Tamil Nadu custodial death: Outrage over brutal assault, DMK government under fire
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Time of India
30 minutes ago
- Time of India
'Parties should appoint more booth agents': ECI sources on Bihar electoral roll revision; 'They should not complain later'
Representative image NEW DELHI: The Election Commission of India (ECI) has urged political parties to appoint more booth level agents (BLAs) for the poll panel's ongoing special intensive process for electoral roll revision in Bihar, according to sources. The parties should not complain later, they said. "They should appoint more BLAs now rather than complaining later," the sources told news agency ANI. According to the ECI sources, the Bihar drive is proceeding "smoothly as planned," strictly following the orders issued on June 24. The massive exercise involves nearly one lakh trained booth level officers (BLOs) and an equal number of volunteers, coordinated by 243 electoral registration officers, 38 district election officers, nine divisional commissioners, and the chief electoral officer of the poll-bound state. Also Read | Bihar voter list row: Why EC's special revision is facing political heat - explained While national and state political parties registered and recognised by the ECI have already engaged more than 1.5 lakh BLAs across polling stations, the sources indicate there is still time for the parties to appoint additional BLAs. ECI defers meeting with multi-party delegation Meanwhile, the Election Commission has deferred a scheduled meeting with a multi-party delegation regarding the SIR process citing a lack of confirmation from the participating political parties. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Sharp Design, Smoother Drives. Toyota Glanza Learn More Undo The meeting, initially scheduled by ECI for Wednesday at 5 PM, was requested by the Congress on June 30. The Congress legal counsel had sought an urgent appointment, representing himself as counsel for the multi-party delegation. Following standard procedure, the Commission contacted relevant political parties to confirm their participation. However, as of Tuesday, no confirmation had been received from any of the parties, leading to the meeting's deferral. Chief election commissioner Gyanesh Kumar has repeatedly emphasised that the SIR initiative aims to prevent "illegible" voters from casting ballot, and to ensure no eligible citizen is excluded from the voter list ahead of the Bihar assembly polls.
Hans India
36 minutes ago
- Hans India
Trump Backs Senate Bill For Massive Tariffs On Russian Energy Buyers
President Donald Trump has endorsed proposed Senate legislation that would impose unprecedented 500% tariffs on nations purchasing Russian oil and energy products, with India and China as the primary targets. Senator Lindsey Graham revealed during a Sunday ABC News interview that Trump had instructed him to advance the sanctions bill for a Senate vote. Graham is the lead sponsor of this comprehensive sanctions package targeting Russia. Graham characterized Trump's backing as "a significant breakthrough" designed to pressure Russian President Vladimir Putin toward Ukraine peace negotiations while providing Trump with enhanced diplomatic leverage. The proposed legislation takes aim at countries that continue energy trade with Russia without supporting Ukraine. Graham emphasized that India and China collectively purchase approximately 70% of Putin's oil exports, effectively sustaining Russia's military operations. "This legislation targets any nation buying Russian products while failing to assist Ukraine with a 500% tariff on their goods entering the United States. India and China's massive oil purchases from Putin directly fuel his war efforts," Graham explained to ABC News. Despite Trump's endorsement, the President retains discretionary authority through a waiver provision, allowing him to determine whether to implement the tariffs if Congress passes the bill. Graham previously indicated strong congressional support, noting he had secured 84 co-sponsors for what he described as an "economic bunker buster" targeting China, India, and Russia over the Ukraine invasion. He expressed confidence in the bill's passage prospects. Recent data from the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air confirms India's position as the second-largest purchaser of Russian fossil fuels in May 2025. The research organization calculated that India acquired €4.2 billion worth of Russian fossil fuels that month, with crude oil comprising 72% of total purchases. When questioned about Graham's statements, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov responded Monday that Russia had noted the senator's position. Peskov dismissed Graham as belonging to a group of "inveterate Russophobes" and suggested such sanctions would have been implemented earlier if left to Graham's discretion. Peskov questioned whether such measures would actually advance Ukrainian settlement negotiations, suggesting that sanction proponents should examine this issue themselves. The proposed tariffs represent a dramatic escalation in economic pressure tactics, potentially affecting major trading relationships between the United States and two of the world's largest economies while targeting their energy partnerships with Russia.
Indian Express
39 minutes ago
- Indian Express
Puri Rath Yatra stampede puts BJP on back foot as BJD, Congress raise storm
While the BJP government in Odisha claims to have taken 'swift action' following Sunday's stampede during the Rath Yatra of Lord Jagannath in Puri that claimed three lives, the incident seems to have jolted the party days after it went all out to celebrate its first year in power. While BJP insiders admit that the incident has dented the government's image and has led to the party putting off the election of its state chief, the Mohan Charan Majhi dispensation has also come under fire from the Opposition. 'A high-level committee of ministers headed by Deputy Chief Minister Pravati Parida was constituted to oversee (Rath Yatra) preparations. Has anyone seen the panel members on the ground? Are they not responsible for the mess? Why has action not been taken against them?' an Opposition leader asked. A smooth conduct of the Jagannath Rath Yatra in Puri has traditionally been seen in Odisha as public validation for successive governments. During a review meeting with the administration on June 22, the Majhi government directed that the Rath Yatra must be 'incident-free'. The Majhi government, which barely had a month last year to prepare for the annual event, pulled out all stops this year and started preparations for the 'memorable event' barely a week after Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed a rally on June 22 in Bhubaneswar, where he said that the BJP government was completing one year in power while the state was gearing up for the Rath Yatra. Last Friday, the BJP government came under attack for the delay in pulling the chariot of Lord Jagannath, which only moved a few metres before the day ended. It also came under attack for 'lapses' in crowd management that left over 200 devotees ill. As per tradition, in the Rath Yatra, also known as Gundicha Yatra, the Lord along with his siblings – elder brother Lord Balabhadra and sister Devi Subhadra – embark on a nine-day sojourn from their 12th century shrine to the Gundicha Temple, their birthplace, covering a distance of around 3 km. After a ceremonial procession called 'Pahandi', the deities are taken to the Gundicha Temple on three large chariots, where they stay till the 'Bahuda Yatra' (return car festival), which is scheduled for July 5 this year. Millions of people join the procession to pull the chariots. BJD chief and ex-CM Naveen Patnak, who is now Leader of the Opposition (LoP) in the Assembly, took to social media to slam the government's 'incompetence' in conducting the Puri Rath Yatra. 'The stampede, which occurred just a day after the abysmal failure to manage crowds during the Rath Yatra, exposes the government's glaring incompetence in ensuring a peaceful festival for the devotees,' he said in an X post on Sunday. Calling the incident a 'man-made disaster', the Congress slammed the Majhi government, accusing it of 'prioritising VVIP movements during the event over safety of common people'. Despite attacks from the Opposition, state law minister Prithviraj Harichandran tried to justify the delay claiming 'everything happens according to the Lord's wish'. After the procession reached the Gundicha Temple, Harichandran said the Yatra had been 'incident-free'. Hours after his remarks, a swelling crowd advanced towards the chariots around 4 am on Sunday leading to a stampede. Making matters worse, two vehicles carrying materials for the rituals entered the spot. Eyewitnesses said the ensuing 'chaos' lasted for 20 minutes, claiming there were no policemen or senior officials to help the devotees. With no system in place for ambulances to move freely, relatives of the devotees pulled out the injured from the crowd and shifted them to hospitals. 'My wife and others would have been saved had there been arrangements for the smooth movement of ambulances,' said the husband of a deceased woman. Almost immediately after the stampede, CM Majhi ordered an administrative probe, shunted out the Collector and SP of Puri and suspended two senior police officers for 'dereliction of duty'. He also apologised to the devotees, indicating the sensitivity of the issue. A major administrative shake-up has also been initiated with a senior bureaucrat and a police officer, who have prior experience of handling the Rath Yatra, being roped in to supervise the remaining event. The move is being seen as the government's effort to restore the people's faith in the administration. While the probe is scheduled to be completed in a month, preliminary reports suggest lack of coordination between administrative wings, poor planning by the police and deploying inexperienced officers to manage the situation led to the incident. State BJP chief Manmohan Samal expressed concern over the incident but said the state government 'took the right decision at the right time'. 'We will be careful to ensure that such incidents do not recur,' he said.
