Beed (Maharashtra), July 30 (IANS) Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA) President Prakash Ambedkar has slammed Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi and Shiv Sena (UBT) Chief and former Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray for their stance on the caste issues, here on Tuesday.

Referring to Rahul Gandhi’s Lok Sabha speech expressing concerns over the lack of representation to the deprived sections, Ambedkar said that the Dalits, Tribals, Muslims and OBCs must not trust either the Congress or the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

“Rahul Gandhi raised a concern that out of 20 officers who prepared the Union Budget, there was only one from OBC and one from the minority. True! But why didn’t Rahul Gandhi highlight how many Dalits, Tribals, Muslims and OBCs officers prepared the Budget during the Congress governments?” demanded Ambedkar.

Speaking to media persons during his ongoing march across a dozen districts to drum up awareness, he called upon the different castes and communities “not to fall for the fake love of Congress” as the party is the same as BJP.

The grandson of the Chief Architect of Constitution, B. R. Ambedkar, the VBA chief drew comparisons “how the BJP is equal to the Congress, that they do not care for Dalits, Tribals, Muslims and OBCs but only want their votes during elections.”

Training guns on Thackeray, the VBA chief accused him of igniting instead of defusing the ongoing row on reservations in Maharashtra, vis-à-vis the Shivba Sanghatana leader Manoj Jarange-Patil’s ongoing campaign for Maratha quotas.

“Rather than stating clearly whether he is for or against the demand for quotas, Thackeray has asked the caste leaders to approach Prime Minister Narendra Modi to hike the ceiling on reservations. This is unfortunate,” said the VBA chief.

“By this, Thackeray suggests that only if the reservation ceiling is increased, then the Marathas would get quota. It also implies that the OBCs are opposed to the inclusion of Marathas in the OBCs, and he is hinting that the Marathas should get quota from the OBCs’ share. This is a form of inciting the conflict instead of resolving the matter,” Ambedkar explained.

He warned that in the given circumstances, “there is a possibility of breach of peace in Maharashtra”, echoing similar sentiments expressed on Sunday by Nationalist Congress Party (SP) President Sharad Pawar, as the state prepares for the Assembly elections in October.

–IANS

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Patna, July 30 (IANS) After Rashtriya Janata Dal Chief Lalu Prasad expressed his concern over the frequent train accidents in the country, Bihar BJP President Dilip Jaiswal on Tuesday criticised opposition party leaders for politicising the issue.

Bihar BJP President Jaiswal accused the opposition parties of indulging in “cheap politics” and running political agendas over the train accidents, suggesting that they lack genuine issues to address.

He assured that inquiries would be conducted to determine the causes of the accidents.

“The concerned department would investigate why these incidents have been occurring over the past month-and-a- half, including on the day of the Budget. The Opposition leaders are doing cheap politics over the accidents. They do not have any issues and hence are running political shops over train accidents,” the State BJP President said.

“The inquiry will take place to find out why and how the accidents are taking place. I condemned the Opposition’s actions. The people of the country would not forgive them for allegedly exploiting the tragedies for political gain. Seeking power should not involve such low tactics,” he added.

This statement by the State BJP President came after Lalu Prasad expressed concern over the frequent train accidents on Tuesday.

Sharing a post on his official X account, Lalu Prasad said: “Seven train accidents had occurred within 13 days in the country. Regular train accidents are a matter of great concern. The government is not even taking basic steps to ensure safety in trains.”

“Indian Railways has become so unsafe that before boarding the trains, passengers pray that this journey should not be their last journey. Railway coaches have become like moving coffins,” he added.

The collision between the Howrah-Mumbai Mail (12810) and a goods train at Barabamboo railway station in Jharkhand’s Chakradharpur division on Tuesday morning led to the deaths of two passengers and injuries to more than 20 others.

The accident, which occurred around 3:45 a.m., resulted in the derailment of around 18 coaches of the Howrah-Mumbai Mail. The injured were promptly rescued and taken to nearby hospitals for treatment.

–IANS

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Patna, July 30 (IANS) A gang of dacoits stabbed three members of a family in Bihar’s East Champaran district on Tuesday, an official said.

The injured persons, Om Prakash Warnawal, his wife Anu Warnwal, and their son Lakhan Warnwal, were initially admitted to the Common Health Center (CHC) and later referred to a private hospital in Motihari.

Lakhan Warnwal’s condition is critical.

According to the police, Lakhan Warnwal displayed bravery by managing to capture one of the dacoits despite sustaining multiple stab injuries.

The incident occurred around 2:30 am on Tuesday while the victims were sleeping in their house on Sargam Cinema Road under Sugauli police station in the district. The dacoits used a bamboo ladder to enter the house through a window.

“Upon entering the house, the dacoits attacked the family. Lakhan Warnwal, showing immense courage, fought back which caused panic among the dacoits and led them to flee the scene. In the process, Lakhan managed to apprehend one of the dacoits. He sustained multiple injuries and his condition is critical,” said Om Prakash Warnwal, the victim and a prominent trader of readymade garments in the district.

“When we received information about the incident, our team immediately reached the scene and rescued the victims. We have also arrested an accused and recovered a knife from him. The arrested individual has been identified as Shahid Alam, son of Akbar Ali and a native of Barpurva village under Paharpur police station. We are currently interrogating him to identify other members of the gang,” said Munna Kumar, SHO of Sugauli police station.

–IANS

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Bhubaneswar, July 30 (IANS) The Ministry of Railways has sanctioned Rs 275.01 crore for the provision of safety fencing along the railway tracks in the Bhadrak-Palasa and Khurda Road-Puri Railway Sections of the Khurda Road Division under East Coast Railway.

This project aims to facilitate the safe movement of trains at speeds up to 130 mph and beyond.

“To ensure effective fencing and avoid any disruptions, the Ministry has decided to construct boundary walls nearer to the tracks. The current plan involves erecting fencing at the boundary of Railway Land, with the actual distance to be determined by the zonal railway authorities based on site conditions, maintenance requirements, multi-tracking works, the level of trespassing and the overall effectiveness of the proposed fencing,” said East Coast Railway sources.

The Railways through this initiative also aim to seal the entry to the rail tracks at level crossings, ROBs (flyovers), RUBs (underpasses), bridges and other critical locations requiring access control.

Also, cattle grazing near the tracks will be restricted from moving towards the Railway Line due to the safety fencing ensuring smooth traffic movement and preventing loss of livestock and wildlife.

Recently, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw informed in Lok Sabha that safety fencing would be strategically implemented at vulnerable locations to support the running of Vande Bharat trains at speeds between 110 kmph and 130 kmph.

For speeds exceeding 130 mph, continuous safety fencing will be installed along the entire track length.

“The Ministry of Railways remains committed to advancing railway safety and infrastructure to meet the growing demands of semi-high-speed train travel in India. This safety fencing project marks a significant step towards achieving these goals, ensuring a safer and more efficient railway network for the nation,” added the ECoR.

–IANS

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Imphal, July 30 (IANS) The 13-day-long Manipur Assembly session will start on Wednesday and it might witness heated debate over the ongoing strife, specially the recent violence in Jiribam District by Opposition Congress.

Officials on Tuesday said that the session would continue till August 12.

Congress sources said that they will raise the recent Jiribam District violence and other vital issues affecting the people for the last several months.

Jiribam witnessed a wave of violence after the killing of 59-year-old farmer Soibam Saratkumar Singh on June 6, leading to 900 tribals belonging to the Kuki and Hmar communities taking shelter at the homes of relatives and friends in two villages in Cachar District of southern Assam, while around 1,000 people, mostly belonging to the Meitei community, are now sheltered in seven relief camps in Jiribam.

Manipur has had two Assembly sessions since the ethnic violence broke out on May 3, 2023.

Earlier on two occasions, 10 tribal MLAs belonging to the Kuki-Zo community boycotted the Assembly sessions demanding a separate administration or a Union Territory for tribals in Manipur.

Manipur Chief Minister, N Biren Singh last week said that he would request the 10 MLAs to attend the Assembly session.

One of the 10 MLAs, the BJP’s Paolienlal Haokip, who was elected from Saikot Assembly constituency in tribal-dominated Churachandpur District said that they would not attend the session this time too.

“When my people can’t set foot in Imphal, how can I attend an Assembly held in the state capital,” Haokip remarked.

Of the 10 tribal MLAs, seven are from the ruling BJP, two belong to the Kuki People’s Alliance and one is an Independent.

Since May 3 last year, Manipur has been hit by unprecedented ethnic violence between the Chin-Kuki-Zos and the Meiteis, that has claimed the lives of at least 220 people, left over a 1000 injured and displaced over 60,000 people of both communities.

–IANS

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