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‘Political vendetta’, RJD leaders question timing of CBI raids at Lalu prasad’s properties

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Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) on Friday reacted sharply over the raids conducted by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in more than 15 locations of Lalu Prasad.

Sunil Singh, senior leader of the party and an MLC, slammed the CBI for conducting raids “on the direction of the Narendra Modi government”.

“Conduct raids at the places you want. You (CBI) will not get anything other than cow dung and Baba Ji Ka Thullu,” Singh asserted before the mediapersons in Patna.

“The act of CBI is a part of the political vendetta by the BJP to harass Lalu Prasad and his family,” he added.

Alok Mehta, another senior leader of the RJD and close to the Lalu family said: “The BJP is doing everything to stay in power in Bihar. It is involved in increasing communal tension in the society and diverting the attention from the real issues. Those who are pointing out real issues before the countrymen are getting harassed through the central agencies. They want to suppress the voice of a person who is vocal against the divisive politics of the BJP and RSS.”

Shakti Singh Yadav, another senior leader of the RJD said that the party will start a movement against the BJP in Bihar.

Earlier, the CBI registered a fresh FIR against Lalu Prasad in the alleged IRCTC scam during his tenure as the Union railway minister between 2005 to 2009. But the million dollar question arises here is what new proof the CBI obtained after 13 years against Lalu Prasad to register an FIR followed by raids at more than 15 places in Patna, Delhi, Gopalganj, and other places.

At present Rabri Devi and Tej Pratap Yadav are present in Patna. The CBI officials are quizzing Tej Pratap Yadav in his official residence. Tejashwi Yadav is in London for a conference while Lalu Prasad and his daughter Misa Bharti are in Delhi.

Timing and probable reasons of raids

The timing of the FIR and raids is important here, especially in the last one and half months. During the period of Ramzan, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and Tejashwi Yadav came very close to each other. Nitish Kumar went to the Rabri Devi residence for the Iftar party. When the JD(U)’s minority wing invited Tejashwi Yadav for the Iftar party, Nitish Kumar went to the car of Tejashwi Yadav to see-off him and then sat in his own car.

Sources have said that the BJP think tank got restless after Tejashwi Yadav announced a padyatra from Patna to New Delhi on the issue of caste-based census. The office of CMO Bihar immediately called Tejashwi Yadav for a close-door meeting with Chief Minister Nitish Kumar. That meeting lasted one hour wherein no one was allowed inside.

Sources further said that Nitish Kumar and Tejashwi Yadav were discussing the formation of a new government in Bihar. For Nitish Kumar, the caste-based census could be an issue to leave the BJP and form a new government in Bihar with the support of the RJD.

After that meeting, Tejashwi was also looking calm. He claimed that the chief minister will call an all-party meeting to discuss the issue of caste-based census.

Nitish Kumar contested the 2015 election under the umbrella of Mahagathbandhan where the RJD was the elder partner with 81 seats in the Vidhan Sabha. Nitish Kumar came out of the Mahagathbandhan after the railway and IRCTC scams surfaced in 2017. Lalu Prasad was facing charges of recruiting a number of people in the Indian Railway on the basis of cash and land registry. Some of the job aspirants have registered their lands in the names of Tejashwi Yadav and Tej Pratap Yadav. When the name of Tejashwi Yadav came in the FIR of CBI, Nitish Kumar broke the alliance and jumped into the ship of the BJP to form the government in Bihar. He broke the alliance with the RJD on the claim of zero-tolerance on corruption in his government.

JD(U) led by Nitish Kumar contested the 2020 Assembly election under the umbrella of NDA, but it’s seats were less compared to the 2015 poll. Nitish Kumar believes that the seats of his party came down due to BJP. Hence, the relationship of the JD(U) and BJP was sour from the beginning of this government. During the oath ceremony of Nitish Kumar, Union Home Minister Amit Shah came to Raj Bhawan, but these two leaders were not looking friendly at all.

For the BJP, its leaders know that Nitish Kumar has so many qualities but they also know that he can shift the goal post any time from the NDA to Mahagathbandhan. Caste-based census is one of the issues where the JD(U) and the BJP have difference of opinions and Nitish Kumar could utilise that point to change the government.

The Narendra Modi government knows Bihar is critical for him in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. Hence, the BJP top leadership wants to stay in the government of Bihar. On the other hand, Nitish Kumar knows that if they stay with BJP, the performance of JD(U) in the Lok Sabha elections 2024 and Vidhan Sabha 2025 may reach another low.

The JD(U) did not announce the name of R.C.P. Singh as a candidate for the Rajya Sabha. It was also a hint from Nitish Kumar to the BJP as everyone knows that R.C.P. Singh is having good connections with the top leadership of the BJP. The party has already announced the name of party old loyalist Anil Hegde for the Rajya Sabha seat. At present, the JD(U) has not enough strength to send two Rajya Sabha candidates.

The political experts believe that there is a message for Nitish Kumar as well here. It would not be easy for him to move away from the BJP and form a new government in Bihar with the help of the RJD. Nitish Kumar was also a Union railway minister in the past and allegedly sleeper scam took place during his tenure. The case of Bihar’s Srijan scam is also in the hands of CBI.

Maharashtra

Indian soldier Murali martyred in Pakistani firing in Mumbai

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Mumbai: After the terrorist attack in Kashmir Pahalgam, the Indian Army retaliated and launched a massive attack on Pakistan under “Operation Sindoor”. While the enemy was defeated in this operation, 27-year-old Murali Naik, a resident of Kamaraj Nagar, Mumbai, was martyred in firing on the border.

As soon as the news of the martyrdom of Martyr Murali Naik reached the area, a wave of mourning spread throughout Kamaraj Nagar. Every eye was moist and every heart was filled with pride. Former corporator of the area, Parmeshwar Kadam, said that Murali was honest and sociable since childhood and was also a capable soldier. He dreamed of serving the country at a young age. Even after facing setbacks, Murali joined the army. Some relatives even forbade him from joining the army, but Murali’s passion was unwavering. With hard work and dedication, he fulfilled his dream by joining the army.

Murali Naik joined the Indian Army in 2022. After training in Nashik, he was posted in Assam, then Punjab. Just a month ago, he was sent to the Uri sector of Jammu and Kashmir, where he was martyred in firing by Pakistan on Friday morning. The mortal remains of martyr Murli Naik will be taken to his native village in Andhra Pradesh tomorrow, where his last rites will be performed with full state honours. Murali, who belongs to the Dhangar community, was sociable and lively since childhood. Today, not only Mumbai but the entire country is proud of Murali Naik. He made his great sacrifice while protecting Mother India.

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Maharashtra

Removing the Pakistani flag at Vile Parle station was costly, a case was registered against five people including a woman, police took action after the video went viral on social media

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Mumbai: The Juhu police has registered an FIR against six unidentified individuals, including a burqa-clad woman, for allegedly gathering unlawfully, verbally abusing, and physically assaulting people who opposed the removal of Pakistani flags near the west side of Vile Parle railway station.

According to the FIR, the incident took place on May 4, when the accused were seen removing Pakistani flags that had been pasted on the stair steps of the Vile Parle railway station as part of a protest against the April 22 massacre of Hindu tourists in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir.

The police have registered the case under Sections 189(2) (unlawful assembly), 190 (every member of an unlawful assembly guilty of an offence committed in pursuit of a common object), and 352 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of peace) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.

The complainant, Santosh Salukhe, 49, a policeman, stated that he saw a video on Facebook, showing a veiled woman and four to five unidentified youths removing the Pakistani flags from the stair steps at Vile Parle railway station (West).

Salukhe immediately rushed to the location and learned that around 4 p.m. the same day, some unidentified individuals had pasted the Pakistani flags in front of the ticket counter at the station and on the steps as a symbolic protest against the recent terrorist attacks on tourists in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir. The flags carried the message “Step on it.” Those who pasted the flags left soon after.

Later, the veiled woman and her group arrived at the Vile Parle railway station and began removing the flags, which created a disturbance for commuters. When some people tried to stop them, the woman and her associates allegedly physically assaulted and verbally abused them, resulting in a brief period of tension at the station. Gurpreet Anand of Ankush Foundation had distributed free stickers of the Pakistani flag with the message “Step on it” printed at the bottom.

On Wednesday, he went to Juhu police station along with Parag Alavani MLA and others with a view to register an FIR. “However, the police did not register our FIR,” he told Media. But on Friday, a constable filed an FIR. Subsequently, the police registered a case. Juhu police officials said no arrests have been made yet, and no notices have been issued as they are in the process of identifying the accused.

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National News

Jai Hind Yatra: India is strong and we will face the enemy, says K’taka Cong

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Bengaluru, May 9: A ‘Jai Hind Yatra’ was held by the Karnataka unit of the Congress party on Friday in Bengaluru in support of the Indian security forces which are carrying out ‘Operation Sindoor’ in retaliation to the Pahalgam massacre in which 26 people were killed by Pakistan-backed terrorists. Congress leaders said that “irrespective of Pakistan’s misadventures, India is strong and we will face the enemy.”

The ‘Jai Hind Yatra’ by the Congress took place from K.R. Circle to Minsk Square in Bengaluru, under the leadership of Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar.

Ministers H.K. Patil, G. Parameshwara, K.H. Muniyappa, H.C. Mahadevappa, Dinesh Gundu Rao, Priyank Kharge, Dr. M.C. Sudhakar, Bose Raju, and Chief Whip of the Legislative Council Saleem Ahmed, along with MLA Rizwan Arshad and others participated in the march.

Government and private sector officials, employees, representatives of various organisations, and thousands of students also took part in the rally.

Speaking to the media on the sidelines of the ‘Jai Hind Yatra’, Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister and state Congress President, D.K. Shivakumar, stated that the Tiranga yatra programme was organised by the state government to condemn the terrorist attack in Pahalgam and also to support Indian armed forces which are carrying out ‘Operation Sindoor’.

“We want to send a big message to the whole nation through this Tiranga yatra. At this juncture, whole world is looking at India. We are highlighting that everyone should stand united at this stage and also we are giving moral courage to Indian soldiers,” Dy CM Shivakumar stated.

“Jai Hind Tiranga Yatra has been organised in Karnataka. We have invited all sections of society including students, the government employees, organisations, institutions irrespective of their background. We want to salute our armed forces. The integrity of the country is important. We have decided to do this by taking out this march today,” he stated.

“I am very happy that all sections of the society including retired armed forces soldiers, students and other political parties are participating. Let’s toe together for the country’s pride. Irrespective of Pakistan’s misadventures, India is strong and we will face the enemy,” he stated.

“We should extend support to Indian soldiers who are fighting for our country,” he underlined.

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