Pawan Kalyan congratulates Nitin Nabin on election as BJP President

Thiruvananthapuram, Dec 31 (IANS) Kerala CPI State Secretary Binoy Viswam on Wednesday acknowledged that sections of the electorate had drifted away from the Left Democratic Front (LDF) in the recent local body elections, but asserted that the front’s core support base remained intact.

Calling the verdict a wake-up call, Viswam said the Left must learn lessons from the setback, make timely corrections and move forward without delay.

He candidly admitted that the government had failed to effectively communicate its achievements to the people, describing this as a critical lapse.

The lessons from the local body polls, he said, would be decisive in shaping the future course of the Left.

Viswam stressed that preparations for a third consecutive term should begin immediately and that the reasons behind various social groups distancing themselves from the LDF needed to be identified through honest introspection.

“The people are supreme,” Viswam said, adding that sincere and transparent communication with the public was the only way forward.

He revealed that criticism had been raised against the party leadership during CPI internal meetings, but clarified that such criticism was aimed at strengthening, not weakening, the LDF.

Media reports portraying internal discussions as damaging to the front, he said, were “mere stories”.

Describing the local body poll defeat as unexpected, Viswam said it did not signal the end of the road for either the LDF or the CPI.

He expressed confidence that the Left would rectify its mistakes and reiterated his belief that a third term for the LDF was assured.

As part of the corrective process, Viswam said the CPI would undertake a house-to-house outreach programme from January 15 to January 30 to directly engage with people and understand their concerns.

On national politics, Viswam launched a sharp attack on the Congress, alleging that Congress Working Committee members Shashi Tharoor, Digvijay Singh and Salman Khurshid were “BJP supporters at heart”.

He reiterated that the LDF would never compromise with religious extremism.

Referring to the Sabarimala gold-related controversy, Viswam said there would be no leniency for anyone involved in misappropriation of assets, irrespective of their identity.

The SIT probe must proceed without interference, he said, and those who benefited unlawfully must be punished.

–IANS

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Jaipur, Aug 4 (IANS) In a tragic incident on Monday, a truck driver was burned alive after his vehicle lost control and overturned near Ghasiyar on the Udaipur-Pindwara highway. According to officials, the truck was transporting acid from Pindwara when the accident occurred.

Moments after the overturning, the trailer caught fire, leading to a horrifying situation.

The driver, trapped inside the vehicle, was burned alive and died on the spot, said officials.

The impact of the accident was severe, as the acid spilled across the entire highway stretch, making the road extremely dangerous and forcing a complete shutdown of traffic between Gogunda and Udaipur.

The hazardous chemical spill posed serious risks to commuters and emergency responders. Upon receiving information about the incident, teams from highway patrolling and the Badgaon police station rushed to the scene.

Simultaneously, fire brigade vehicles were dispatched to control the blaze. After nearly two hours of intense firefighting, the flames were brought under control.

The fire brigade worked with great caution due to the involvement of corrosive acid, which intensified the danger.

Following the containment of the fire, police retrieved the charred remains of the driver from the trailer. The half-burnt body was sent to the district hospital mortuary for further procedures and identification.

Efforts are currently underway to clear the highway. The damaged truck was removed from the site by the highway maintenance team.

Given the hazardous conditions and road blockage, the police have implemented a one-way traffic arrangement to ease congestion and ensure public safety.

A case has been registered regarding the incident, and a detailed investigation has been initiated to determine the cause of the accident.

Authorities are also assessing the environmental and structural impact of the acid spill on the highway.

This tragic event has once again highlighted the critical need for strict safety measures during the transportation of hazardous materials. It has also emphasised the importance of quick emergency response to prevent further casualties and damage, said locals.

–IANS

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Kolkata, Aug 4 (IANS) Veteran and four-time Lok Sabha member Kalyan Banerjee on Monday attacked his fellow party Lok Sabha member Mahua Moitra shortly after announcing his resignation from the chair of the Chief Whip of Trinamool Congress’s Parliamentary party in the lower house.

“I have taken note of the recent personal remarks made by Ms Mahua Moitra in a public podcast. Her choice of words, including the use of dehumanising language such as comparing a fellow MP to a ‘pig’, is not only unfortunate but reflects a deep disregard for basic norms of civil discourse,” Banerjee wrote in a social media post.

The Trinamool MP’s strong reaction came a day after Moitra courted a controversy by comparing him with a “pig”.

“You don’t wrestle with a pig. Because the pig likes it and you get dirty,” Moitra said while taking part in a podcast interview.

She made those statements in response to Banerjee’s recent personal attack against her regarding her marriage to Pinaki Misra, a former BJD Lok Sabha member and senior legal counsel.

Reacting to Moitra’s comments, Banerjee indirectly said in his social media post that politicians like Moitra should take a hard look at the kind of politics she was practising and the hollowness it exposes.

“When a public representative stoops to name-calling and coarse innuendo, it reflects not strength, but insecurity,” Banerjee added.

The Trinamool leader further said that labelling a male colleague as ‘sexually frustrated’ was not boldness, but rather it was an outright abuse.

“If such language were directed at a woman, there would be nationwide outrage, and rightly so. But when a man is the target, it’s dismissed or even applauded. Abuse is abuse – regardless of gender,” Banerjee added.

Banerjee also accused Moitra of hiding her failures by indulging in a mud-slinging exercise.

“If Ms Moitra thinks that flinging gutter insults will mask her failures or distract from serious questions about her record, she is deluding herself. Those who rely on abuse instead of answers are not champions of democracy – they are its embarrassment,” he said.

–IANS

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