Patna July 31 (IANS): JD (U) MLA from Benipur Assembly constituency, Vinay Kumar Chaudhary, staged a ‘dharna’ against the Bihar government on Wednesday due to a severe potable water crisis in Bihar’s Darbhanga district.

Chaudhary expressed concerns that the problem has worsened without any response from his own government’s officials.

“I am miffed with the attitude of the Public Health Engineering Department (PHED) and, therefore, was forced to sit on the ground in the chamber of the Executive Engineer of the department. The officials of the PHED are not cooperating to address the issue in the region,” the MLA said.

The MLA added that the lack of rain in Bihar has exacerbated the water crisis in his own Assembly constituency.

Despite filing repeated complaints, no action has been taken, he said.

Chaudhary discussed the issue with the Executive Engineer of the PHED over the phone and scheduled to fix a meeting.

When the MLA arrived at the office of the Executive Engineer, the latter was absent, prompting Chaudhary to sit on the ground in protest inside his office.

Seeing the MLA’s dharna causing concern among the officials, who hurriedly arrived to address the problem.

“When the Executive Engineer is not listening to the problem, how will he solve it? No employee is ready to listen or meet. I took the appointment and came here to meet him to get the problem fixed but he disappeared. This is shocking behaviour from the officer and hence I sat on a dharna,” Chaudhary said.

Vinay Chaudhary has been representing the Benipur Assembly constituency since a long time, which has been reeling under scarcity of potable water.

The situation has worsened due to the scorching heat and declining water levels, causing hand pumps in the villages to stop working.

As a result, residents are struggling to access drinking water, and women are facing difficulties in cooking food.

–IANS

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Hubballi, July 31 (IANS) Karnataka Home Minister G. Parameshwara lashed out at the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Wednesday, claiming that no progress has been made in 170 cases pertaining to the state pending before the probe agency.

Answering a question on the BJP’s demand to hand over the MUDA and tribal welfare scam cases to the CBI, Parameshwara stated, “Why should the scams be handed over to the CBI? There are 170 cases pertaining to the state pending with the CBI. Till date no progress has been made in those cases by the CBI.”

“Do we really have to hand over? We don’t have trust in the CBI. The BJP called the CBI as Chor Bachao Sanstha and Congress Bachao Sanstha. Suddenly, the CBI has become close to them,” he charged.

With regard to the Valmiki tribal welfare board scam, the government took cognizance after the suicide of Chandrasekaran and immediately a Special Investigation Team was formed. “We did not see who is involved. Since bank fraud was involved, the CBI is probing. The ED is probing the money trail. Three investigations are going on and the reports are yet to come,” he stated.

“We have taken the resignation of the minister as allegations have surfaced. The ED has taken him into custody. In what way is the CM involved? The CM himself has clarified on the MUDA scam. He is not a signatory to it. Thousands of sites are distributed in the same manner,” he said.

When asked about the caste jibe against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, he said that everyone has an identity in the country. We are a progressive society, being a parliamentarian a person can’t talk in this fashion. The BJP leaders speak only to get attention, he said.

When asked whether he wishes to become the Chief Minister, he quipped, “I am not in politics to be a sage. Are we sanyasis?” On whether there are any chances of a change of guard in the state, he stated, “there are no such chances. Presently there is the Chief Minister and we are delivering good administration. This phase in politics is common.”

–IANS

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Hyderabad, July 31 (IANS) Certain remarks by Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy about two women MLAs of Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) sparked a furore in the Assembly with the main opposition party demanding an apology from him.

BRS MLAs P. Sabitha Indra Reddy and V. Sunita Lakshma Reddy and others trooped into the well of the House, demanding that the Chief Minister apologise for his remarks.

Even after the Chief Minister left the House for the airport to receive new Governor Jishnu Dev Varma, the BRS members continued their protest.

They later came out raising slogans against the Chief Minister in the lobbies of the Assembly after the House was adjourned.

The Chief Minister made some remarks after minister Seethakka raised the issue of BRS leaders approaching the Governor to disqualify the BRS MLA who recently joined the Congress party.

She said the memorandum was given by Sabitha Indra Reddy, who had defected from BRS to Congress.

She asked if BRS admitted the Congress MLAs after they resigned from the Assembly.

To this, Sabitha Indra Reddy wanted to know why Revanth Reddy was targeting her.

She recalled as a sister he had invited him to join Congress.

“Why Revanth Reddy has this grudge against me? When he joined the Congress party, I said that he would become the hope of the party and that he would become chief minister. I heartfully blessed him,” said Sabitha Indra Reddy, who had quit Congress to join BRS in 2019 and became a minister in the KCR-led Cabinet.

Responding to Sabitha Indra Reddy’s comments, Revanth Reddy said it was true that she had invited him to the Congress.

“The Congress asked me to contest from Malkajgiri in 2019. She promised that if I contest from Malkajgiri she will support me. As soon as Congress declared me as the candidate from Malkajgiri, she joined BRS. For sake of power, she left Congress, joined BRS and became a minister. Since she betrayed me as a younger brother, I told KTR not to trust her,” he said.

Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka also recalled how the Congress encouraged Sabitha Indra Reddy by offering her ticket in the 2004 Assembly elections, followed by ministerial berths.

BRS working president K.T. Rama Rao told mediapersons that Revanth Reddy’s remarks are highly deplorable.

He said that Revanth Reddy was unfit to be the chief minister and demanded his apology.

Sabitha Indra Reddy termed the Chief Minister’s remarks insulting to all women in the state.

She became emotional while talking to mediapersons.

The former minister said Revanth Reddy belittled the post of the chief minister with his remarks.

–IANS

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Bhubaneswar, July 31 (IANS) Biju Janata Dal (BJD) MP Mamata Mohanta on Wednesday resigned from the Rajya Sabha and the primary membership of the party.

“I do hereby tender my resignation from the membership of Rajya Sabha. I have taken this decision consciously. I express my gratitude to your good self for the opportunities given to me to raise issues of public importance in the House,” she wrote in a letter addressed to Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar, who later informed the House that Mohanta’s resignation has been accepted with immediate effect.

The senior BJD leader was nominated to the Rajya Sabha in April 2020. Her membership was scheduled to end in April 2026.

Mohanta has been a member of the Mayurbhanj Zilla Parishad from 2012 to 2017. She is also a social activist and leader of the Kudmi community in Mayurbhanj district.

Mohanta resigned from the BJD citing that the party no longer requires her service.

She also thanked BJD President Naveen Patnaik for allowing her to serve the state and Mayurbhanj district by nominating her to the Rajya Sabha.

In a letter to Patnaik, Mohanta said, “I do hereby resign from the Primary Membership of Biju Janata Dal. I sincerely express my gratitude to your good self for giving me an opportunity to serve the people of Mayurbhanj and also to take up the cause of Odisha at the national level. However, I feel that there is no requirement of the services of myself as well as my community in the Biju Janata Dal. Therefore, I have taken this hard decision in public interest.”

–IANS

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Hubballi, (Karnataka) July 31 (IANS) Karnataka Home Minister, G Parameshwara declared on Wednesday that the government will not spare anyone involved in drug peddling.

“We will take action even if it involves travelling out of the state,” HM Parameshwara stated.

Addressing the media in Hubballi, HM Parameshwara explained that the state government has launched a special drive under the slogan ‘Karnataka against Drugs’ to combat the drug menace.

“We initiated this campaign, destroyed drugs worth thousands of crores, and filed cases against thousands of people. Officers have even shot drug peddlers in the leg for their involvement in drug trafficking,” he said.

He mentioned that drug peddling is also being monitored in North Karnataka.

“I receive daily updates about district headquarters. The drug menace has decreased compared to earlier, and strict actions are being taken,” he added.

Explaining why hundreds of drug users have been taken into custody instead of just the peddlers, HM Parameshwara said, “It is common sense that by arresting the users, we will eventually reach the peddlers. About 200 people were taken into custody, and 80 per cent of them tested positive for drugs.”

HM Parameshwara reported that the drug problem has lessened in Karnataka and added that senior officers have been instructed to visit schools and colleges to raise awareness.

Additionally, 150 foreigners were deported last year in connection with drug peddling.

Recently in Bengaluru, a Nigerian national was arrested, and four kilograms of MDMA worth Rs 4 crore was seized. “He was a peddler,” the HM confirmed.

HM Parameshwara also mentioned that the number of cyber police stations has increased from two to 43 as cybercrime has increased in the country and across the globe.

“People can register their complaints there. It is reassuring that cases are being solved and those involved in cybercrimes are being caught. Hundreds of crores have been recovered, accounts have been frozen, and money has been prevented from being siphoned off. We are also apprehending those who post communal content and cause disturbances,” HM Parameshwara said.

“There was a threat of a bomb explosion in 35 schools in Bengaluru, which originated from abroad and could not be traced. The threat email was later sent to more than 50 schools in New Delhi and also reached schools in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and Germany.

“How do we trace such threats? We will maintain constant vigilance,” he concluded.

–IANS

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