New Delhi, June 13: Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav’s claims of possible electoral manipulation in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections next year have invited quick riposte and taunt from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders, as they called it the former’s acceptance of defeat even before the 2027 poll contest.

UP Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak, reacting to Akhilesh’s allegations of likely manipulation in UP elections, on the lines of Bihar and West Bengal, said that this was a clever way of a face-saving exercise by the Opposition.

Speaking to newsmen, Pathak said, “Leaders of the Samajwadi Party and Congress, especially Akhilesh Yadav, are making such statements as a face-saving attempt as they are sensing defeat even before elections.”

Slamming the INDIA bloc’s duplicity, he said that when the Opposition wins, they say that the Election Commission is doing a good job, but when they lose, they feel that their political base is shrinking or about to lose people’s mandate, they start making such remarks to save face.”

The fresh round of political spat comes on the back of Akhilesh Yadav’s charge that the BJP manipulated the elections in Bihar and Bengal in connivance with the Election Commission, and “if the same loot and dishonesty was to happen in Uttar Pradesh, then there may never be elections in the future.”

Akhilesh levelled these charges while addressing a public meeting during the inauguration of Urmila Garden at Soron Gate in Kasganj on Friday.

He accused the BJP of stealing the elections by introducing campaigns like Special Intensive Revision (SIR) and also accused the latter of befooling the women voters with women reservation bill.

Brajesh Pathak rejected Akhilesh’s charge summarily and called out SP’s own record of governance when goons and criminals held sway.

He said that people gave a thumping majority to the BJP in West Bengal, and the public anger was only now coming to the fore after TMC’s ouster.

“Same was the condition in Uttar Pradesh during the Congress-SP regime, mafia raj prevailed over people, and the latter was left at the mercy of its strongman leaders as well as goons,” he added.

Danish Ansari, UP minister for minority welfare, also hit back at the SP supremo and compared the progressive record of the Yogi government as compared to ‘dark phase’ under SP regime.

“Samajwadi Party’s only agenda is to obstruct the development journey of the Yogi-led UP government and hinder the progress and prosperity of Uttar Pradesh. The party tries to create hurdles in the path of development and foment trouble in the state,” he said.

The minister reiterated that the double-engine BJP government has pledged to provide a corruption-free and crime-free state, and this is why the Opposition, which always shielded gangsters and goons, is having a meltdown.

New Delhi, June 13: Amid mounting criticism online over the viral “Rs 370 Biryani” clip, stand-up comedian Pranit More on Saturday issued an apology, saying he deserved the backlash and requesting people to give him one more chance.

In a video shared on Instagram, More said: “I wanted to talk to all of you about this, but my Instagram account was suspended. You have seen the crowd-work video circulating on social media, and I have been receiving a lot of hate because of it.”

The comedian admitted that he made a mistake by not intervening when inappropriate remarks were made during the performance.

“I feel I deserve this hate. During the crowd-work session, the man made several derogatory comments. Everyone was laughing, and I, too, got carried away. It was a lapse in judgment. I believe it was my biggest mistake. I could have taken a stand at that moment, but I did not,” he said.

More acknowledged that his reaction gave the remarks a platform and allowed the situation to escalate.

“I gave those comments a platform, and things escalated from there. I want to apologise to everyone who was hurt by this. Whatever legal proceedings are underway, I am cooperating with the authorities. I request all of you to give me one chance. I will become a better human being. This has been a learning experience for me as well. I am working on myself and my content, and you will see that reflected in my future work,” he added.

The National Commission for Women (NCW) on Thursday summoned More and web developer Himanshu Jangra over remarks allegedly made during a stand-up comedy show in Gurugram. The commission stated that the comments appeared to glorify sexual coercion and non-consensual conduct towards a woman.

The controversy erupted after Jangra recounted an incident during the show involving a date on which he spent Rs 370 on a plate of chicken biryani. According to the account, when the woman later asked him to drop her off at home, he allegedly sought sexual favours in return for the money he had spent. More was seen laughing at the remark during the performance.

Amid the growing backlash, a Gurugram-based firm also terminated Jangra’s employment over the controversial “Rs 370 biryani” remark.

New Delhi, June 12: In a major crackdown on motor vehicle theft and habitual offenders, Delhi Police have arrested six accused persons and recovered 15 stolen two-wheelers in a series of coordinated operations carried out across multiple police stations.

According to an official press release, the operations were conducted by teams of Delhi Police West District, including Police Station Tilak Nagar, AATS/West District, PS Mayapuri and PP Madipur/PS Punjabi Bagh. The drive also led to the resolution of 11 motor vehicle theft cases and recovery of one illegal weapon.

“West District Police cracks down on auto-lifters & habitual property offenders; 06 accused arrested, 15 stolen two-wheelers recovered, 11 cases worked out,” the press release stated.

The police said the action was part of a sustained drive against “motor vehicle theft, property offences and habitual criminals” using technical surveillance, secret information and field intelligence.

During the operations, “a total of six accused persons were apprehended and fifteen stolen two-wheelers, along with one illegal button-actuated knife, were recovered,” the release said.

In one of the key cases, police arrested Gurpreet Singh @ Lalli, described as a “notorious auto-lifter and BC of PS Tilak Nagar”, following a trap near M-Block Park, Najafgarh Road. Police recovered two stolen motorcycles and one scooty from him. The accused also led to the recovery of another stolen motorcycle during interrogation.

In another major operation, AATS/West District apprehended Md. Saddam and Suraj near ESI Metro Station Parking, Rajouri Garden, while they were travelling on a stolen Honda Activa. Their interrogation led to the recovery of six additional stolen two-wheelers.

Police said the accused were found to be supplying stolen vehicles to a “Mewati gang”, and further investigation is underway to trace the wider syndicate.

In a separate case, Police Station Mayapuri solved a motorcycle theft within three days by analysing CCTV footage and technical inputs. Two accused were arrested from Rohini, leading to the recovery of four stolen motorcycles linked to multiple police station cases.

In another incident, vigilant staff of Police Post Madipur apprehended Rajeev Gupta near Jheel Park after he attempted to flee. A stolen scooty and a button-actuated knife were recovered from his possession.

The West District Police said the overall operation resulted in the arrest of six accused, recovery of 11 motorcycles and four scooties, and registration of one Arms Act case along with 11 motor vehicle theft cases being worked out.

The police described the action as the result of “professional investigation, field intelligence and vigilant policing” aimed at curbing street crime and improving public safety.