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‘Our leaders ready to make any sacrifice to save Bihar’: Pappu Yadav on Mahagathbandhan unity

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New Delhi, Oct 22: As questions continue to swirl around the internal cohesion of the Mahagathbandhan in Bihar, Purnea MP Pappu Yadav, one of the key leaders of the bloc, on Wednesday said that coordination talks are progressing and ‘leaders will make any sacrifice to save Bihar’.

Speaking to reporters, Yadav said, “There will be a joint press conference tomorrow. The leadership will decide what to do, what not to do, and what will happen. We are saying that our leaders are ready to make any sacrifice. We want Bihar to survive under any circumstances. An INDIA bloc government should be formed in Bihar,” he said.

Pappu Yadav further emphasised his support for Rahul Gandhi as the face of the alliance in Bihar.

“My clarity is that under all circumstances, we need to contest the elections under the leadership of Rahul Gandhi. The people of this state have faith in Rahul Gandhi’s struggle,” he added, positioning the Congress leader as central to the alliance’s electoral narrative.

Congress MP Akhilesh Prasad Singh added that key national leaders would soon join the campaign trail.

“Rahul Gandhi will also come, Priyanka will come too, and all the senior leaders will be coming as well in the election campaign,” Singh confirmed.

Addressing speculation around seat-sharing disagreements, senior Congress leader Ashok Gehlot downplayed reports of discord.

“There’s no major dispute here. There are 243 seats, and in such a large alliance, having differences over 5–10 seats is nothing unusual. In any state where there’s an alliance, it’s possible that disagreements may arise over a few seats,” Gehlot said.

Meanwhile, the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) announced its decision not to contest the Bihar Assembly elections this time, prompting a response from Congress leader Udit Raj, who urged flexibility within the alliance.

“…Congress is making some adjustments, and JMM should do the same. Our focus is to protect the Constitution and democracy, which sometimes requires minor compromises. When we contested elections in Jharkhand, we accepted the seats allotted and similarly, one should maintain a broad perspective…” Raj noted.

While opposition leaders have acknowledged friction, they have reiterated a shared commitment to present a united front against the BJP-led NDA in the upcoming Bihar polls, which are scheduled for November 6 and 11, with results to be declared on November 14.

Crime

Bengal man arrested for sexually assaulting minor daughter

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Kolkata, Sep 12: A man in West Bengal South 24 Parganas district has been arrested for sexually assaulting his 13-year-old daughter, police said on Saturday.

According to the police, the elder daughter had filed a complaint against her father with the Baruipar police. She claimed that she left home due to sexual assault, which she was subjected to by her father, and alleged that he was doing the same to her younger sister. Based on that complaint, officers of Baruipur Women Police Station have arrested the accused.

According to the police, the arrested person is a hawker by profession.

Allegedly, in December last year, the accused’s elder daughter was subjected to physical abuse. She left home in anger and fear. The younger daughter alleged that her father’s misbehaviour was not resolved even after she informed her mother. The mother kept quiet even after knowing everything.

It is alleged that after the elder daughter left home, the father continued to sexually assault the younger daughter. The ‘victim’ claimed that this had been happening for the past few months. She said that there was no situation to tell anyone. She spoke to her sister on the phone. After that, both sisters informed their mother. Even after that, the mother remained silent and refused to accept their allegations.

Incidentally, the accused’s elder daughter called 100 and informed the police about the matter. Based on that, officers of Baruipur Women Police Station arrested the accused from the Kulpi Road area last night. A case has been registered against the accused under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012. Police have applied for his custody to investigate the matter further.

“Based on the complaint by the daughter, the father has been arrested. We will seek his custody to interrogate him further. Investigation is on, and all the allegations are being looked into,” a senior officer of Baruipur Police District said.

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International News

PM Modi’s warm camaraderie with Putin, Xi on full display at BRICS Summit

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New Delhi, Sep 12: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday shared moments of warm camaraderie with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping, as the three leaders were seen holding hands and exchanging smiles during the BRICS Summit at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi.

Sharing the sidelights on his X, PM Modi posted: “BRICS Summit 2026 gets underway in Delhi”.

The visuals and photographs echoed a similar display of camaraderie between PM Modi, Putin, and Xi during the 26th Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit held in Bishkek last month, where the three leaders smiled and shook hands on August 31. The moment unfolded during the official family photograph, an established tradition at the annual SCO gathering.

The 2025 SCO Plus Summit in Tianjin on August 31-September 1 had also produced several notable visuals of the three leaders. PM Modi’s embrace with Putin, his walk alongside Xi and Putin, and his interactions with both leaders highlighted the personal bonhomie shared between the top leaders.

The latest visuals from New Delhi came after PM Modi welcomed BRICS leaders at Bharat Mandapam, the venue for the 18th BRICS Summit.

PM Modi warmly received President Putin, President Xi Jinping, Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and other leaders at the Bharat Mandapam ahead of the Summit.

India is hosting the 18th BRICS Summit at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi on Saturday and Sunday (September 12-13), bringing together leaders from BRICS member and partner countries, along with outreach invitees.

India’s BRICS Chairship is guided by the theme: ‘Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability’, reflecting Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of a people-centric approach rooted in the spirit of ‘Humanity First’, according to the statement released by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).

In his welcome remarks at the opening BRICS session on ‘Inclusive Global Governance and Strengthening Multilateralism’ in New Delhi on Saturday, PM Modi extended a warm welcome to BRICS leaders and said that India’s BRICS chairship is based on a people-centric and humanity-first approach.

“Resilience, innovation, cooperation, and sustainability have been our priorities. Alongside these priorities, we have placed special emphasis on connecting BRICS cooperation with the common people. With this vision in mind, more than 350 meetings were organised. We had the opportunity to welcome your teams to approximately 30 cities,” highlighted PM Modi.

He emphasised that BRICS has established a distinct identity on the global stage and said that the bloc is not against anyone and must work to move forward with the approach of taking everyone along. He called for the establishment of a ‘BRICS Continuity and Implementation’ mechanism.

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Crime

School bus driver shot at in MP’s Dabra; 50 terrified children on board witness crime

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Gwalior, Sep 12: In a shocking incident, a school bus driver was shot at by two youths following a dispute over a car parked in the middle of the road in Dabra town of Gwalior district on Saturday morning. Alarmingly, there were around 50 schoolchildren in the bus at the time of the incident who were left terrified after witnessing the crime, police said.

The incident occurred near Badi Akbai village under Pichhore police station limits when the bus belonging to Glorious Convent School, Tekanpur, was taking children to school.

According to police, a Swift car was parked in the middle of the road, obstructing traffic.

Unable to move forward because of the car parked in an awkward manner, bus driver Khem Singh sent his helper to ask the occupants to move the vehicle.

However, the men allegedly refused to move the vehicle, saying the car had run out of fuel.

When Singh got down and suggested that the car be pushed aside to clear the road, the youths allegedly became angry and an argument followed.

One of them allegedly pulled out a country-made pistol and fired four rounds at Singh. Pellets hit him near the eye and on the cheek, leaving him injured. The accused then fled from the spot.

The injured driver was initially taken to a hospital in Dabra and later referred to Gwalior for further treatment.

Pichhore SHO Shivam Singh Rajawat said the car had tinted windows and the word “Gurjar” was written on its rear windshield.

The firing took place while around 50 children were inside the school bus, triggering concern over their safety.

The children were reportedly terrified after the sudden gunfire and the attack on their driver.

SDOP Saurabh Kumar said police teams were working to identify and arrest the accused.

CCTV footage from the area is also being examined to trace their movements.

Police have launched an investigation into the incident and are questioning witnesses to establish the circumstances leading to the firing.

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