Bihar cabinet approves welfare panel for sanitation workers, 5 dairy plants, classroom renovation
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Time of India
38 minutes ago
- Time of India
SBSP chief explores options for non-BJP front in Bihar polls
Lucknow: BJP ally Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party has again started flexing its political muscles by indicating that it may form a third front with non-BJP parties to contest the Bihar elections. "We are keeping all options open in case our alliance with the BJP in Bihar does not happen," SBSP chief Om Prakash Rajbhar told TOI on Saturday. Rajbhar, a minister in the Yogi cabinet, said his party is in talks with multiple smaller parties, including Prashant Kishore's Jan Suraaj Party and Mukesh Sahni's Vikassheel Insaan Party (VIP). Rajbhar said his party plans to contest at least 156 out of 243 assembly seats in Bihar. "It all depends on what and how the situation arises. We want to make our presence felt in Bihar where we have been active for the past many years," he said. Sources said Rajbhar has been bargaining hard with the BJP for a "respectable" number of seats in certain pockets of Siwan, Champaran, Saran, Gopalganj, and Buxar, which have a sizable presence of Rajbhar, Rajvanshi, Rajdhobi, and Bhar communities. The party also aims to consolidate castes like Patwa and Mandal. Extremely Backward Castes (EBCs) form a significant voting bloc in Bihar. According to an estimate, it is over 30% of the total electorate. Sources said Rajbhar has held meetings with the BJP brass, including home minister Amit Shah and BJP national president JP Nadda, in his bid to get some poll space in Bihar. Rajbhar exploring the option of a third front is a significant development. Experts said SBSP's chief action may be seen through the lens of coalition politics, electoral bargaining, and regional caste dynamics. They added that Rajbhar's political influence is rooted in OBC and Dalit mobilisation, primarily in eastern UP. His expansion in Bihar is seen as an attempt to replicate the model across the border. Sources said SBSP aims to consolidate non-dominant OBC groups, especially those feeling underrepresented by bigger players like RJD or JD(U). Rajbhar's plan to explore a new equation had its bit of strategic elements. Jan Suraaj Party offered a platform-driven movement with "clean governance" as its plank. Likewise, Sahni's VIP was another political group eyeing the non-Yadav OBC and Dalit vote bank. Experts said that the third front, if it materialises, might split the floating OBC/Dalit voters. This would not only help the BJP indirectly, but also hurt Lalu Prasad's RJD, which is eyeing a return to power. Get the latest lifestyle updates on Times of India, along with Friendship Day wishes , messages and quotes !
Time of India
38 minutes ago
- Time of India
‘Amma Arogya Thittam' renamed ‘Nalam Kaakkum Stalin': EPS
1 2 Tuticorin: AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami on Saturday accused the DMK govt of renaming Amma Arogya Thittam, launched in 2016 by former chief minister J Jayalalithaa, as Nalam Kaakkum Stalin scheme. He was speaking at different places in Tuticorin district as part of his Makkalai Kappom Tamilagathai Meetpom campaign. At Tiruchendur, he charged the DMK govt with rebranding all AIADMK-era welfare schemes and claiming them as new achievements. "Under the AIADMK govt, weekly medical camps were held at upgraded primary health centres, offering 16 types of diagnostic tests. The DMK has changed the name and stuck a label on the same scheme. This is not innovation, but advertisement," he said. During his interaction with fishermen, salt pan workers, chamber of commerce, and truck owners, he said AIADMK govt acquired about 750 acres of land and allocated funds for expansion of Tuticorin airport. "That project is now being showcased as a DMK achievement," he said. The former CM said a trade centre would be established in Tuticorin once AIADMK returned to power, he said. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Global Indices Are on the Move — Time to Trade! IC Markets Learn More Undo A new bridge would be constructed in the city and specific assistance would be extended to palm jaggery producers. A welfare board would be created for salt pan workers and they would get compensation during rainy days. Compensation for fishermen during the ban period would also be enhanced, he said. Palaniswami said farmers were complaining that desilting work remained incomplete at many places. He also criticised the DMK for dismantling single-window clearance for businesses. He said that under the AIADMK govt, monthly review meetings led by the CM were held to fast-track approvals. "This govt has abandoned that system, and industry is suffering," he said. Palaniswami also hit out at the DMK for mismanagement during Tuticorin floods in 2023. EPS began the day by offering prayers at Our Lady of Snows Basilica in Tuticorin. After speaking in Tiruchendur, he took part in campaign events at Srivaikuntam and Radhapuram constituencies. Get the latest lifestyle updates on Times of India, along with Friendship Day wishes , messages and quotes !
Time of India
2 hours ago
- Time of India
Dalit activist faces judicial custody with two associates
Hisar: Dalit rights activist and advocate Rajat Kalsan and his two companions, Deepak Saini and Pravesh, have been remanded in 14-day judicial custody. The three of them appeared in court on Saturday after being arrested for allegedly assaulting a police team in Hisar's auto market. They were allegedly under the influence of alcohol at the time. City police apprehended his associates during his one-day police remand. A bail application for all the three accused was submitted during court proceedings. The court sought a response from the police and scheduled the bail hearing for Monday. On Thursday, Narnaund police arrested advocate Kalsan in a separate case registered about six months ago, involving a social media post allegedly supporting the accused in the murder of a woman at Budana village. Kalsan was granted bail by a Hansi court in the case. However, soon after his release, Hisar Police arrested him in the latest case related to the alleged assault. The FIR against advocate Kalsan was registered at the City Police Station on the complaint of Hansi special staff sub-inspector Ravikant under various non-bailable charges. According to the complaint, Kalsan was named in an FIR lodged at Narnaund Police Station on July 29. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Access all TV channels anywhere, anytime Techno Mag Learn More Undo On the night of July 30, at around 10PM, police found three individuals allegedly consuming alcohol inside a parked car in the old auto market, with Kalsan in the driver's seat. When police served him a notice to join the investigation, an altercation ensued. Kalsan and his companions allegedly exited the vehicle and attacked the officers, injuring a sub-inspector. Advocate Kalsan has been a prominent figure in Dalit activism, recently joining protests after the death of a youth named Ganesh in a DJ-related dispute in Hisar. He has also advocated for justice in the Bhatla case in Hansi and was a key legal representative in the high-profile 2010 Mirchpur Dalit atrocity case in the Narnaund region. Complaint submitted to NHRC Hisar-based advocate and social worker Bajrang Indal has submitted a joint complaint to the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) and the National Commission for Scheduled Castes regarding the manner of Rajat Kalsan's arrest. In his memorandum, Indal alleged that Kalsan—known for his advocacy in landmark Dalit rights cases like the Mirchpur massacre—was arrested on July 29 by police in plain clothes. He described it as a "kidnapping-style" operation. He also claimed that Kalsan was held in police custody without access to legal counsel or family visits and was not provided a copy of the FIR. The complaint went on to accuse the police of deliberately taking and circulating humiliating photos of Kalsan in a "criminal posture," which Indal said, was a violation of human dignity and an affront to both the Dalit community and the legal profession. He has called for a judicial inquiry into the episode. MSID:: 123062103 413 | Get the latest lifestyle updates on Times of India, along with Friendship Day wishes , messages and quotes !
