Stuart is part of the Indian cricket team. 

Shashank Manohar will replace N Srinivasan as the ICC chairman. Srinivasan was removed from his post as ICC chairman at a Annual General Meeting in Mumbai today. With this, Srinivasan's association with international cricket comes to an end. Manohar will remain chairmane till June 2016.


Srinivasan has been a controversial figure ever since his alleged conflict of interest as the BCCI boss and an Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise owner came to light, followed by the ugly IPL spot-fixing and betting case in 2013, which found his son-in-law, Gurunath Meiyappan, guilty.
The BCCI has also passed a motion to amend its constitution to end conflict of interest issues.

And its not just Shatrughan Sinha, the BJP has to look into the rumblings of dissatisfaction within the party quickly before it turns into a roar.


Party MP Hukumdev Narayan Yadav today said RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat's quota comments "agitated" backward castes who rallied around the grand alliance and asserted that many who voted for the Modi government are not RSS supporters.


A five-time Lok Sabha MP from Bihar with a socialist background, Yadav said Bhagwat's suggestion for a review of reservation was "ill-timed" and "agitated" backward castes and Dalits.


"The Party should analyse why backward castes voted solidly for the grand alliance. What Bhagwatji said agitated voters from backward castes and Dalits," he told PTI.


Asked if the beef controversy also hurt BJP's prospects, Yadav said only a thorough analysis by the top brass could shed light on it. "Not everybody who voted for the Modi government agrees with the views of RSS or is its supporter. The party and government at the Centre should be sensitive to their sentiments too," he said.


Yadav, who was a minister in the previous NDA government, said Bhagwat's intentions may have been right and he merely wanted an academic debate over the issue but the timing of his comments was wrong.


"It was ill-timed." He, however, said party chief Amit Shah's controversial comments that firecrackers will go off in Pakistan if BJP lost the election has been proved right as he noted that Pakistani media was taking digs at the party after the loss. Hinting that polarising Hindus may not work all the time, he said Hindus put castes above religion "unlike Muslims who put religion before other issues".

Goodbye BJP, hello JD-U, for Shatrughan Sinha?


The BJP MP, who has openly critical about his party, met the Bihar CM at this residence today.


Yesterday, as the BJP's fortunes in the state crashed, Sinha sent out a series of tweets:

"It appears the issue of Bihari vs Bahari (and Bihari Babu's absence) has been settled once and for all," he tweeted, following it up with "Wishing great luck to our victorious friends and appealing for introspection to our people. The writing was always on the wall".


Once among the BJP's star campaigners, Sinha has been sidelined by the party leadership. He has often taken potshots at the party for the way it has conducted the campaign in Bihar.


Nitish Kumar had made "Bihari vs Bahri" one of his main campaign themes, terming Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP chief Amit Shah, two most prominent NDA campaigners, as outsiders as he asked people to choose him, a Bihari.


Sinha sent out four tweets hours before the Bihar election results were official. Speaking to TV channels Sinha also said, "I'm sad my party has not done well, we could have done better. I was not part and parcel this time (for campaign). I was left out of the campaign. Accountability must be fixed."
 
He also tweeted, "The call of the day is introspection, modified and better strategy, teamwork and coordination in the future. Salute once again to Biharis."

The BJP will also discuss Sinha's continuous jibes at the party at the Parliamentary Board meeting.

RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat is meeting President Pranab Mukherjee today.  This meeting assumes significance in the backdrop of the Bihar election results where the BJP's divisive politics ensured a stunning defeat. However, the RSS says the meeting is simply a courtesy call and is held once in two months.


BJP president Amit Shah, PM Modi and the BJP top brass are also slated to meet Bhagwat to discuss the poll debacle in Bihar.

BJP MP Shatrughan Sinha leaves to meet Bihar CM Nitish Kumar at his residence in Patna.


Yesterday, Sinha hit out at his party, and called the JD(U)-RJD win a victory for democracy and the people of Bihar. "I salute them," he said after the Grand Alliance achieved an emphatic win in Bihar.


"It appears that the issue of Bihari vs Bahari (and Bihari Babu's absence) has been settled once and for all," Shatrughan Sinha said.


Wishing luck to "victorious friends" and appealing for introspection within his own party, Sinha said, "the writing was always on the wall."


Earlier today, BJP general secretary P Murlidhar Rao, making evident the party's displeasure with its own partymen, said, "RK Singh and Shatrughan Sinha have betrayed us, action should be taken against them."

The winter session of Parliament set to start from November 26. The Modi government was looking at this session to pass critical bills like the GST had it won Bihar. But with such a humiliating defeat, it seems unlikely given that the government still remains vulnerable in the Rajya Sabha. Moreover, with the Bihar win, a resurgent Congress may be even more aggressive in the Lok Sabha. 


The monsoon session of Parliament, which saw protests between the government and the opposition, was a complete washout. It was marked by sloganeering by the Congress party and a war of words between Sushma Swaraj and Rahul Gandhi. The Centre's most important reform bill, the Goods and Services Tax bill, remained in the Upper House without it being passed.

Sweets being distributed outside Nitish Kumar's residence as the Mahagathbandhan celebrates a stunning 178-seat win.

Ravi Shastri removed from IPL's Governing Council: ANI

The cream and blue gates at 7, Circular Road, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's official residence, can barely hold his supporters at bay. A day after the Bihar poll results that ushered in Vikas Purush, as the CM is called for balancing development with social justice in the state, for a third term, the celebrations in the capital, Patna, continue.


The victory, say those gathered outside Nitish's home, was as grand as the Grand Alliance. The crowd is a mix of women, young boys and senior citizens.

While the aam aadmi had to wait outside his home in a disorderly queue, the VIPs and VVIPs were ushered inside the thinly guarded house.


Rashid Khan, a BTech in Computer Science has travelled 250 km from Bhahua to meet Nitish. "Nitish jaisa aur koi Vikas Purush Bihar main hai hi nahi aaj ki tareekh main," he said when asked what attracts him towards the Kurmi leader.

-- Prasanna D Zore/Rediff.com in Patna

A day after Bihar threw BJP out and voted for the Mahagathbandhan to a huge majority in the Assembly election, RJD chief Lalu Yadav today lauched a blistering attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Speaking to reporters in a press conference in Patna, Lalu called Modi as Sangh (RSS) pracharak.

Highlights...

"The people of Bihar have understood PM Modi's nefarious designs. He is working to disintegrate the country, but people in Bihar rejected his motives and voted Mahagathbandhan to power.


"This mandate indicates towards sweeping changes in national politics.
I will campaign across the country against Modi.


"Nitish Kumar will rule here and I will camp in Varanasi and Delhi to throw out communal, fascist forces from the country.


"Modi is only campaigning abroad and not focussing on governance.
Narendra Modi has degraded the office of the prime minister. Modi only makes tall statements, he has done nothing since becoming the PM.


He promised achche din, but the country is passing through one of its darkest days. People are best judge, they called me chaara chor and abused me during election campaign. People of Bihar have replied to them.

BREAKING NEWS: Myanmar's ruling party USDP concedes defeat to Aung San Suu Kyi's NLD in historic election.


As the count began in earnest, early indications were of an "80 per cent" turnout, according to Union Election Commission deputy director Thant Zin Aung -- a figure the opposition believe favours their bid for a majority. Thousands of supporters -- many decked out in the red of Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD) -- gathered outside the party's Yangon headquarters in the hope of some indication of victory from Suu Kyi.

Bihar has spoken and the BJP has lost an election that it had staked a lot on and thrown everything at. It had used its trump card Modi extensively, it had used the Amit Shah brand of the detail -- oriented tactical campaign mounted with granular finesse, it had thrown the cow and the politics of religious polarization in for good measure, and it has come up spectacularly short. Read more

India today test-fired its nuclear-capable strategic ballistic missile Agni-IV, capable of hitting a target at a distance of 4,000 kms, from a test range off the Odisha coast as part of a user trial by the armed forces.


Supported by a mobile launcher, the sleek missile was flight tested from the launch complex-4 of Integrated Test Range (ITR) at Abdul Kalam Island, formerly known as Wheeler Island, at about 0945 hours, defence sources said.

While it was a big day for Bihar in particular and the nation at large, another very important election was held in Myanmar yesterday with vote counting today.


PTI reports that counting is well underway today following a massive turnout that could see Aung San Suu Kyi's party catapulted to power and the end of decades of military control. Millions had queued the previous day to cast their ballots in an event heavy with history and filled with emotion.


As the count began in earnest, early indications were of an "80 per cent" turnout, according to Union Election Commission deputy director Thant Zin Aung -- a figure the opposition believe favours their bid for a majority. Thousands of supporters -- many decked out in the red of Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD) -- gathered outside the party's Yangon headquarters in the hope of some indication of victory from Suu Kyi.


But the woman known affectionately as "The Lady" did not appear. Instead NLD official Tin Oo read a message from the party's figurehead. "I urge you to wait for the result from your own homes," he said, adding:  "When the result comes out, I want you to accept it calmly."


Chanting "Amay (Mother) Suu must win, NLD must win!", the crowd began to thin as the evening wore on with no result in sight. More than 30 million people were eligible to vote in Myanmar's freest election for a generation. The NLD believes a fair vote will power it into government after a decades-long struggle against army dictatorship.


But Nobel Laureate Suu Kyi is barred from the presidency by the army-scripted constitution and the NLD faces an uphill struggle because a quarter of seats are still reserved for the military.

What is Change really like in Bihar?

Once denounced as a failed state, what turnaround has Bihar made in recent years?


As Nitish Kumar wins a third term in office, we republish Archana Masih/Rediff.com's report -- first published on May 24, 2013 -- documenting the changes in Bihar after the chief minister took charge. Read

If you have time for just one read today, let it be this. Mukul Kesavan rips into TV channel pundits and trashes their fiefdom. Read

Shekhar Gupta @ShekharGupta tweets: As @NDTV exit poll put NDA ahead @_YogendraYadav slipped this scribble to me & I, incorrigible reporter, pocketed it.


Yadav, a former AAP member and a psephologist (not necessarily in that order) got it right even as NDTV called the elections in BJP's favour.

BJP president Amit Shah to meet RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat to discuss the poll debacle in Bihar. PM Modi likely to attend as are the BJP top brass. 


BJP general secretary Ram Madhav yesterday denied that Modi's popularity is waning, but said, "We try to learn from every election. Give us some time. We will take corrective measures."


However, party MP Chandan Mitra wrote in a column, "It seems that the low-key GA (grand alliance) campaign and its decision to project soft-spoken Nitish Kumar as chief ministerial candidate did the trick, with voters rejecting the high-pitched BJP campaign crafted by party president Amit Shah."


The NDA won 58 seats as compared to the Mahagathbandhan's 178.

Dr Prannoy Roy's open letter on NDTV's decision to call the Bihar elections in BJP's favour and for getting the exit poll wrong.

Dr Roy writes...


"Let me start with an explanation and an apology. Now, for over more than 30 years, NDTV has tried to be the hallmark of election news and analysis.

With exit polls and opinion polls, we always made the point even when we get it spot on that there are statistical errors that shouldn't make them be taken too seriously. You get it right, you get it wrong sometimes that's the life of a pollster.

This year, for example, all across the world, polls have had a very bad year. Greece they got it wrong, United Kingdom - they got it wrong, Turkey - they've got it wrong. And in the last US presidential elections, the great Gallup Poll got it wrong.

The last time we made an error as big as this was about 32 years ago when NT Rama Rao won with a landslide. Since then we've never made such a big - we've made errors - but not as big as this one.

This time, like before, we tried our best with a large sample size and we went to every single constituency - which meant we didn't have to convert votes into seats. The sample, the poll was just taken directly. But the data from the fieldwork agency, normally a very reliable agency, was incorrect and this happens. And we are looking into why this went wrong. In any case, we take responsibility and we sincerely apologize.

Secondly, on every Counting Day, like today, all news channels get data from one agency. Again, a very globally respected agency. This morning, the first data that came in to all news channels was completely wrong. Our trend analysis was based on this data like it has been for 35 years - it's never been wrong so far.

We showed the BJP ahead - that's what the data showed. The data, unfortunately, turned out to be incorrect. All news channels had to change their data half-way. Now, this has never happened before. And we've asked the agency for an explanation and we've heard from them that they are going to write and explain what went wrong once they look into the errors.

So we apologize to you, our viewers, for the confusion that was caused. For NDTV, and for me, our aim is always to try to bring you the most objective and accurate news as quickly as possible. So, thank you for trusting us and staying with us."

Following the Mahagthbandhan's victory in the Bihar assembly elections yesterday, a Rashtriya Janata Dal supporter, who was celebrating the win, was beaten to death in Navada village near Arrah, Bihar by unknown men.

On Sunday, as Nitish Kumar and Lalu Prasad Yadav posed for the cameras, hugging each other, beaming from ear to ear, the question that everyone was asking was: can the two men who have together scripted this unbelievable victory stay together? Or will personal ambitions come in their way? Clearly conscious of the existence of these doubts, the two men -- now both in their 60s -- were at pains to address them.

BJP's Parliamentary Board, its top decision-making body, will meet today to analyse its rout in Bihar assembly polls, a second humiliating defeat in a row for the party after Delhi assembly election. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to attend the meet in which almost all top party leaders, including its chief Amit Shah, will be present.

Narayanswami Srinivasan has been removed from the International Cricket Council chairman's position. New BCCI chief Shashank Manohar is set to take Srinivasan's place and complete India's two-year term which is till next June. The decision was taken at the BCCI's Annual General Meeting. 

Attributing the NDA's defeat in Bihar assembly elections to 'huge index of opposition unity', Finance Minister Arun Jaitley today said it will not impact the economic reforms process. "I don't see it as a setback to the economy... structural reforms will continue. They should continue at a rapid pace," he said. Admitting that some irresponsible statements by certain BJP functionaries during the course of elections did change the narrative, Jaitley said the "index of opposition unity" was one of the biggest factors that led to the victory of the Mahagathbandhan in the Bihar assembly elections.

The Congress has suspended former Telangana MP Sircilla Rajaiah. The former lawmaker has been arrested for his alleged role in the death of his daughter-in-law and three grandsons. 

Nestle India announces Maggi noodles back in market. In a statement, Nestle India's CMD Suresh Narayanan said, "Delighted to hand over Maggi noodles to consumers to whom it belongs." 

After the severe mauling in the Bihar assembly elections, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to drop non-performing ministers from his cabinet, sources said. The reshuffle is likely to take place after his foreign tour. The PM could use Bihar poll debacle as an excuse for the reshuffle. According to the sources, Modi has been planning a reshuffle from quite some time. 

Over a thousand kilometres away from the early Diwali in Patna, a tiny village, which may have unintentionally played a decisive role in the outcome of Bihar assembly elections, quietly voiced its approval of the results.