After Lalu Prasad’s ED questioning, RJD targets BJP with posters in Patna

Posted on by Vividh Bharathi

Patna, March 20 (IANS) Following the Enforcement Directorate (ED) questioning of Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) Chief Lalu Prasad, his supporters put up posters targeting the NDA governments at both Centre and in the state on Thursday.

One such poster was prominently displayed outside former Chief Minister Rabri Devi’s residence at 10 Circular Road in Patna, while others appeared across the city at various locations.

Presented by Nishant Mandal, an RJD leader from Harlakhi in Madhubani district, the poster features images of Lalu Prasad and his son Tejashwi Yadav. It also depicts Lalu encircled by caricatures representing the ED, CBI, Income Tax Department, and other central agencies.

The poster carries the slogan — “Na Jhuka Hu Na Jhukunga. Tiger Abhi Zinda Hai” (I have not bowed, nor will I bow. The tiger is still alive).

Reacting to the ED’s action, RJD spokesperson Mrityunjay Tiwari accused the BJP of political vendetta, saying, “The BJP is frightened because it is set to lose the 2025 assembly elections. That’s why they are misusing central agencies against our leader. But this strategy won’t work.”

In response, BJP spokesperson Prabhakar Mishra mocked the RJD’s poster campaign, saying: “RJD’s slogan ‘Na Jhuka Hu, Na Jhukunga’ actually means ‘They will rob Bihar more.’ Lalu Prasad, Rabri Devi, and Tej Pratap failed to answer the ED’s questions. The people of Bihar haven’t forgotten their Jungle Raj.”

JDU spokesperson Arvind Nishad said, “They committed the scam, and now the law is taking its course. They will be proven guilty.”

This is not the first time the RJD has used posters to accuse the BJP of misusing central agencies. Following ED and CBI raids on properties linked to Lalu Prasad and his family in connection with the land-for-jobs scam, the party had displayed a poster outside its Patna office portraying the CBI as a caged parrot and the ED as an eagle, indicating that the agencies were being weaponized by the BJP to suppress opposition voices. The caption on that poster read: “Stop misusing ED and CBI.”

On Wednesday, the ED questioned Lalu Prasad for four hours in a money laundering case linked to the land-for-jobs scam.

–IANS

ajk/skp

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Amid one death, 110 suspected cases of GBS, Maharashtra govt urges people not to panic

Mumbai, Jan 28 (IANS) Days after the state reported the first death due to the Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS), the Maharashtra government has appealed to the citizens not to panic and visit a government hospital in case any symptoms appear.

Citizens should also implement preventive measures, the government said in its appeal.

According to the state public health department release issued late on Monday night, there are 110 suspected patients of GBS and one death has been reported until now.

Of these, eight have been diagnosed as confirmed GBS cases.

Of the 110 suspected patients, about 88 are from the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC), 15 from the Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) and seven are from other districts.

Out of this, 73 are men and 37 are women while 13 out of these are currently on ventilator.

Nine patients suspected of suffering from GBS were reported on Monday (January 27), of these, seven were from PMC, one from PCMC & one from other district.

A Pune-based Chartered Accountant from DSK Vishwa area in Dhayari died. He was suffering from diarrhoea for a few days and had gone to his native village from Solapur district for a private visit. After feeling extreme weakness, he was admitted to a private hospital in Solapur where the doctors diagnosed him with GBS.

He was shifted to the ICU for further treatment as he was unable to move his hands and legs.

After his health improved he was moved out of the ICU on Saturday but he faced breathing problems and later died. This was confirmed by the relatives of the deceased.

According to the public health department, GBS is an autoimmune disorder where the body’s immune system attacks the peripheral nervous system. It is characterised by muscle weakness, and in severe cases, paralysis.

The common symptoms of GBS include sudden weakness in hands or legs/paralysis, trouble while walking or weakness with sudden onset of diarrhoea for sustained periods.

The public health department said it has taken a slew of measures including visit by a state-level rapid response team to the affected area immediately, instructions to Pune Municipal Commissioner and rural district authorities to increase surveillance activities.

As many as 44 stool samples were sent to NIV Pune and tested for enteric virus panel. Moreover, 14 samples tested positive for Noro virus and five stool samples were positive for Campylobacter.

A total of 59 blood samples have been sent to NIV. All samples have tested negative for Zika, Dengue, Chikungunya.

About 34 water samples from different parts of the city have been sent for chemical and biological analysis to the Public Health Laboratory and samples from seven water sources were found contaminated.

Instructions have been given to increase health promotion activities and an appeal has been made to private medical practitioners to notify any GBS patient to the respective public health authorities.

“Citizens should not panic. The state’s health department is prepared to implement preventive and control measures. In house-to-house surveillance activities, 23,017 houses in Pune MC, 4,441 houses in PCMC and 7,610 houses in Pune rural areas have been surveyed (total 35,068),” said an officer from the state public health department.

The citizens have been urged to take every possible care to keep the water quality good, drink boiled water, keep food fresh and clean, avoid infection by not keeping cooked and uncooked food items together.

–IANS

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BJP leading on nine out of 10 mayoral posts in Haryana: Early trends

Chandigarh, March 12 (IANS) The main Opposition Congress in Haryana is set to be wiped out in the civic polls as early leads in the underway counting of ballots indicated that the state ruling BJP is leading on nine out of 10 posts of mayor.

In one Municipal Corporation, an Independent, a BJP rebel, is leading.

The results would be the first electoral test for the Congress and the BJP after the latter won the Assembly polls in Haryana in October, 2024, for the record third consecutive term.

The Congress has never contested the municipal polls on its symbol, except in the mayoral elections of three municipal corporations in December 2020.

In the Mayor’s election in the industrial town of Manesar, Independent candidate Inderjit Yadav is leading by 1,638 votes in the first round. He has secured 4,809 votes, while BJP’s Sunder Lal got 3,171 votes. Another independent candidate Vijay Singh polled 3,133 votes. The Congress candidate Neeraj Yadav got just 273 votes.

The elections for seven municipal corporations — Gurugram, Manesar, Faridabad, Hisar, Rohtak, Karnal, and Yamunanagar — were held on March 2, while the voting for the Panipat municipal corporation was held separately on March 9. Bypolls for the posts of mayor in Ambala and Sonipat and the election of the presidents and ward members in 21 municipal committees were also held on March 2.

Votes are also being counted for municipal councils in Ambala Sadar, Pataudi-Jatauli Mandi, Thanesar, Sirsa, Sohna (by-election), and 21 other municipal councils. By-elections for the post of president in Assandh and Ismailabad municipal councils were also held.

Forty-six per cent of the more than 51 lakh eligible voters exercised their franchise for civic body polls on March 2.

A total of 26 ward members have already been elected unopposed. Among them, Kuldeep Singh (Faridabad), Vikas Yadav (Gurugram), Sankalp Bhandari and Sanjeev Kumar Mehta (Karnal), and Bhavna (Yamunanagar) secured unopposed wins from their respective wards in municipal corporations.

Likewise, three ward members were elected unopposed in Ambala Sadar and Thanesar, while 18 others won unopposed in various municipal committees across the state.

Ahead of the polls, Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini had exuded confidence that the BJP would win the contests. He said work would be done three times faster after the formation of a “triple-engine” government — centre, state and the civic bodies.

–IANS

vg/svn

Four arrested in Kotturpuram double murder case in Chennai

Chennai, March 18 (IANS) The Chennai Police have arrested four people in connection with the brutal murder of two history sheeters in Tamil Nadu’s Kotturpuram.

The victims, identified as Arun Kumar (25) and Padappai Suresh (25), were hacked to death by a gang allegedly led by ‘Sukku Kaapi’ Suresh on Sunday night.

According to police sources, Arun Kumar and his brother had an ongoing feud with ‘Sukku Kaapi’ Suresh, who was allegedly involved in recruiting minors for drug peddling. Their rivalry intensified after Arun Kumar’s lover, Shahinshah, a widow and mother of two, was found strangled in her home in Kelambakkam in 2022.

Arun suspected ‘Sukku Kaapi’ Suresh’s involvement in her murder and had vowed revenge.

Fearing retaliation, ‘Sukku Kaapi’ Suresh reportedly planned the attack.

On Sunday night, around 11 p.m., Arun and his friend Padappai Suresh, who had become close during their time in prison, got heavily intoxicated and passed out.

Seizing the opportunity, Suresh and his gang ambushed them, attacking them with machetes and sickles before fleeing the scene.

Following the double murder, the Greater Chennai Police launched a manhunt to track down the suspects. Three special teams were deployed to investigate the case, leading to the arrest of four individuals on Tuesday. The interrogation of the suspects is currently underway.

The Kotturpuram murders come just days after another shocking attack in Kancheepuram. On March 11, a 30-year-old history sheeter, Vasoolraja, was killed in broad daylight outside a ration shop near the Thirukkali Medu Shiva Temple.

Unidentified assailants hurled a country-made bomb at him, which struck his chest before detonating, killing him instantly. His body was later sent for post-mortem at the Government Kancheepuram Hospital. Investigations revealed that Vasoolraja had over 20 pending criminal cases, including charges of attempted murder, robbery, and theft. He had recently been released on bail and was working as a travel agent.

These recent incidents have raised fears about the resurgence of gang-related violence in Chennai.

Following the murder of Tamil Nadu BSP president and Chennai High Court lawyer K. Armstrong on July 5, 2024, the Greater Chennai Police had intensified their crackdown on criminal gangs.

Several history-sheeters were killed in encounters, leading to a decline in gang-related violence. However, the latest murders of Vasoolraja and the two Kotturpuram history-sheeters suggest that gang wars may be resurfacing.

Law enforcement agencies are on high alert, and authorities have assured the public that strict action will be taken to prevent further violence. The Chennai police, with their special task forces, are likely to intensify their efforts to track down those responsible and restore law and order.

–IANS

aal/dpb