Digvijaya Singh Declares No Participation in Lok Sabha Polls

Posted on by Vividh Bharthi

Bhopal: Amidst swirling speculation regarding the participation of Congress leaders from Madhya Pradesh in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, former Chief Minister Digvijaya Singh has officially announced that he will not be contesting the polls.

The seasoned Congress leader clarified that he has no intention of contesting the Lok Sabha elections due to his ongoing Rajya Sabha tenure, which has more than two years remaining. Digvijaya Singh, a two-time Chief Minister, secured a seat in the Upper House of Parliament in June 2020, and his six-year term is set to conclude in June 2026.

Addressing reporters during an interaction in his home district of Rajgarh on Sunday, Singh stated, “The question of contesting the elections does not arise because I am a member of Rajya Sabha and still have over two years.”

While Singh ruled out the possibility of contesting the Lok Sabha elections, speculation had been rife within political circles that the Congress might field him from Rajgarh this time. In recent weeks, Singh has engaged in meetings with party workers in Rajgarh, Raghogarh, and Khilchipur—areas encompassed by the Rajgarh Lok Sabha constituency.

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Mohan Babu apologises for attack on journalist

Hyderabad, Dec 13 (IANS) Veteran Tollywood actor Manchu Mohan Babu on Friday apologised for an incident in which a television journalist was injured at his residence three days ago.

The actor, who had grabbed the mike of the Telugu news channel TV9’s reporter and attacked him, apologised to the journalist and the organisation.

Mohan Babu, who has been booked by police for the attempt to murder, posted a letter on the social media platform ‘X’ to express regret over the unfortunate incident.

“It pains me deeply that what started as a personal family dispute spiralled into a larger situation, causing distress not only to the esteemed TV9 family but also to the broader journalist fraternity,” wrote Mohan Babu, who is locked in a bitter family dispute with his actor son Manchu Manoj.

The former MP, discharged from the hospital on Thursday, also clarified that he was in the health facility for 48 hours and unable to respond immediately.

The senior actor also gave his version of the incident that happened at his house in Jalpally on the night of December 10.

“In the heat of the moment, when my gate was broken and 30-50 individuals, comprising anti-social elements, forcibly barged into my house with an intent to harm those present, I lost my composure. Amidst this chaos, the media inadvertently became intertwined in the situation. As I tried to manage the situation, Mr Ranjith, one of your journalists, unfortunately, sustained an injury. This was a deeply regrettable outcome, and I deeply regret the pain and inconvenience caused to him, his family and the TV9 community,” he wrote.

“To Mr Ranjith and the entire TV9 family, I sincerely apologise for my actions, which have caused pain and distress, and I extend my heartfelt wishes for a speedy recovery,” he added.

Mohan Babu was admitted to hospital after the clash at his house. Doctors said he was brought to the hospital with high blood pressure and anxiety.

Rachakonda Police Commissioner Sudheer Babu summoned Mohan Babu and his actor sons Manchu Vishnu and Manchu Manoj on Wednesday in connection with the cases booked against them. Mohan Babu approached the Telangana High Court, which gave him exemption till December 24.

Both Vishnu and Manoj appeared before the Commissioner and both were asked to give an undertaking that they would do nothing which creates further trouble.

–IANS

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Andhra Pradesh capital Amaravati to have piped gas supply

Amaravati, Dec 17 (IANS) The Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) has proposed Amaravati as the country’s first state capital city to have a piped gas supply.

A team of officials led by A. Raman Kumar, a member of the Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board (PNGRB), met with the state Chief Secretary Nirabh Kumar Prasad on Tuesday to discuss the gas pipeline projects and related developments.

According to an official statement, IOC officials proposed to make Amaravati the first fully piped gas capital city in the country.

They drew a comparison to the Gujarat International Finance Tech-City (GIFT) in Gandhinagar, where everything, including gas, electricity, and telecom cables, is underground. In GIFT City, piped gas is being supplied to residences, business complexes, and institutions. Similarly, they proposed to supply piped gas to the Amaravati capital city, making it the first piped gas capital in India.

Chief Secretary Nirabh Kumar Prasad expressed support for the proposal and assured that the state government would provide full cooperation in this regard.

K. Dinesh Kumar, Director of Andhra Pradesh Gas Development Corporation, mentioned that the target is to provide piped gas connections to 80 lakh people in the state in the coming days. After meeting with the Chief Secretary, the PNGRB representatives visited the RTGS and held a meeting with AP Gas Development Corporation officials.

They discussed the progress of the natural gas pipeline construction and city gas distribution work. The goal is to provide piped gas supply to 80 lakh households in the state in the near future. Dinesh Kumar requested cooperation from the PNGRB officials to achieve this goal. He also assured full cooperation to address any field-level challenges in the gas pipeline construction process.

The meeting was attended by City Gas Distribution Director Lt. Col. Kumar Ashish, Indian Oil Corporation General Manager Satyanarayana, and others.

–IANS

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13 criminals from two gangs arrested in Jharkhand’s Ramgarh for extortion

Ramgarh, Dec 22 (IANS) In a major crackdown on organised crime in Jharkhand, the Ramgarh district police have arrested 13 members of the notorious Pandey and Srivastava gangs, who were involved in extorting money from transporters, mine operators, contractors, and businessmen.

The arrests were made through coordinated raids across the Ranchi, Hazaribagh, and Ramgarh districts of the state.

At a press conference on Sunday, Patratu SDPO Pawan Kumar revealed that the police recovered two firearms, live cartridges, extorted cash, mobile phones used for issuing threats, lists of targeted businessmen, and incriminating photographs during the operation.

Both gangs were found to have employed young men on a monthly salary basis to carry out threats and extortion.

The arrested criminals from the Pandey gang include Sunil Kuma and Surat Kumar Das (from Napokhurd and Barkagaon, Hazaribagh); Rajwinder Singh alias Akash alias Golu (Purana Budh Bazar, Giddi, Ramgarh); Rajveer Singh alias Captain Mohit Kumar Thakur and Brajesh Kumar (Religara); Vashisht Kumar alias Bittu (Riverside, Bhurkunda); Sarfaraz Ahmed (Ara Dumrabeda, Kuju outpost area); Prem Kumar and Harpreet Singh (Bajrang Chowk, Riverside, Bhurkunda).

Police interrogation revealed that the Pandey gang recently extorted Rs 13 lakh from their victims.

The Srivastava gang, operating under the direction of jailed leaders Aman Srivastava and Shiv Sharma, primarily targeted people in the coal sector. Their arrested members include Sahil Singh (Kokar, Delatoli, Sadar, Ranchi); and Rahul Sharma (New Nagaratoli, Lalpur).

Srivastava was arrested from the Wasi Railway Station in Navi Mumbai last year in May by the anti-terrorism squads of Jharkhand and Mumbai ATS.

The Srivastava gang was particularly active in extorting money from mine operators, transporters, and contractors.

The police said the operation is an important step toward dismantling organised crime in the region.

The police are continuing their investigation and expect to uncover further details about the gangs’ networks and operations.

These arrests have brought a sense of relief to local traders.

–IANS

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