Together ‘we must make Punjab Rangla Punjab again’, calls Haryana CM

Posted on by Vividh Bharathi

Gurdaspur, March 1 (IANS) Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini on Sunday said that together “we must make Punjab ‘Rangla Punjab’ again”, stating it “is the sacred land of the Gurus, sacrifice and martyrdom”.

He said even after suffering the trauma of Partition, the people of Punjab refused to succumb to despair and turned self-belief into their greatest strength.

Addressing a programme of the Saini Samaj at Dinanagar in Gurdaspur district of Punjab, Saini said the upcoming Punjab Assembly election “is not merely about changing a government, but about changing the political direction of Punjab and ensuring respect for its society”.

The CM said he felt proud to be present on this sacred land. He called upon everyone to work together to once again make Punjab a leading state on the path of development.

The Chief Minister said Prime Minister Narendra Modi has worked to give due respect to the Saini samaj. “By making a small worker like him the Chief Minister, he empowered the community.” He said that on Monday, he would present his second Budget in the Haryana Assembly. Out of 217 resolutions, 60 have been fulfilled, and work is progressing rapidly on 120 others.

Highlighting the state government’s schemes, the Chief Minister said free dialysis facilities are being provided to kidney patients in all hospitals and medical colleges in Haryana. Pensions are being delivered to senior citizens at their homes on the 10th of every month. Under the Lado Lakshmi Yojana, women are being given Rs 2,100. Crops are being procured from farmers at the minimum support price (MSP) with payment within 48 hours. Farmers are also benefiting from the Bhavantar Bharpai Yojana.

He said houses are being constructed and provided to the poor, and plots are being allotted to families without land. Families residing on Panchayati land for a long time have also been granted ownership rights.

The Chief Minister said development in Punjab has been affected because power remained confined to a few hands. “Now is the time to change the direction of politics.”

He expressed confidence that in the upcoming Assembly elections, the OBC community will unite and play a decisive role in forming a Bharatiya Janata Party government to make Punjab prosperous and vibrant once again.

He said the OBC community constitutes 31 per cent of Punjab’s population and should come together to become the axis of politics and play a significant role.

Saini said the situation in Punjab “is currently very challenging. The state is grappling with unemployment, drug abuse, crime and migration, and the time has come to address these issues. The Saini samaj has a major role to play in this effort”.

–IANS

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Elephant rampage kills four in 12 hours in Jharkhand’s Gumla, Simdega districts

Ranchi, March 28 (IANS) An angry elephant, believed to be separated from its herd, trampled four people to death and injured two others in Jharkhand’s Gumla and Simdega districts within 12 hours between Thursday night and Friday morning, officials said.

The incidents have caused panic and chaos in the affected villages as the elephant continues to roam in the area.

The deceased have been identified as Christopher Ekka (60) and Hemvati Devi (35) from the Palkot police station area in Gumla; and Sibiya Lugun and Vikas Ohdar from the Bano police station area in Simdega.

Around 1 a.m. on Friday, the elephant entered Buruirgi village in Simdega and attacked a house, killing Vikas Ohdar.

A few hours later, it chased and trampled Sibiya Lugun to death while she was collecting Mahua in Pabuda village.

By 6 a.m., the elephant had moved to Bardih-Devgaon in Gumla, where it crushed Christopher Ekka to death while he was working in a field.

Shortly after, it wrapped Hemvati Devi in its trunk and slammed her to the ground while she was collecting lac from a tree in Tetartoli village, killing her on the spot.

Two others, Ajay Minj and Imil Ba, were also injured in the jumbo attack and have been hospitalised.

The rampaging pachyderm continues to move through villages in the Bano police station area, causing widespread panic among the local residents there. Villagers claim a herd of elephants had been roaming in the area for days, but despite repeated alerts, the forest department failed to take action.

They said, “We informed the authorities about the herd of elephants moving in the area, but they did not take any action. This is nothing but sheer negligence.”

Following the tragic incidents, a forest department team is now working to drive the elephant back into the forest. However, locals blame official negligence for the deaths, alleging that authorities ignored early warnings.

–IANS

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Bihar: Deputy CM Vijay Sinha, Tejashwi Yadav spar over paper leak cases

Patna, Dec 22 (IANS) The issue of question paper leaks in Bihar has become a significant political flashpoint, with both the ruling party and opposition trading barbs over the matter. Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Kumar Sinha has alleged that the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) is responsible for the leaks, intensifying the ongoing feud.

Sinha said “the RJD is behind the paper leak”, holding the Opposition responsible.

The controversy erupted after candidates caused a ruckus at an examination centre in Patna during the 70th BPSC examination, highlighting growing dissatisfaction among aspirants about systemic failures in the examination process.

In response, Tejashwi Yadav, the Leader of the Opposition, launched a scathing attack on Sinha, dismissing him as “not even worthy of being a Deputy CM”.

Yadav’s remarks add to the political tension, as he attempts to shift the blame for the governance lapses onto the ruling coalition.

Responding to media queries in Katihar, Tejashwi Yadav dismissed the claims that the RJD was behind the paper leaks and instead pointed fingers at the ruling government.

Tejashwi Yadav said: “If RJD people are leaking the papers, then why is Nalanda always connected to these incidents? Every paper leak traces back to Nalanda.”

This pointed remark is significant as Nalanda is the home district of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.

“If the government genuinely believes RJD is behind this, then why are they sitting idle instead of taking action?” Tejashwi Yadav questioned.

The paper leak issues in Bihar’s competitive exams, including the 70th BPSC examination, have raised serious concerns about the state’s examination system.

The Opposition has seized the issue as a key opportunity to criticise the government’s failure to ensure fairness and transparency.

Political analysts feel that by linking the incidents to Nalanda, Tejashwi Yadav has strategically turned the heat on Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, further deepening the political tensions.

The development not only highlights the Opposition’s aggressive stance but also reflects the growing dissatisfaction among students and the public regarding the state administration’s handling of critical processes like examinations.

–IANS

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Popular govt in Manipur in two months, says BJP MP

Imphal, May 11 (IANS) BJP’s lone Rajya Sabha member from Manipur, Maharaja Sanajaoba Leishemba, on Sunday expressed hope that a popular government would be formed in the state within the next two months.

The Rajya Sabha member urged all political leaders to unite in dealing with the challenges the state has been facing.

“I strongly hope that a popular government will be installed in Manipur within the next two months. The President’s rule alone cannot resolve the prevailing issues. A popular government can function closely in tandem with the people and find a solution to the present ethnic crisis,” the 53-year-old parliamentarian told the media.

He agreed with public criticism that the state’s elected legislators and leaders have failed to work jointly and decisively in dealing with the ethnic crisis.

“A section of people have placed personal goals above the state’s welfare and interests. The President’s rule had to be imposed in the state as some people prioritised power and self-interest over the state’s welfare,” the Rajya Sabha member said without naming any leader or MLA.

Manipur has been under the President’s Rule since February 13, four days after the resignation of N. Biren Singh from the Chief Minister’s post.

The 60-member Manipur Assembly, which, after the promulgation of President’s Rule, has been put under suspended animation, has a tenure till 2027.

BJP’s North East In-charge Sambit Patra, last week, visited the state’s Kangpokpi and Churachandpur districts and met Kuki BJP MLAs Vungzagin Valte and Nemcha Kipgen and several Kuki-Zo and Civil society organisations, including Committee on Tribal Unity (CoTU).

Kipgen was the lone woman Minister in the former Chief Minister N. Biren Singh-led government in Manipur. Patra, a Member of Parliament from Puri Lok Sabha constituency (Odisha), also held closed-door meetings with former CM Biren Singh, Manipur Assembly Speaker Thokchom Satyabrata Singh and various other leaders and MLAs in Imphal.

Neither Patra nor the BJP disclosed the matter of discussions of the BJP leader’s series of meetings during his three-day stay in Manipur.

The BJP’s North East in-charge’s visit was held nearly a week after 21 Manipur MLAs wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah, urging them to reinstate a “popular government” in the state.

The letters were separately submitted at the Prime Minister’s Office and the office of the Ministry of Home Affairs on April 29.

According to an MLA, of the 21 legislators, most of the signatories in the letters belong to the BJP and the remaining are from the National People’s Party (NPP), Naga People’s Front (NPF) and two independent legislators.

The letter of the MLAs to the Prime Minister and the Union Home had said that the people of Manipur welcome the President’s Rule with lots of hope and expectations, but no visible actions to bring peace and normalcy in the state have been seen so far.

In a bid to resolve the two-year-long ethnic hostilities, the first tripartite meeting between the officials of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and the representatives of Meitei and Kuki-Zo communities was held in New Delhi on April 5.

–IANS

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