
Ex-AIADMK leader slams BJP over education fund delay, eyes Vijay's party next?
OPS, who was expelled from the AIADMK following Edappadi K Palaniswami's rise but remained with the NDA, said the delay was directly impacting the education of students. 'Due to the Central Government's actions, 25 per cent of students studying under the RTE Act in private schools are now facing uncertainty.The dispute between the Centre and the State should not be a reason to punish students and teachers,' he said. He further accused the Centre of violating both the Right to Education Act and the principles of federalism.The timing of OPS' statement is politically significant, as EPS has launched a statewide tour and has categorically rejected any re-entry of OPS into the AIADMK fold.Sources close to OPS suggest his camp is now increasingly aligning with actor Vijay's Thamizhaga Vetri Kazhagam, raising speculation about a potential alliance ahead of the 2026 elections.- EndsMust Watch
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The Hindu
15 minutes ago
- The Hindu
Trinamool highlights unnatural death migrant worker in Pune, blames it on targeting of Bengali speakers
Raising its pitch against the targeting of migrant workers from West Bengal in other States, the Trinamool Congress on Friday highlighted the unnatural death of a 28-year-old worker from State's Jalpaiguri district at Pune in Maharashtra. 'This is no longer about detention, harassment, or deportation. This is targeted elimination. Bengalis are being hunted, assaulted, and murdered with impunity in @BJP4India -ruled states. @India_NHRCwon't bat an eye because this state-sponsored violence is orchestrated and enabled by BJP,' the Trinamool Congress posted on social media. The deceased worker was identified as Dipu Das (28), a resident of Binnaguri panchayat area of Rajganj of West Bengal's Jalpaiguri district. The family members of the migrant worker claimed that he was murdered. The West Bengal's ruling party on social media said that a blood-soaked photo of the migrant worker's body was sent to his family members by a contractor from Pune. 'His body bore multiple injury marks, including a deep wound on his neck clearly inflicted by a sharp weapon,' the Trinamool Congress said. Several leaders and spokespersons of the party including Kunal Ghosh took to social media and demanded investigation in the manner. 'In light of a series of such alarming incidents in -ruled states,@BJP4India this cannot be dismissed as an isolated case. We demand a prompt, transparent, and independent investigation into the matter. The culture of targeted hate and impunity must end,' Mr. Ghosh said. Another Trinamool Congress spokesperson Debangshu Bhattacharya warned that the 'BJP will face consequences far graver than they can imagine' if this 'brutal campaign against Bengalis continues'. A few days ago, Abu Bakkar Mandal, a migrant worker of Baduria, North 24 Parganas, was murdered under Bhasi police station area of Maharashtra. The Trinamool Congress government had claimed that the migrant worker was targeted for being a Bengali. However, later the investigations revealed the youth was murder due a strained relationship with a woman in Maharashtra. The family members of the deceased migrant worker from Jalpaiguri, particularly his brother Apu Das said that his brother used to work for a contractor, who told the family that he met with an accident and later was informed that his brother had died. The family members said that they became suspicious after seeing the blood-stained photographs of his brother sent from Pune. The development comes at a time when hundreds of migrant workers from West Bengal have alleged harassment and torture at the hands of police on suspicion of being Bangladeshi nationals in different States including Maharashtra. The Trinamool Congress has launched a 'language movement' to protest the targeting of migrants.


Indian Express
15 minutes ago
- Indian Express
‘Political speeches are often exaggerated': Telangana HC quashes criminal defamation against CM Revanth Reddy
The Telangana High Court Friday quashed a criminal defamation case against Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy. The case stems from remarks made by the CM against the BJP during the Lok Sabha election campaign at Kothagudem in May 2024. On Friday, the Bench of Justice Lakshman allowed the petition filed by Reddy to quash the proceedings against him in the case pending trial before a Special Judicial First Class Magistrate (JFCM) for Excise cases (designated MP-MLA court) in Hyderabad. He was booked under Section 499 (defamation) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and Section 125 (promoting enmity between classes in connection with an election) of the Representation of the People Act. The complainant, Telangana BJP unit represented by its General Secretary Kasam Venkateshwarlu, contended that the statements, such as 'the BJP, if voted to power, would change the Constitution and abolish reservations to SC/ST and BC communities', were part of a 'fake and dubious political narrative' to confuse voters and promote enmity between communities. The BJP alleged that the speech lowered the party's reputation and caused damage during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. The Special JFCM for excise cases in August 2024 had issued a summons to Revanth Reddy, asking him to appear personally before it. Subsequently, the chief minister approached the high court challenging the complaint and seeking to stay the proceedings initiated against him. The high court had earlier granted him an exemption from personal appearance before the trial court. The petitioner's counsel, T Niranjan Reddy, informed the court that political speeches should not be the subject of defamation, 'as elections inherently involve parties seeking to lower each other's reputation.' He said the 'alleged speech is a routine activity of a political leader to criticise the opposition and is not defamation,' and that such speeches are protected under Articles 19 and 21 of the Constitution. The petitioner, among other allegations, argued that the complaint was filed with a political vendetta to harass the petitioner and constitutes an abuse of the legal process. On his part, the counsel for the respondent, Devineni Vijay Kumar, argued that the statements created mistrust and fear among voters, bringing disrepute to the BJP. After hearing both sides, the court rejected the contention of the petitioner that political parties do not enjoy reputation and cannot maintain a complaint for criminal defamation. The court also found neither the complainant (BJP Telangana) nor its representative, Kasam Venkateshwarlu, was authorised by the national unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party to file the complaint. Refraining from discussing the contents of the alleged speech and the issue of its defamatory nature, the court noted, 'Political speeches are often exaggerated. To allege that such speeches are defamatory is another exaggeration.' 'It is trite law that, power of quashing should be exercised very sparingly and circumspection and that too in the rarest of rare cases. However, where the initiation of criminal proceedings suffers from material defects or where such criminal proceedings constitute abuse of process, the inherent powers can be exercised to quash criminal proceedings,' the court stated in the order.


Time of India
29 minutes ago
- Time of India
MP at the bottom in operational length of Metro network
Bhopal: Madhya Pradesh ranks last in the country when it comes to the operational length of Metro networks. The operational length of the Metro in MP is 6.2 km in Indore. Total operational length of the Metro in the country is 1035.74 km. Rajasthan was the second lowest state in operational length of Metro with 12.1 km in Jaipur, compared to double the 6.2 km operational length in MP. The Metro is operational only in Indore in MP. This information was provided in the Rajya Sabha during the ongoing session in response to a question from BJP member from Karnataka, Iranna Kadadi. In his reply in the Rajya Sabha, Union minister of state in the ministry of housing and urban affairs, Tokhan Sahu, informed that the Metro is operational in 11 states of the country, including Delhi & NCR, Karnataka, Telangana, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan, Kerala, UP, Maharashtra, Gujarat and MP. At present, about 1,036 km of metro rail network is operational in 24 cities across the country. In the last five years, including 2025-26, 339 km of Metro network became operational across the country. The reply in the Rajya Sabha further stated, "Urban planning is a state subject, therefore, the respective state govts are responsible for planning, initiating and developing proposal for development of urban infrastructure including the Metro project." by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Gentle, Needle-Free Way to Monitor Blood Sugar—Now Being Tried by Seniors Zakdavi Undo As per Metro Rail Policy, 2017, the central govt considers financial assistance for Metro rail proposals in cities or urban agglomerates, including the tier-2 cities, based on the feasibility of the proposal and availability of resources, as and when posed by the concerned state govt, the Union govt stated. The Metro issue was also raised in the MP assembly on Thursday. The state govt replied that Nov 2022 was the initial deadline to start the Metro, but now 2028 is the new deadline to complete all corridors of the Metro project. The first phase of Metro has started in Indore this year. Target to start the first phase of the Metro in Bhopal is also in 2025. The govt also revealed that it has received a loan of over Rs 2,100 crore for Bhopal and Indore Metros from different national and international agencies. On Friday, chief minister Mohan Yadav announced that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will soon visit Madhya Pradesh. He shared, "It is a matter of great joy that Prime Minister Modi has given his verbal consent to personally attend two major events — the inauguration of the Bhopal Metro train and the foundation-laying ceremony of the PM MITRA Park in Dhar." On July 27, the CM had announced that the govt is swiftly moving towards its goal of presenting Bhopal residents with the gift of Metro train service by Oct 2025. He stated that metro train services have already commenced in Indore and received an excellent response from the public. The Bhopal Metro project is also progressing rapidly, with only a few remaining tasks to be completed within the next one and a half to two months. Yadav informed that the test run of the Bhopal Metro is underway.