
J&K Cong netas detained as police block rally seeking statehood
JAMMU: J&K Congress chief Tariq Hameed Karra and senior functionaries GA Mir, Lal Singh, Raman Bhalla, and Ravinder Sharma were detained Sunday as police blocked the party's planned 'statehood march' in Jammu.
They were taken to the police lines and released later.
Congress has ramped up its statehood campaign under the banner 'Hamari Riyasat Hamara Haq', holding protests and rallies across the region.
A heavy police contingent halted the protest as Congress functionaries and workers began marching toward Raj Bhawan to submit a memorandum to LG Manoj Sinha demanding the restoration of J&K's statehood, which was revoked following the abrogation of Article 370 in Aug 2019 and bifurcation of the region into Union territories, including Ladakh.
Karra said the party would proceed with its 'Delhi Challo' programme Monday to gherao Parliament on the first day of the monsoon session, despite police crackdowns in Jammu and Srinagar. 'These harsh measures will only strengthen our resolve,' he said, adding that MPs from INDIA bloc support the demand for full statehood.
Former JKPCC chief and ex-minister Mir said: 'We're not asking for anything special — this is a commitment made by the PM himself.'
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Indian Express
21 minutes ago
- Indian Express
Gujarat CM inaugurates projects worth Rs 73 crore; hails Surat for acing Super Swachh League
To mark Urban Development Year 2025, Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel inaugurated various projects worth an estimated Rs 73.01 crore in different zones and laid the foundation stone for projects worth around Rs 362.45 crore, in Surat on Saturday. With Surat city acing the Super Swachh League as the cleanest city in India, CM Patel congratulated the sanitation workers. On the occasion, Union Minister for Jal Shakti C R Paatil said, 'Surat city is marching ahead and is a source of inspiration for other cities in the country.' Congratulating the sanitation workers along with officers and employees of the civic body, he appealed to the citizens to continuously maintain the achievements made in the field of cleanliness. The Union minister said, 'Surat has done good work in rainwater harvesting with the people of the community and Rajasthani businessmen playing an important role in Jan Sanchay Jan Bhagidari (JSJB). Under the rainwater harvesting initiative, a total of 32 lakh structures have been constructed across 33 states and 611 districts in India. Under Jal Sanchay Jan Bhagidari-2, which started on June 1 this year, Gujarat stood in first position, while in Jal Sanchay Jan Bhagidari-1, it clinched the 6th position. In the JSJB-1, Banaskantha, which falls within the dark zone and is a dry area, has worked exponentially well. With the help of Banas Dairy Chairman Shanker Chaudhary, over 27,000 structures for Jal Sanchay were made in the district. Farmers paid 50%, and the remaining one was paid by Banas dairy in JSJB-1.' CM Patel has allocated a budget of Rs 50 lakh to the MLAs to accelerate the water conservation campaign launched under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Paatil said. Addressing the gathering, CM Patel said, 'Suraksha and salamati paya ni pehli sharat chhe (Safety and security are the first basic conditions). PM Modi has given top priority to the country's security and the safety of its people.' He said, 'Under the leadership of PM Modi, the Indian Army has achieved resounding success in terms of surgical strikes, air strikes and recently, Operation Sindoor.' Keeping in mind the vision of PM Modi's Developed India-2047, he said, 'To raise the standards of ease of living in Surat, the foundation stone and inauguration of different development projects were done in Surat today. SMC is constantly striving to provide excellent infrastructure and basic facilities to the citizens. As part of the development works, tree plantation has been undertaken under the Ek Ped Ma Ke Naam Abhiyan to preserve the environment. The Catch the Rain Abhiyan has been undertaken to prevent water problems in the future.' He said, 'Surat has the longest BRTS corridor in India, measuring 108 km. Under this, it is the first city in India to operate 100% electric buses. The participation of every citizen of Gujarat is necessary to develop Surat as a growth hub and become a world-class city.' The programme also included the launch of the logo for the Surat Gender and Inclusion Lab under the Sustainable Urban Mobility — Air Quality, Climate Action, and Accessibility (SUM-ACA) project with GIZ-Germany. Besides, three digital tools – E-Bus Planning and Optimization Tool, E-Bus Scheduling Tool, and Bus Key Performance Indicator Dashboard Tool – were launched. They have been developed in collaboration with GIZ-Germany to make the public transport service of Surat Municipal Corporation (SMC) effective. At the event, two films narrating the development and growth story of Surat were screened. At the event, CM Patel also watched a performance put together by the students of the AI (Artificial Intelligence) Lab at Suman School, which the Surat civic body runs. Besides, he conducted a computerised draw system of 1,494 houses under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojna at Bhestan, Palanpur and Bhesan, from Sanjiv Kumar Auditorium in Surat.

The Hindu
21 minutes ago
- The Hindu
Trinamool Congress MP refutes Haryana CM charge against Bengal CM on migrant workers
Refuting allegations made by Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini who accused his West Bengal counterpart Mamata Banerjee of compromising with the security of the country for vote bank politics, Trinamool Congress MP and chairperson of West Bengal Migrant Welfare Board Samirul Islam on Saturday said that a witch-hunt is going on against migrants in the name of 'Bangladeshis'. In a social media post, the Haryana Chief Minister said there is no place for Bangladeshis in the country, and the sympathy shown by the West Bengal Chief Minister towards those who are compromising national interests is not only unfortunate but against national interest. 'From day one, we have said that there is no issue if the administration takes action against genuine infiltrators. But in the name of a witch-hunt against 'Bangladeshis', BJP-ruled states — including yours — have been unlawfully detaining our brothers and sisters who are working there. We strongly protest against the atrocities being committed against Bengali-speaking Indian citizens, and it is unfortunate that people like you are trying to falsely blame us,' Mr. Islam said. The Trinamool Rajya Sabha MP said it was unfortunate to see Mr. Saini criticising Ms. Banerjee in such an illogical manner — 'especially when you yourself are responsible for the brutalisation of Bengali-speaking migrant workers from West Bengal by unlawfully harassing them'. The MP further raised several questions to the Haryana Chief Minister such as whether it is illegal for someone to travel from one Indian State to another to work and if not, then why is the Haryana Police force harassing those who went to work from West Bengal. Mr. Islam also asked if Bengali is spoken only by Bangladeshis and has he ever heard the name of Rabindranath Tagore, who was a Bengali and composed the national anthem. A few days ago, West Bengal CM Ms. Banerjee and Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma had engaged in a war of words on social media on the topic of migrant workers. In another post, the chairperson of the State migrant welfare board added that hundreds of Bengali-speaking migrant workers working in different States have been unlawfully detained and harassed by BJP-ruled State governments like in Odisha, Maharashtra, and Delhi and many of them have even been deported to Bangladesh. Mr. Islam said that he had asked a question about the number of migrants working in other States, which was not provided by the Union government.


Mint
21 minutes ago
- Mint
‘Repeatedly insults OBC': BJP mocks Congress after Udit Raj calls Rahul Gandhi ‘second Ambedkar'
In a sharp criticism of the Congress party, BJP national spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia on Saturday accused the grand old party of repeatedly insulting the other backward classes (OBC) community, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who belongs to the same community. 'The most corrupt party held a conference on the OBC society yesterday. Rahul Gandhi himself has always insulted the OBC community and the Prime Minister, who comes from the OBC community. There are many serious charges against him, including corruption, and he is out on bail,' news agency ANI quoted Bhatia as saying. He also questioned the Congress leader's praise for leaders like Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and former Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel, both of whom he said are facing corruption allegations. "Rahul Gandhi said that your ideals are sitting here. According to Rahul Gandhi, that ideal is Siddaramaiah, who is accused of the Muda scam. Bhupesh Baghel and his son are accused of many scams... The government has resolved to make the country corruption-free, but Rahul Gandhi says that those who are corrupt have the qualities to become leaders," Bhatia added. Congress leader Udit Raj on Saturday said that Rahul Gandhi will prove to be the 'second Ambedkar' for the OBCs if they listen to what he said during the 'Bhagidari Nyay Sammelan'. Raj compared Rahul to Babasaheb Ambedkar and said that the OBCs must support the statements made by the Leader of Opposition. "Caste census in Telangana is an X-ray of society. Rahul Gandhi aims to replicate it nationwide. His views are visionary. If Dalits and backward classes come forward, our economy will boost. The inequality that prevails in society will be reduced. If OBC understands what Rahul Gandhi said, he will prove to be the second Ambedkar for them," Raj told ANI. "OBCs will have to think that history does not give opportunities for progress again and again. They should follow and support what Rahul Gandhi said in the Talkatora Stadium conference. If they do so, then Rahul Gandhi will prove to be the second Ambedkar for them," Raj posted on X. Senior BJP leader and MP Ravi Shankar Prasad on Saturday also hit out at Rahul Gandhi, accusing him of abandoning political decorum and showing frustration at PM Modi's rise from humble beginnings to global leadership, as reported by ANI. Prasad said, "Their leader, Rahul Gandhi, has forgotten decency. There is a frustration that a leader born in a poor, backwards family has become the leader of the world today." The BJP leader further claimed that the Congress party is 'frustrated' by the fact that PM Modi 'has outnumbered the days of Indira Gandhi as PM', adding that Congress is uncomfortable with India's increasing global influence. Congress had on Friday organised the 'Bhagidari Nyay Sammelan', which was inaugurated by party president Mallikarjun Kharge. The concluding address of the event was delivered by Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, the ANI report said. During this address, the Congress leader admitted that not conducting a caste census during the UPA government was a mistake and said he is now determined to correct it. Rahul said he had failed to understand the issues of the OBC community earlier, unlike those of Dalits, tribals, and women, where he claimed the Congress had done commendable work. 'I think about my work, where I did well and where I fell short, and I see two to three things. Land Acquisition Bill, MNREGA, Right to Food, Tribal Bill, and Niyamgiri struggle – all these things I did well. As far as the issues of tribals, Dalits, and women are concerned, I should get good marks there. I did good work,' he said.