Nagpur, May 16: Tiranga Yatra has been organized in Kamathi, Nagpur under the leadership of Maharashtra Revenue Minister and Guardian Minister of Nagpur Chandrashekhar Bawankule. A large number of people have joined the rally with the tricolor in their hands. During the yatra, BJP leader Ashish Deshmukh talked about the success of Operation Sindoor. He also answered questions related to Sanjay Raut’s book, the future of the Indy alliance and Rahul Gandhi’s Bihar tour.

Ashish Deshmukh, while talking to Media, said, “Today there is a wave of happiness in the whole country. Operation Sindoor has increased the glory of India. When public sentiments were increasing against Pakistan, Prime Minister Narendra Modi started Operation Sindoor through the armed forces and it was successful. Today, every Indian has the feeling of patriotism and love for the country. As a symbol of this, we are taking out the Tiranga Yatra. We believe that every party should join this Yatra. The tricolor is the pride of 140 crore Indians. Therefore, whoever loves the tricolor must definitely join this Yatra. In this, any party should join the Yatra by erasing its ideological differences.”

Responding to a question related to Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut’s book ‘Narakatala Swarga’, Ashish Deshmukh further said, “I do not have much information about what Sanjay Raut said. But he says something every day, so that his and his party’s name keeps coming in the media.”

On the question that senior Congress leader P. Chidambaram has expressed concern about the future of the ‘Indy’ alliance, Deshmukh said, “Whatever he said seems right to us because he is an experienced leader and he has said this accordingly. It is true that the Indy alliance will completely disintegrate in the coming times. An example of this is coming in front of us right now when Sharad Pawar’s party will merge with Ajit Pawar’s party. This process has started in Maharashtra. This will be seen in the country as well.”

Ashish Deshmukh also expressed his views on the question related to Rahul Gandhi’s visit to Darbhanga in Bihar and his statement in front of the students there. Rahul Gandhi had talked about caste census in front of the students coming from backward classes, in which he had said that Congress forced PM Modi to conduct this census. On this, Ashish Deshmukh said, “Workers like us have taken out OBC Yatra in Maharashtra. Our state president has also given a statement on OBC census. PM Modi has done the work of conducting caste based census. PM Modi is continuously working for the upliftment of backward classes. What Rahul Gandhi did in Bihar was not right considering the stature of the Leader of Opposition. Rahul Gandhi has tried to take credit for the government’s decision to conduct caste census.”

Kolkata, May 16: A day after being baton-charged by police, the protesting teachers have assembled again, surrounding Bikash Bhavan, the West Bengal Education Department’s headquarters, on Friday morning.

Some of the protesting teachers with severe head and body injuries were also seen joining the protests.

Some of the protesters attempted to get inside the Bikash Bhavan premises by removing the barricades raised by police around the building at Salt Lake in Kolkata.

A police contingent from Bidhannagar Police Commissionerate has already reached the spot and is trying to control the situation.

The protesting teachers claimed that even if they face police assault again, they would continue with their protests till their last breath until their demands in the matter are fulfilled.

Their main demand is that the state government and West Bengal School Service Commission (WBSSC) should immediately publish lists segregating the “untainted” or “genuine” candidates from the “tainted” ones, who had paid money for getting school jobs.

They also alleged that the state government and WBSSC are “deliberately refraining from publishing the segregated lists to protect the untainted candidates”.

The protesting “genuine” teachers started a gherao agitation on Thursday morning, cordoning off Bikash Bhavan from all sides. At around 10 p.m. on Thursday, a huge police contingent reached the spot and resorted to a massive baton charge to disperse the protesters, in which several protesting teachers were severely injured.

Although the “gherao” demonstration was dispersed, the protesting teachers assembled at a distance from Bikash Bhavan, continuing with their sit-in demonstration.

On April 3, the Supreme Court’s division bench of erstwhile Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna and Justice Sanjay Kumar had upheld a previous order by the Calcutta High Court’s division bench of Justice Debangshu Basak and Justice Shabbar Rashidi cancelling 25,753 school jobs in West Bengal.

The Apex Court also accepted the observation of the Calcutta High Court that the entire panel of 25,753 candidates had to be cancelled because of the failure of the state government and the commission to segregate the “untainted candidates from the “tainted” ones.

The state government and West Bengal School Service Commission (WBSSC) had already filed review petitions at the Apex Court on this issue.

New York, May 16: The Permanent Mission of India to the United Nations in New York commemorated the International Day of Vesak on Friday with a distinguished panel discussion titled ‘Teachings of Gautama Buddha – a Path to Internal and Global Peace.’

The event drew participation from high-level diplomats, scholars, and spiritual leaders, reaffirming the enduring relevance of Lord Buddha’s teachings in addressing contemporary global challenges.

Announcing the event on its official social media handle, the Mission tweeted on Friday: “IndiaUNNewYork organised a Panel Discussion on ‘Teachings of Gautama Buddha – a Path to Internal and Global Peace’ to commemorate the International Day of Vesak.”

The panel featured Permanent Representatives and senior diplomats from a host of Buddhist-majority nations including Vietnam, Lao PDR, Thailand, Bhutan, Mongolia, Cambodia, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Russia. Their presence underscored the shared spiritual and cultural heritage that unites these countries and the global resonance of Buddhist values.

India’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Parvathaneni Harish, opened the session with remarks emphasising the universal appeal of the Buddha’s message.

“Lord Buddha’s message of compassion, non-violence and his wisdom offer a path to inner and global peace, in a world beset with crisis and suffering,” he stated, drawing attention to the urgent need for spiritual grounding in modern geopolitics.

Prof. Abhay Kumar Singh, Interim Vice-Chancellor of Nalanda University, an institution with deep historical ties to Buddhism, highlighted Lord Buddha’s timeless teachings of peace and compassion. Meanwhile, Professor Santosh Kumar Raut provided insights into how Buddhist philosophy could help humanity navigate the pressing challenges of the 21st century.

Vesak, the most sacred day for millions of Buddhists worldwide, marks the birth, enlightenment, and passing of Gautama Buddha, all of which occurred on the full moon day in the month of May.

The UN General Assembly, through Resolution 54/115 in 1999, officially recognised the International Day of Vesak to honour Buddhism’s profound contribution to global spirituality and peace.

The event served as a reminder that the path shown by the Buddha over 2,500 years ago continues to illuminate the journey towards personal transformation and collective harmony, ideals that resonate more than ever in the present era.