‘Political vendetta’: TMC’s Abhishek Banerjee cries foul after police grilling over scuffle case
NEW DELHI: Trinamool Congress leader Abhishek Banerjee on Tuesday claimed that Bharatiya Janata Party-led West Bengal government was pursuing “political vendetta” against his party after he was questioned for nearly six hours by Kolkata Police over the removal of an unauthorised billboard.The Trinamool Congress MP from Diamond Harbour said that the Suvendu Adhikari-led government was selectively targeting TMC by removing its signboards, freezing party accounts and initiating cases against its leaders and workers. “If they think they can silence us through false cases and arrests, they are mistaken,” Abhishek Banerjee told reporters as he walked out of Shakespeare Sarani police station after questioning. “They can question me but I am not scared, they are,” he said, adding that the police action was a bid to weaken TMC. The TMC leader also alleged that several party workers arrested in connection with the incident were subjected to “custodial torture”. “One of our workers, Tarik, was arrested and subjected to custodial torture. He secured bail yesterday, but 12 or 13 others remain in judicial custody,” he alleged. This comes days after a confrontation broke out when Kolkata Municipal Corporation officials, accompanied by police, entered the office premises to dismantle the billboard mounted on an iron structure facing the road. Private security guards, party supporters and some TMC leaders resisted the move, leading to a scuffle with police and civic officials. Police subsequently registered three FIRs and arrested several people. Abhishek, who has been named as an accused in two of the cases, was served a notice to appear before the police and arrived at the station around 12.15 pm, as TMC supporters gathered outside and raised slogans alleging that he was being targeted by the state government. The cases include sections pertaining to obstruction of government officials in the discharge of their duties, unlawful assembly, assault and harassment of women police personnel. Courtesy : TOI Note: This news is originally published on https:/timesofindia.com/bha and is used purely for non-profit/non-commercial purposes, especially human rights
Cong fields 30 candidates under 30 for Jaipur civic polls
Jaipur: Congress is banking on younger faces in the Jaipur municipal polls, with 30 candidates below the age of 30 and 110 below 50 years. This takes the average age of its nominees to around 37, according to Jaipur in charge Rohit Bohra. The youngest candidate is Suman Bhati, aged 22, contesting from Ward 72. Bhati, from Jhalana slums, runs a laundry business. She said her own experience had shaped her priorities. “I‘m from an underprivileged area and have seen what situations women face in slums. If elected, I want to work on skill training, drug de-addiction camps and better policing. I also want CCTV cameras in my locality and regular patrolling by women police personnel,” she said. Breaking caste barriers is another issue on her agenda. For 23-year-old graduate Harshit Jain from Ward 46, transparency and accountability would be priorities. He wants a technology-based grievance-redressal system through which complaints can be categorised and routed to the departments concerned for resolution. Jain said he admires Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and followed Rahul Gandhi’s ‘Chhatron Ki Goonj’ initiative. Both young candidates acknowledged their limited experience but said they are willing to learn. Jaipur in charge Rohit Bohra said the party had deliberately increased its focus on younger candidates. “Around 20% of our candidates are from Gen Z. Among all 309 urban local bodies going to polls, Jaipur has the highest number of Gen Z candidates,” he said. The party’s Jaipur district president Sunit Sharma could not be contacted for comment. Courtesy : TOI Note: This news is originally published on https:/timesofindia.com/bha and is used purely for non-profit/non-commercial purposes, especially human rights
Kharge event row: Cong protests FIR against Rahul, alleges vendetta
Varanasi: Scores of Congress leaders and functionaries took out a protest march on Tuesday demanding immediate cancellation of the FIR lodged against party MP Rahul Gandhi in Haldwani district of Uttarakhand, alleging political vendetta by the BJP govt. Led by party district chief Rajeshwar Patel and city unit president Raghvendra Chaubey, the protest march began from Bageshwari Devi temple near Jaitpura police station and headed towards the Gandhi statue at Town Hall, Maidagin. Police stopped the march at Ausanganj crossing and accepted a memorandum addressed to the governor. Chaubey accused the BJP govt of double standards, alleging that no action had been taken even 20 days after the alleged insult of Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and the reported “purification” of a rally venue. Congress said its struggle would continue until the FIR is withdrawn and issues of justice are addressed. Congress functionaries said Rahul speaks for Dalits, backward classes, tribals, the poor and other deprived sections and is being targeted for raising issues of social justice, democracy and constitutional rights. A case was registered against Rahul at Kotwali police station on Sunday night. The FIR — lodged under BNS sections 196 and 299, along with section 3(1)(q) of the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989 — followed a complaint by Amit Kumar, a resident of Jawahar Nagar Colony in Haldwani and member of Shriram Sena Dharmarth Seva Samiti. Kumar, who belongs to the SC community, alleged that Gandhi gave a caste angle to routine cleaning work carried out at Ramlila Maidan on Aug 11, characterising the clean-up as an act of untouchability and a criminal offence during a news conference in Delhi. Courtesy : TOI Note: This news is originally published on https:/timesofindia.com/bha and is used purely for non-profit/non-commercial purposes, especially human rights
PSC ‘scam’ case: ED raids multiple locations in Chhattisgarh, including ex-CM Baghel’s PA
RAIPUR: The Enforcement Directorate on Tuesday conducted searches at multiple locations in Chhattisgarh, including at the premises of a personal assistant of former chief minister Bhupesh Baghel. The searches are part of a money laundering probe linked to alleged irregularities at the state Public Service Commission, officials told news agency PTI. Officials said a total of seven locations are being raided as part of the investigation launched under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). The probe relates to alleged irregularities in the Chhattisgarh Public Service Commission (CGPSC). The premises being searched include those of K K Chandrakar, former chief minister Bhupesh Baghel’s personal assistant, officials said. Further details are awaited. Courtesy : TOI Note: This news is originally published on https:/timesofindia.com/bha and is used purely for non-profit/non-commercial purposes, especially human rights
Telangana BJP chief N Ramchander Rao house-arrested ahead of Nalgonda visit
HYDERABAD: A political row erupted in Telangana on Tuesday after BJP state president N Ramchander Rao was placed under house arrest, with the party alleging that he was stopped from travelling to Nalgonda following an attack on the residence of district BJP president Nagam Varshit Reddy. Rao was scheduled to meet Reddy and his family after the latter’s residence was reportedly vandalised and his family members, including his mother, were allegedly assaulted by Congress workers on Monday evening, the state BJP said. In a post on X, Telangana BJP accused the Congress government of failing to take strict action against those responsible for the alleged attack and instead preventing Rao from visiting the affected family. The party said Rao had planned to travel to Nalgonda to meet Reddy and express solidarity with his family. It alleged that placing the state BJP chief under house arrest was an attempt to stop him from visiting the district. The development comes days after Rao hit out at Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi over his remarks on a ‘Shuddhikaran’ (purification) ritual following Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge’s visit to Uttarakhand. Speaking to ANI on Sunday, Rao accused Gandhi of indulging in “cheap politics” and misinterpreting the ritual, claiming that members of the Dalit community had also taken part in it. Rao alleged that Gandhi was attempting to divide people on regional and caste lines and accused him of trying to create a divide between North and South India. “He wants to twist the facts and mislead the people,” Rao said, while alleging that Gandhi was also seeking to create divisions on caste lines in Uttar Pradesh. Rao also targeted Kharge, alleging that the Congress had opposed BR Ambedkar and defeated him in elections, besides claiming that the party did not confer the Bharat Ratna on him. Courtesy : TOI Note: This news is originally published on https:/timesofindia.com/bha and is used purely for non-profit/non-commercial purposes, especially human rights
Vaiko backs Rahul as PM candidate; Tagore, Praveen Chakravarthy meet Vijay
Chennai: A day after Tamil Nadu tourism minister R Rajesh Kumar warned that Congress would pull its two ministers out of the state cabinet if TVK failed to accept Rahul Gandhi as the prime ministerial candidate for the 2029 Lok Sabha election, the ruling party chose not to respond publicly. Meanwhile, TNCC president Manickam Tagore and Congress MP Praveen Chakravarthy separately met chief minister C Joseph Vijay on Monday. TVK’s silence and the visit of Congress leaders signalled an effort by both sides to defuse the situation. Manickam Tagore said in an X post that not all surveys reflect public sentiment, a reference to the survey by a media house that said Vijay was third most popular PM candidate in the country next to PM Narendra Modi and Rahul Gandhi. “Sometimes, numbers shown as voice of people are weapons intended to split people,’’ he said. Narrating a short story titled ‘a fox’s fake survey,’ Tagore said there are attempts to drive wedge between two friends through ‘fabricated numbers.’ Speaking at a public meeting in Kanyakumari on Sunday, Rajesh Kumar said Rahul Gandhi would be Congress’s prime ministerial candidate in 2029. He said the two Congress ministers in Tamil Nadu cabinet would quit if TVK refused to accept Rahul as PM candidate. The statement was a result of TVK ministers projecting Vijay as prospective PM candidate. On Monday, MDMK general secretary Vaiko joined the debate, backing Rahul Gandhi as the prime ministerial candidate and urging Vijay to restrain TVK ministers. “Congress party leads INDIA bloc at the national level. Therefore, Rahul Gandhi is the only viable PM candidate from the alliance. There is simply no alternative,’’ he told reporters in Tirunelveli. Vaiko said Vijay would not have such aspirations and that it was the TVK ministers who were making remarks projecting Vijay as the PM candidate. “Ministers should not speak haphazardly about these matters. CM must direct the ministers to avoid such statements in the future,” said Vaiko. Meanwhile, Congress MLA Tharahai Cuthbert was allotted front row among leaders of opposition parties triggering speculation it was a fallout of Rajesh Kumar’s speech. However, Tagore clarified in a statement that it was a routine administrative exercise after her election as the party’s legislative leader. Speaker J C D Prabhakar also clarified that Cuthbert was allotted the seat because of her designation as floor leader. Courtesy : TOI Note: This news is originally published on https:/timesofindia.com/bha and is used purely for non-profit/non-commercial purposes, especially human rights
‘Chhatron ki Goonj’ reaches Indore as Rahul eyes BJP’s vulnerabilities with “best city” as example
NEW DELHI: Amid continuing reverberations from Rahul Gandhi’s girl-students rally in Pune, the Congress youth outreach “Chhatron ki Goonj” is set to move to another BJP stronghold, the education hub of Madhya Pradesh. Sources said the next episode of “chhatron ki goonj” will be held in Indore on Sep 12. In what is a carefully crafted strategy to challenge the ruling party with the “angry demographic” that led the Jantar Mantar protest, Congress has picked the venue owing to the fact that there has been a history of paper leaks in the state including the infamous examination scandal “Vyapam scam”. Besides, the opposition has won two by-elections “against the might of the state”, the latest being Datia assembly last month. Sources said the party considered a few cities, including in the Congress-ruled states in the south, but then decided on Indore in a bid to continue pressuring the BJP. While the city is a students’ hub and also has a fair share of urban and middle-class population, it has been in the negative spotlight for repeated infrastructural crises – the most sensational being 24 deaths from consuming sewage contaminated water in February 2026. A smart city road, said to be constructed at the cost of Rs 40 crore, collapsed recently, hogging the headlines. Also, there have been allegations of corruption targeting the CM. The “chhatron ki goonj” started in Kota in Rajasthan (June) and then moved to Dehradun (July) and then Prayagraj (August), focusing on examination and employment issues. But in Pune last month, Rahul changed tack when he made it an exclusive event for girls, and his interactive speech around gender justice and “manusmriti” received favourable feedback besides triggering the opponent BJP. The “CKG” strategists are chuffed by the reaction and said the programme will move across the nation with the objective of becoming a “brand” that the youth will associate with. After Indore, the party may choose a city in any of the Congress-ruled states in the south to cover a key region with a strong youth population. Recently, the Congress Working Committee decided that “CKG” will be held in 800 cities and towns – which means one in every district. Sources said Rahul may personally attend around 20 of them, while the rest will become a vehicle for the party to woo the youth. Courtesy : TOI Note: This news is originally published on https:/timesofindia.com/bha and is used purely for non-profit/non-commercial purposes, especially human rights
TRB to recruit 6k asst professors: Minister; Rahul will be next PM, says he
Trichy: State’s Teachers Recruitment Board (TRB) will conduct examinations to fill around 6,000 assistant professor posts in govt colleges in three phases, said higher education minister P Viswanathan on Sunday. Talking to reporters at Trichy airport, the Congress minister also said in reply to questions that Rahul Gandhi will become the country’s next Prime Minister. Viswanathan said that in each phase, 2,000 candidates will be recruited as assistant professors. Under the Career Advancement Scheme (CAS), the long-pending demands of nearly 8,000–9,000 assistant professors have been addressed. About ₹19 crore is being spent every month, translating to nearly ₹250 crore annually, on salary revisions and other service benefits, he said. Asked as to how many prime ministerial candidates were there in the TVK-led alliance, Viswanathan said, “Rahul Gandhi is the sole prime ministerial candidate of Indian National Congress.” He further said people had grown resentful of BJP over the past 15 years and Rahul Gandhi would become the country’s next Prime Minister. On the omission of the names of B R Ambedkar, K Kamaraj and Periyar from a policy note of the backward classes welfare department, Viswanathan said there was no need to blow the issue out of proportion. “TVK has already announced Ambedkar, Kamaraj and Periyar as ideological leaders.” Courtesy : TOI Note: This news is originally published on https:/timesofindia.com/bha and is used purely for non-profit/non-commercial purposes, especially human rights
Congress minister threatens to quit TVK cabinet if Rahul is not accepted as PM candidate in 2029
Kanyakumari: Amidst TVK propaganda projecting chief minister C Joseph Vijay as a prospective prime minister, Congress leader and Tamil Nadu tourism minister S Rajesh Kumar on Sunday said he would quit the cabinet if TVK refuses to accept Rahul Gandhi as the PM candidate in the 2029 Lok Sabha elections. “Rahul Gandhi will be the prime ministerial candidate for the 2029 parliamentary election. He will become the next PM. If at all TVK refuses to accept this, the two Congress ministers will walk out of the cabinet,” Rajesh Kumar said on Sunday at the swearing in ceremony of George Robinson as Congress party’s Kanyakumari West district unit president. “For us, party is above all other considerations. Our cadres want to see Rahul Gandhi as PM. Our goal is to achieve that,’’ he said. The remark comes against the backdrop of repeated attempts by TVK leaders to project chief minister C Joseph Vijay as a potential prime ministerial face from Tamil Nadu in 2029. The issue was first raised by PWD minister Aadhav Arjuna during a debate on delimitation exercise when he said a Prime Minister should emerge from Tamil Nadu. His remarks were followed by other TVK ministers, including D Sarathkumar, A Srinath and K Jagadeeswari, projecting Vijay as a possible prime ministerial candidate. The debate gained traction nationally after a private media house said their survey has found Vijay was the third most preferred prime ministerial choice in the country, following Prime Minister Narendra Modi and leader of the opposition Rahul Gandhi. The statements by TVK leaders sparked unease among the Congress rank and file. When asked about the issue, Tamil Nadu Congress Committee president Manickam Tagore took a swipe at TVK ministers, saying they were still functioning with a “fan club mindset.” Rajesh Kumar’s warning, however, marks an escalation of the disagreement. The support of five MLAs of Congress remains crucial for TVK to enjoy the majority mark in the state assembly. In return, TVK has given two ministerial berths to Congress leaders Rajesh Kumar and P Viswanathan, the higher education minister. Earlier in the day, when asked how many prime ministerial candidates were there in the TVK-led alliance, Viswanathan said at Trichy airport that Rahul Gandhi is the sole prime ministerial candidate of Indian National Congress, and there would be no change in the stand. Courtesy : TOI Note: This news is originally published on https:/timesofindia.com/bha and is used purely for non-profit/non-commercial purposes, especially human rights
File FIR against those who did ‘purification’: Priyanka to PM Modi
NEW DELHI: Keeping up the pressure over the issue, Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Sunday appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to order an FIR against the persons who had committed the crime of “purification” of the rally venue in Haldwani where Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge had recently addressed a public meeting, reports Devbrat Chaudhary. The appeal to the PM came a day after Rahul Gandhi addressed a press conference alleging the “purification” was the handiwork of BJP-RSS elements, and that a case should be lodged under the SC/ST Prevention of Atrocities Act. Priyanka posted on X, “Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge addressed a rally in Haldwani, after which people from BJP-RSS ‘purified’ his stage. This ‘purification’ is not only a symbol of an extremely reprehensible and shameful mindset but also a grave violation of our Constitution and the SC/ST Act, and is a crime.” Priyanka said no action has been taken even 20 days after the “crime” and sought from the Prime Minister and Modi govt reasons for their “indifference”. “If PM Modi truly respects the Constitution of our country, then he should ensure that an FIR is filed against those who committed this crime and that action is taken,” she said. Courtesy : TOI Note: This news is originally published on https:/timesofindia.com/bha and is used purely for non-profit/non-commercial purposes, especially human rights