Lucknow, July 6 (IANS) Uttar Pradesh Police on Saturday said that they have arrested key suspects in the Hathras stampede case and are also probing the political links related to the case.

The police identified the accused as the main organiser Dev Prakash Madhukar, who was carrying a reward of Rs 1 lakh as well as two other accused Ram Prakash Shakya and Sanju Yadav.

“With today’s arrest, we have now arrested a total of 9 accused in the case,” Hathras Police claimed.

Hathras SP Nipun Aggarwal said that the interrogation of the accused revealed that some political parties had contacted them some time ago.

“Dev Prakash Madhukar was arrested by the district SOG of Hathras on Friday evening from Najafgarh (Delhi) while the Sikandra Rao police arrested accused Ram Prakash Shakya from Kailora Chauraha and accused Sanju Yadav from Gopalpur Kachauri, Sikandra Rao on Saturday,” said SP Aggarwal.

He further noted that Dev Prakash Madhukar, due to his long-term involvement with the organisation, had become its fundraiser, collecting money to support its operations and conduct Satsang. Based on the interrogation thus far, it appears that a political party might be involved with them for its own political and personal gains, he revealed.

Meanwhile, all bank accounts, movable and immovable properties, and money trails associated with the accused Madhukar are being investigated, and assistance from other agencies will be sought as necessary, he said.

Hathras Police said that the interrogation also revealed that the preacher’s vehicle was driven through the crowd by the accused and their assistants, despite knowing that doing so could cause a stampede and a terrible accident due to the rush for the preacher’s blessings.

The police reported that during the initial interrogation, accused Dev Prakash revealed that he has been working on a contract basis as a junior engineer in the MGNREGA in Etah district since 2010. He has been associated with this organisation for years, organising events and collecting funds for it. He was the main organiser of the Satsangs event held in the village of Phulrai on July 2, and he obtained the necessary permissions for this event.

Dev Prakash and other assistants prevented the police administration from intervening at the event site. People were prohibited from doing any videography or photography at the event site. Violating several conditions mentioned in the permit issued by the administration, they disrupted traffic arrangements and other logistics. The interrogation also revealed that no efforts were made to control the crowd, and all of them fled the scene.

–IANS

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Jaipur, July 6 (IANS) Rajasthan Congress Discipline Committee held its meeting after 10 years in Jaipur on Saturday and discussed over 20 complaints filed by party workers.

A report based on these complaints has been sent to the Rajasthan Pradesh Congress Committee President Govind Singh Dotasra for further action, said Udailal Anjana, Discipline Committee President.

“Some of our workers joined hands with the opposition to ensure the party’s defeat. We have sent a detailed report compiled under different categories to the state President for further action,” he added.

General Secretary and Spokesperson of Rajasthan Pradesh Congress Committee Swarnim Chaturvedi said that Co-Chairman of the Discipline Committee Shakuntala Rawat, Convenor Hakeem Ali and Member Vinod Gothwal were present in the meeting.

–IANS

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Ahmedabad, July 6 (IANS) Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi on Saturday said that the INDIA bloc will defeat the BJP in Gujarat in the upcoming Assembly elections.

“They (BJP) have challenged us. We will defeat PM Modi and the BJP in Gujarat too just like we did in Ayodhya,” LoP Rahul Gandhi said while addressing the party workers at the Gujarat Congress headquarters in Paldi.

The LoP was on a day-long visit to the state after the recent clash between Congress and BJP supporters outside the Gujarat Congress headquarters.

He also met with the families of those who lost their lives in various tragedies in Gujarat, assuring them that he as LoP would raise their demands in the Parliament.

The relatives of TRP game zone fire victims, victims of the boat capsizing in Vadodara, victims of the 2022 Morbi bridge collapse, and victims of the 2016 Una Dalit flogging case met the LoP Rahul Gandhi at Congress headquarters.

He interacted with the family members of the victims, understood their issues, and promised to raise them in Parliament to ensure justice is served.

Meanwhile, Gujarat Minister Rushikesh Patel criticised LoP Rahul Gandhi’s aspirations, asserting that his ambitions for a Congress-led government in Gujarat are unfounded.

“LoP Rahul Gandhi and Congress engage in politics while we focus on development,” Patel said.

–IANS

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New Delhi, July 6 (IANS) Congress MP Rahul Gandhi, on a visit to Ahmedabad in Gujarat on Saturday, reiterated his claims of defeating the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the next Assembly elections and said that the ‘latter will meet the same fate in 2027 polls akin to Ayodhya.’

Rahul’s combative remarks came while addressing the workers at the party office in Ahmedabad, days after clashes between Congress and BJP members in the city on July 2. The altercation reportedly broke out after BJP youth wing members assembled outside its office to protest against Rahul’s comment on Hindus.

The Rae Bareli MP in a frontal attack on the Prime Minister and BJP said that the way they damaged our offices, we will dislodge them from power in 2027.

“Likh kar le lo, we will defeat PM Modi and the BJP, much like the way we did it in Ayodhya,| Rahul told party workers on Saturday.

The Leader of the Opposition (LoP) in Lok Sabha made a similar pitch during his address in the lower House, last week and asserted that Congress will show the door to BJP in its Gujarat bastion, in the 2017 Assembly elections.

Political experts see it as Congress’ tactical attempt to pile up pressure on the BJP and prolong the ‘victory perception’ that it has gained after the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. The party hopes to gain greater political mileage by cornering the ruling dispensation on issues related to youth, women and the armed forces.

The ensuing Assembly elections, later this year, will show whether such an aggressive and confrontational strategy yields a return or backfires for the party.

However, putting the Gujarat electoral numbers in perspective, it looks fairly clear that the Congress leader’s claims are too ambitious and far-fetched.

Notably, Gujarat has been the biggest stronghold of the BJP, with the latter winning the past seven consecutive elections by a decisive margin. Narendra Modi served as the Gujarat Chief Minister from 2001 to 2014, before becoming Prime Minister.

The Gujarat Assembly has 182 seats. The last 2022 Assembly elections saw a mega BJP sweep with the party romping home with 156 seats and Congress getting reduced to mere 17 seats. BJP amassed over 52 per cent vote share while Congress and AAP managed to get 27 and 13 per cent votes respectively.

In recent memory, the 2017 Assembly elections were the only one where Congress gave a tough fight to BJP by registering its best-ever performance in over two decades. It won 77 seats while BJP garnered 99 seats.

Addressing the party workers in Gujarat, Rahul asked them to prepare for a fight akin to the 2017 elections and ‘teach them a lesson’ in 2027.

“In 2017, we fought for just three to four months and you saw the outcome. We almost brought it to the mat in three months, today we have three years to prepare. A new Congress will emerge from Gujarat,” said Rahul.

However, this is not his first ‘prophecy’ for Gujarat. A viral social media post shows Rahul’s three assertions where he vowed to dislodge the BJP from power in the Assembly elections of 2017, 2022 and Lok Sabha polls of 2024.

In the latest Parliamentary elections too, Congress was made to bite the dust. BJP swept the state with a landslide victory and huge vote share while the INDIA alliance’s only claim to fame remained its victory in 1 seat – Banaskantha.

Therefore, Rahul may be boasting and bragging about the party’s poll prospects, buoyed by the recent performance of the INDIA alliance but in reality, the claims look from reality, for now.

–IANS

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London, July 6 (IANS) Citing deep connections between people, business, and culture, Britain’s new Foreign Secretary David Lammy on Saturday hailed the “unique friendship” between India and the United Kingdom.

The 51-year-old Labour Party politician spoke with External Affairs Minister (EAM) S. Jaishankar and reaffirmed the commitment of the new government led by Keir Starmer to enhance the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between the two countries.

“The UK and India share a unique friendship with deep connections between our people, business, and culture. Great to speak to my friend Dr S Jaishankar about unlocking the potential of our relationship and developing a stronger and deeper comprehensive strategic partnership,” Lammy said on Saturday evening.

EAM Jaishankar stated that he was “delighted” to speak to the UK Foreign Secretary and is looking forward to an early in-person meeting.

Earlier in the day, while outlining his priorities following his appointment, the new British Foreign Secretary said that the new Labour government will begin with a “reset” with Europe on climate and with the global South.

Lammy highlighted that the world is currently facing “huge challenges” with more countries engaged in conflict than at any time since World War II.

“This government will reconnect Britain for our security and prosperity at home. What happens here in the Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office is essential.

“Diplomacy matters. We will begin with a reset with Europe, on climate, and with the global South. And a gear-shift when it comes to delivering on European security, global security, and British growth,” Lammy said in a statement released by the UK Foreign Ministry on Saturday.

–IANS

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