www.Asia Times.US NRI Global Edition Email: [email protected] March 2016 Vol 7, Issue 3 Cricket World Cup begins Mar 8 Schedule on page-3 Indian Team: Pakistan Team: Shahid Afridi (c), Anwar Ali, Ahmed Shehzad MS Dhoni (capt, wk), Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Mohammad Hafeez Bangladesh Team: Sharma, Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, Yuvraj Shoaib Malik, Mohammad Irfan Squad: Tamim Iqbal, Soumya Sarkar, Moham- Singh, Suresh Raina, R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Sharjeel Khan, Wahab Riaz mad Mithun, Shakib Al Hasan, Mushfiqur Ra- Mohammed Shami, Harbhajan Singh, Jasprit Mohammad Nawaz, Muhammad Sami him, Sabbir Rahman, Mashrafe Mortaza (capt), Bumrah, Pawan Negi, Ashish Nehra, Hardik Khalid Latif, Mohammad Amir Mahmudullah Riyad, Nasir Hossain, Nurul Pandya. Umar Akmal, Sarfraz Ahmed, Imad Wasim Hasan, Arafat Sunny, Mustafizur Rahman, Al- Amin Hossain, Taskin Ahmed and Abu Hider. Australia Team: Steven Smith (c), David Warner (vc), Ashton Agar, Nathan Coulter-Nile, James Faulkner, Aaron Finch, John Hastings, Josh Hazlewood, Usman Khawaja, Mitchell Marsh, Glenn Max- well, Peter Nevill (wk), Andrew Tye, Shane Watson, Adam Zampa England: Eoin Morgan (c), Alex Hales, Ja- Asia Times is Globalizing son Roy, Joe Root, Jos Buttler, James Vince, Ben Now appointing Stokes, Moeen Ali, Chris Jordan, Adil Rashid, David Willey, Steven Finn, Reece Topley, Sam Bureau Chiefs to represent Billings, Liam Dawson New Zealand Team: Asia Times in ALL cities Kane Williamson (c), Corey Anderson, Trent Worldwide Boult, Grant Elliott, Martin Guptill, Mitchell McClenaghan, Nathan McCullum, Adam Milne, including Chicago Colin Munro, Henry Nicholls, Luke Ronchi, Mitchell Santner, Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee, Ross Taylor South Africa: Faf du Plessis (c), Kyle Ab- NO Commitments bott, Hashim Amla, Farhaan Behardien, Quin- ton de Kock, AB de Villiers, JP Duminy, Imran NO obligations Tahir, David Miller, Chris Morris, Aaron Phan- giso, Kagiso Rabada, Rilee Rossouw, Dale Steyn, David Wiese Asia Times ID will be issued Sri Lanka: Lasith Malinga (c), Angelo Mathews, Dinesh Chandimal, T M Dilshan, Attend Events Niroshan Dickwella, Shehan Jayasuriya, Milinda Siriwardena, Dasun Shanaka, Chamara Kapuge- Meet and Greet Celebrities dara, Nuwan Kulasekera, Dushmantha Cha- meera, Thisara Perera, Sachithra Senanayake, Boost your Social life Rangana Herath, Jeffrey Vandersay Your name and picture will be shown in the Publisher Details Section West Indies: Darren Sammy (c), Samuel Badree, Sulieman Benn, Carlos Brathwaite, Dwayne Bravo, Johnson Charles, Andre Fletch- To be considered Contact er, Chris Gayle, Jason Holder, Ashley Nurse, [email protected] Denesh Ramdin, Andre Russell, Marlon Samu- els, Lendl Simmons, Jerome Taylor March 2016 www.Asia Times . US PAGE 2 Asia Times US Indian caste politics: stage set ISSN 2159-9645 for regional elections! Editor-in-Chief -Dr. Abdul Ruff Vacant At the outset one crucial issue should be movement spearheaded by Anna Hazare and Publisher stressed right here. The caste factor among Arvind Kejriwal that targeted the hopelessly Azeem A. Quadeer, P.E. Hindu voters still plays key in Indian politics corrupt Congress led UPA government,. Modi has been widely criticised for waiting EditorAsiaTimes and this would play out fully in regional polls, so long to speak out against the lynching of a @gmail.com more than the national parliamentary election. The caste-based politicians have learnt that by Muslim man by a mob of his Hindu neighbours Indian elections are mind-bogglingly complex. ruthlessly targeting their message at the narrow for allegedly slaughtering a cow, a supposed Finance and Marketing Economic class, ethnicity, regional identity, re- slice of the population they represent they can “sacred animal” to Hindutva forces. The issue Chief ligion - sometimes even politics - all play a role. win state elections. The BJP and its national was exactly what Modi needed to drive a wedge Madam Sheela But the key factor is still caste. rival the Congress party, meanwhile, have to between the lower caste Hindus and the Mus- MadamSheela1@gmail. water its message down to attempt to appeal lims that are the electoral bedrock of third front com Each political party, national, regional and from select castes to almost everyone. like the Grand Alliance. local, has over years built up vote banks to rely Chairman on for votes during the polls. Traditionally the Now the BJP requires increasing its MPs tally Board of Directors Congress party holds the major chunks of vote In Bihar polls held last year, the Grand Alli- in Upper House of parliament in order to pass Vacant banks, Hindu castes, Muslims, Christian, Sikh, ance of Nitish-Lalu defeated BJP alliance. Lalu all bills easily and state elections would give and all other communities. Of late, projecting or Laloo as he is universally known in India is the main parties wining seats would gain MPs Directors (6) Hindutva as the only legitimate Indian ideology a very shrewd politician who ruled Bihar for in the Hose. Indian states like Assam, West Vacant BJP has captured many vote banks of Congress 15 years thanks to the seemingly impregnable Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Puducherry and other parties at national and regional levels electoral alliance he forged between the state’s (Pondicherry) are getting ready for elections Advertisements by misusing Hinduism as Hindutva. Earlier, Muslims and the large, traditionally cow- to elect assemblies and the Indian election com- MadamSheela1@gmail. Congress party promoted the Hindutva parties herding, Yadav caste that delivered 30% of the mission has already notified the dates for these com like BJP in order to contain and silence Indian vote at every election. But the appeal to caste states. However, BJP may not gain much from Muslims and also corner their vote banks by us- identity tends to be linked to appeasement in the elections. Asia Times US is ing the Hindutva forces as serious threats. BJP India: politics becomes almost exclusively about Around 17 crore voters will cast their vote published monthly made full use of Congress help and alter defeat- what you can deliver - jobs, housing, subsidies - in assembly elections in the five states. 824 Copyright 2016 ing it and replacing it in many states and win- for your fellow caste members. constituencies will go on poll when Assembly All rights reserved as to ning majority in parliament it made Congress Elections will be held in Assam, West Bengal, the entire content almost irrelevant in Indian politics. Nitish Kumar built his support in Bihar by clev- Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Puducherry. Election erly picking off disaffected lower caste voters Commission declares model code of conduct in Asia Times US does not Muslims who used to vote for Congress party and Muslim voters from Congress vote bank. five states with immediate effects. Central po- necessarily enmasse have for the first time in Indian po- Like Laloo he styles himself a socialist, but lice forces will be deployed in all the five states endorse views litical history, like Hindus voted against both unlike him, also a champion of law and order to ensure fair elections. expressed by the authors Congress and BJP in Delhi assembly poll which who would put development first. And Bihar in the their articles brought the new AAP of Arvind Kejriwal to did begin to improve under Kumar. He got rid Accordingly, assembly elections in Assam, West power with a massive mandate. While the then of the caste-cronyism that marred Laloo’s rule Bengal, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry ruling Congress could not win even one seat in and has made the state more law abiding and will be held in April and May, Chief Election Delhi assembly, the former ruler BJP somehow more prosperous. And, until very recently, Ku- Commissioner Nasim Zaidi announced on managed scrap through in three constituencies. mar was a strong supporter of the BJP. But he Friday. While Assam will have a two-phase didn’t think Modi was fit to be prime minister election on April 4 and 11, West Bengal will The Modi government at the centre as well as and cut his ties with the party. Instead Kumar see balloting on seven dates despite a six-phase BJP party in the country is not as comfortable formed with his sworn enemy, Laloo. The idea election: April 4, 11, 17, 21, 25 and 30 and May as both did last year when the BJP swept the is that together they can unite lower caste voters 5. In contrast, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Puduch- poll taking full advantage of anti-corruption against Modi. erry will see election on a single day: May 16. Indian VP Hamid Ansari in Votes polled in all five states will be counted on May 19. Elections will be held in Assam, Hyderabad meets CM and Mayor West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Puduch- erry. The results of Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Assam, West Bengal and Puducherry Assembly elec- tions will be declared on May 19. Tamil Nadu and Puducherry Assembly Elections will take place in one phase. Kerala Assembly Elections US will take place in one phase. The polling will be held on May 16. The West Bengal Assembly Elections will take place in six phases. Notifi- cation will be issued on March 11 for the first phase. Polling for the first phase will be on two dates that are 4 April and 11 April. The voting for the fourth phase of WB Assembly election will take place on April 25. Date of fifth phase polling is 30 April. The polling for the last phase will be held on May 5 in WB. The poll- ing for the second phase of the West Bengal Assembly Election will be held on April 17. Asia Times Asia Date of third phase polling is 21 April. Assam [email protected] Assembly Election will be held in two phases.