Hyderabad, Sep 17: Telangana’s Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) has arrested two police officers for demanding and accepting a bribe of Rs 5 lakh to do an official favour, officials said on Thursday.

In an operation conducted around midnight, the ACB sleuths caught Dyapa Gnanender Reddy, Sub-Inspector of Police, Keesara Police Station, Malkajgiri Police Commissionerate, red-handed when he was accepting a Rs 5 lakh bribe.

The anti-graft agency said the Sub-Inspector was accepting the bribe on the instruction of Arkapally Anjaneyulu, Inspector of Police/SHO, Keesara Police Station.

The ACB said in a release on Thursday that the accused officers demanded and accepted the bribe from the complainant for granting station bail and not harassing the complainant and his friend in the case already registered at Keesara Police Station.

Both the Inspector and Sub-Inspector have been arrested. They will be produced before the Principal Special Judge for SPE & ACB cases, Nampally, for judicial remand. The case is under investigation, the ACB said.

The complainant had approached the ACB after the officials were allegedly harassing him and demanding money. There were also allegations that the complainant was repeatedly asked to bring biryani and cold drinks over the past few days.

The officials had allegedly demanded a bribe of Rs 10 lakh. A deal was struck for Rs 5 lakh. The Inspector/SHO had given the responsibility of accepting the bribe amount to the Sub-Inspector.

The anti-graft agency laid a trap and caught Sub-Inspector Gnanender Reddy when he was accepting the bribe amount in a car near Keesara lake while he was on Ganesh immersion duty. On seeing the ACB officials, the SI tried to flee but was apprehended.

Following the trap, ACB officials conducted searches at Keesara Police Station and officials’ residences. The operation was conducted by ACB City Range-I under the supervision of DSP Majid Ali Khan.

The ACB has said that in case of a demand for a bribe by any public servant, they can contact the ACB toll-free number 1064 to take action as per law. The name and details of the victim/complainant will be kept secret.

New Delhi, Sep 17: Opposition leaders on Thursday extended birthday greetings to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on his 76th birthday and wished him good health and a long life.

Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi took to social media platform X and said, “Happy birthday to PM Narendra Modi ji. Wishing you good health and a long life.”

Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge said, “Best wishes to Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi Ji on his birthday. May he be blessed with good health and long life.”

Congress MP Manish Tewari also extended birthday greetings and said, “Wishing Narendra Modi a very happy 76 th Birthday. God Bless.”

Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav said, “Birthday wishes to the Prime Minister and best wishes for a healthy, active, and meaningful life.”

Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati extended her greetings and said, “Heartfelt congratulations to the Hon. Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi Ji on his 76th birthday today, and best wishes for a healthy life.”

NCP(SP) chief Sharad Pawar said, “Heartfelt birthday wishes to the Hon’ble Prime Minister of India, Shri Narendra Modi ji. Wishing you good health and a long life.”

Shiv Sena(UBT) leader Priyanka Chaturvedi said, “Wishing Hon. PM Shri Narendra Modi a very happy birthday. I wish him good health and happiness always.”

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Joseph Vijay also extended his greetings on the occasaion and said, “I extend my heartfelt birthday wishes to the Hon’ble Prime Minister of India Thiru. Narendra Modi avargal, who leads with dedication towards building a strong India. I wholeheartedly wish you a long life filled with good health.”

DMK chief and former Tamil Nadu CM M.K. Stalin also wished the Prime Minister and said, “Warm birthday greetings to Hon’ble Prime Minister Thiru. Narendra Modi. Wishing him good health, happiness and a long life.”

Prime Minister Narendra Modi turned 76 on Thursday. Led by PM Modi, the BJP has been in power at the Centre since 2014.

PM Modi is the country’s longest-serving non-Congress Prime Minister. He started his political career as a member of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and has been the face of the BJP’s victories in three consecutive general elections.

The BJP on Thursday began its special month-long campaign, titled ‘Seva Sankalp Abhiyan’, to mark the completion of 25 years of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s public life and service.

While September 17 marks PM Modi’s birthday, October will mark the completion of 25 years of his public service.

Earlier, on September 9, BJP National President Nitin Nabin, while addressing a press conference at the party headquarters, announced that PM Modi would complete 25 years of public service on October 7. To mark the occasion, the BJP will conduct the special month-long campaign, ‘Seva Sankalp Abhiyan’.

Mumbai, Sep 17: Shiv Sena (UBT) on Thursday criticised the Centre over the all-vegetarian menu served to foreign delegates at the 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi, alleging that it amounted to imposing dietary preferences on international guests.

In an editorial published in its mouthpiece, Saamana, the party said food choices are a matter of personal freedom and should not be dictated by governments or political organisations. The editorial took exception to the gala dinner hosted at Bharat Mandapam on September 12, where leaders of the expanded 11-member BRICS grouping were served an exclusively vegetarian menu.

Calling the move an imposition of dietary preferences on world leaders, the Thackeray camp in the party mouthpiece Saamana editorial argued that dietary choices—whether vegetarian or non-vegetarian—are a matter of personal freedom and that neither the government nor political parties should dictate them. The menu featured items such as Khandvi, Mushroom Kebabs, Paneer Lababdar, Millet Pulao, Gujarati-style Dhokli Bele Saru (tomato-dal curry), Jalebi, and Phirni.

The editorial labelled the spread as forcing guests to consume grass and wild greens. “Eighty per cent of the world’s population, including most of the visiting delegates, eats non-vegetarian food. What did the Modi government achieve by imposing vegetarianism on them? It made India a laughing stock on the global stage,” remarked the editorial.

The editorial contrasted the BRICS gala dinner with lavish Indian weddings, citing the recent wedding of Supriya Sule’s daughter Revati and high-profile industrialist weddings as having superior and more appetising cuisine.

It added that iconic Delhi culinary staples like Karim’s non-vegetarian dishes, Tandoori Chicken, Biryani, Butter Chicken, Goan Fish Curry, Kolhapuri Pandhra-Tambda Rassa, and Malvani Fish would have left international guests truly satisfied.

Rejecting claims that the menu reflected the spirit of Mahatma Gandhi’s birthplace, the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena pointed out that Gandhi never imposed his personal vegetarian choices on others.

The editorial cited historical examples to support its stance. “When Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan and his family visited Sevagram Ashram in Wardha, a separate kitchen outside the main premises was set up specifically to prepare non-vegetarian meals for them. During a state visit to Russia, former PM Morarji Desai — a strict teetotaler — respected local diplomatic traditions by allowing vodka to be poured into his glass for toasts, raising it without drinking,” it said.

The editorial further noted that during Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to Mahabalipuram, the menu included an array of non-vegetarian delicacies, with specialized chefs brought in from across the country.

The editorial alleged a broader campaign by the ruling government and its aligned organisations to alter India’s diverse food culture. It referenced the handover of mid-day meal contracts in schools to organisations like ISKCON, claiming that eggs have been removed from children’s diets.

It also touched upon domestic issues in cities like Mumbai, where non-vegetarians face discrimination in housing, terming such practices a crime.

Concluding with a sharp political jab, the editorial stated, “Individual dietary preference is a personal choice. While the government indulges in the ‘non-vegetarianism of corruption,’ it denies people their fish and chicken. PM Modi and his followers may prefer Khichdi, while others prefer Biryani. No party or sect has the right to destroy our rich food culture.”