Sirsi (Karnataka), April 28 (IANS) Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Sunday that the decision to build Ram Mandir in Ayodhya should have been taken the very next day after the country achieved Independence in 1947.

Addressing a mega public rally at Sirsi town in Karnataka’s Uttara Kannada district, PM Modi blamed the Congress for the long delay and stated that the party made efforts till the last minute to ensure that the temple is not built.

“In Ayodhya, our ancestors waited and battled for 500 years for Ram Mandir to be built… 500 years is not a small period. They should have taken this decision on the next day of Independence but they did not do it. To get this work done, it takes ‘chhappan inch ka seena’. This power comes from one vote of yours,” PM Modi said while addressing the rally.

“Now that Ram Mandir has been built, the appeasement politics has reached its height in the country… the trustees of Ram Mandir went to their homes and invited them but they rejected the invitation. Won’t Karnataka and the country reject the Congress party now?” he wondered while speaking at the public meeting.

PM Modi also accused the Congress of disrespecting Ram Mandir for vote bank politics.

“On the other side, there is an Ansari family… Iqbal Ansari’s entire family fought the case against Ram Temple for three generations but when the Supreme Court’s verdict came, he accepted it. The trustees of Ram Mandir invited Ansari, and he attended the ‘Pran Pratistha’ ceremony at Ayodhya,” said PM Modi.

PM Modi also slammed the Siddaramaiah-led Congress government in Karnataka for the “worsening situation of law and order” in the entire state and for encouraging anti-social and anti-national elements.

“What happened in Belagavi with a tribal sister, what happened in Chikkodi with a Jain monk, is shameful. What happened with our daughter on a college campus in Hubli shook the entire nation. Her family kept demanding action but the pressure of appeasement prevailed on the Congress-led state government. Even when a bomb blast occurred in a cafe in Bengaluru, the Congress government initially did not show seriousness. This is the same Congress that used organisations like the PFI for votes in elections and defended their action,” he said.

–IANS

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Srinagar, April 28 (IANS) Three people were rescued while six others are missing after a passenger vehicle fell into a stream in Sonamarg hill station in J&K’s Ganderbal district on Sunday, police said.

Police said that the vehicle was carrying nine passengers.

“A Tavera taxi went out of the driver’s control at Gagangir and dropped into the fast-moving Sindh stream on the Srinagar-Leh highway. Three rescued passengers have been shifted to the primary health centre in Gund,” a police official said, adding teams of police, 34 Assam Rifles, rural traffic police, civil administration, locals, and SDRF and NDRF personnel were on the spot and engaged in efforts to rescue the missing persons.

–IANS

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Chennai, April 28 (IANS) As accidents and deaths due to firecracker mishaps become regular, the Tamil Nadu government is planning to bring in stringent measures to curb this.

The state government will make it mandatory that those who work in the fireworks factories and handle mixing and filing colour pellets are certified after proper training. The report also suggests that stringent action will be taken against those factories and employers who employ workers without certification.

The firecracker industry of Tamil Nadu has an annual turnover of Rs 6,000 crore and leads the industry in the country.

A committee constituted by the National Green Tribunal comprising officials of Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board, Central Pollution Control Board and officials from the state Environment Department as well as Virudhunagar district, have given its report.

The report also said that as there are no proper courses in Pyrotechnics in India, experts from abroad be roped in for training those working in sensitive areas of making firecrackers.

The committee in its report also said that the repeated and regular mishaps in fireworks industries are due to lack of monitoring and implementation mechanisms.

The report also suggested creating greater awareness among the community and using the CSR funds of companies to educate the local people on fireworks and the intricacies involved in it including packing them.

The committee has also recommended reinforced cement concrete (RCC) walls and weak roofs in the fireworks factories instead of the present construction of weak walls and concrete roofs.

This is for venting explosions vertically and to reduce the impact on nearby buildings.

–IANS

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New Delhi, April 28 (IANS) Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s analogy of Kings and Maharajas as the ‘land grabbers’ continues to invite public wrath and ire of the Rajput community, with the latest being Jaiveerraj Singh Gohil, the ‘Yuvraj’ of Bhavnagar, Gujarat.

Jaiveerraj Singh Gohil, also a role model and fashion icon for youth, scoffed at the Congress leader for describing the ancient kings and maharajas as the ‘looters’ of public wealth.

“I feel pity for Rahul Gandhi. It’s very sad that the person whose father and grandmother were nation’s Prime Minister, has ruined the party,” the Bhavnagar prince said in scathing criticism of Congress’ ‘Yuvraj’.

“I pray to his mother that she keeps him happy and also helps enlighten him mentally,” he added in terse satirical jibe.

Rahul’s statements on kings and Maharajas of India, at a recent public rally in Karnataka ignited a huge controversy, with many claiming that he insulted and disparaged the rich legacy of Rajputs.

During a rally in Karnataka on Saturday, Rahul said, “it was the rule of Kings and Maharajas, they could do whatever they wanted, if they wanted someone’s land they would take it away. It was the Congress party and our workers, along with the people of the country achieved Independence and brought democracy.”

Jaiveerraj Singh also said that Rahul makes baseless statements but forgets about his own party and its legacy.

“It was his grandmother who brought land ceiling law, resulting in loss of ownership of land for many citizens,” he added.

“Lot many of our people lost their land because of such biased legislation, who is responsible for that?” asked the Bhavnagar Yuvraj.

The Land Ceiling Act was a law under which five members of the community were treated as a unit and they had rights to own a certain area of land, the surplus of which would be taken away by the government.

The law was brought to limit the size of landholdings by landlords and its redistribution among the wider population.

–IANS

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Patna, April 28 (IANS) A low turnout of voters in the first two phases of the Lok Sabha elections has forced the political parties in Bihar to redraw their strategy and revisit the schedule of rallies that will be addressed by their star campaigners.

While the polling percentage was 48.23 per cent in the first phase in comparison to 53.47 per cent registered in 2019, the second phase witnessed 58.58 per cent voting which too was four per cent less than the 2019 figure.

The third phase of the Lok Sabha elections will be held in Bihar’s Jhanjharpur, Supaul, Araria, Madhepura and Khagaria Lok Sabha constituencies on May 7.

Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who has appealed to the voters to reach polling centres and take part in the electoral process, will stay in Madhepura for the next three days to address rallies and road shows. He will also address two rallies in the other four constituencies where elections will be held on May 7.

Since the election campaign started in Bihar, RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav and Vikassheel Insaan Party (VIP) chief Mukesh Sahani have been addressing four to five rallies every day and they have the same programme scheduled for the five constituencies in the third phase as well.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah will address two rallies in Jhanjharpur and Begusarai on April 29. The polling in Begusarai will take place in the fourth phase.

After the low turnout of voters in the first two phases, HR Srinivasa, the chief electoral officer of Bihar, has instructed DMs and SPs to take additional initiatives so that voters can come to the polling centres.

“At many places, we have seen people boycotting the elections. The officers have been asked to resolve the issues, if any. Keeping in view of the hot weather, we have also asked them to make adequate arrangements at the polling stations,” said Srinivasa.

In the third phase, three candidates of JD-U, one candidate from LJP(R) and one candidate from BJP are in the fray on the five seats.

In Jhanjharpur, JD-U candidate Rampreet Mandal will contest against Suman Kumar Mahaseth of VIP. Dilleshwar Kamat of JD-U will contest against Chandrahas Chaupal of RJD in Supaul. Dinesh Chandra Yadav of JD-U will contest against Kumar Chandradeep of RJD for the Madhepura Lok Sabha seat.

In Araria, Pradeep Singh of BJP is contesting against Shahnawaz Alam of RJD while Rajesh Verma of LJP(R) is contesting against Sanjay Kumar of CPI in Khagaria.

–IANS

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