The Janata Dal (United) has expelled Mokama MLA Anant Singh and his wife, former MLA Neelam Devi, from the party for six years over alleged anti-party activities during the recent Bihar Legislative Council elections.

JD(U) state president Umesh Kushwaha announced the action on Saturday, citing repeated violations of party directives, alleged derogatory remarks against the party’s senior leadership, and Anant Singh’s decision to oppose the party’s candidate in the Patna Graduates’ constituency election and campaign in support of a candidate associated with Jan Suraaj.

In a letter announcing the action, Kushwaha said Anant Singh’s primary membership had been terminated for six years.

The party has also written to the Speaker of the Bihar Legislative Assembly, seeking action against his membership under the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution, which deals with disqualification on grounds of defection.

Any decision on disqualification rests with the competent constitutional authority.

The party has separately revoked the primary membership of Anant Singh’s wife, Neelam Devi, and expelled her for six years over her alleged involvement in anti-party activities.

The action follows a public dispute between Anant Singh and JD(U) candidate Neeraj Kumar during the election for the Patna Graduates’ constituency of the Bihar Legislative Council.

Anant Singh openly opposed Neeraj Kumar and extended support to Anuj Singh, who contested on a Jan Suraaj ticket.

Party leaders made several attempts to resolve the dispute. Union Minister Rajiv Ranjan Singh alias Lalan Singh, a senior JD(U) leader and close aide of Nitish Kumar, was reportedly sent to persuade Anant Singh to reconsider his position.

However, the efforts did not produce a resolution.

Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary, Health Minister Nishant Kumar and JD(U) National Working President Sanjay Jha were also involved in efforts to address the differences.

The dispute drew further attention on October 23, the polling day, when Anant Singh said he did not recognise Lalan Singh, remarking that there were “a hundred Lalan Singhs in Bihar” and that he did not know him.

Anant Singh’s opposition to the official candidate placed him at odds with the party leadership during a key election.

The expulsion now marks a formal escalation of the conflict, while the request to the Assembly Speaker opens a separate constitutional process concerning his legislative membership.

The episode has brought party discipline and internal differences within the JD(U) into focus following the Legislative Council elections.

Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf will be unable to attend the Meeting of Speakers of the Parliaments of BRICS Member Countries in New Delhi next week due to “certain unforeseen circumstances”, the Embassy of Iran in New Delhi stated on Saturday.

The Parliament of India will host the 12th BRICS Parliamentary Forum on October 26-27 in the Central Hall of Samvidhan Sadan.

“The Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran in New Delhi wishes to inform that, due to certain unforeseen circumstances, H.E. Dr. Mohammad-Baqer Qalibaf, Speaker of the Islamic Consultative Assembly of Iran, will be unable to attend the Meeting of Speakers of the Parliaments of BRICS Member Countries in New Delhi,” read a statement issued by the Iranian Embassy on Saturday.

“It is also emphasised that the parliamentary delegation of the Islamic Republic of Iran will participate in the meeting. As one of the members of BRICS, Iran reaffirms its commitment to active and effective participation at the highest levels in the summits and meetings of this grouping,” it added.

According to the Iranian Foreign Ministry, the country’s delegation will continue its dialogue and consultations with delegations from BRICS member countries in New Delhi, with a view to expanding and deepening bilateral and multilateral cooperation, particularly in the field of parliamentary relations and cooperation.

“The Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran also expresses its sincere appreciation to the Government of the Republic of India for its gracious hospitality and the arrangements made to host this meeting. It wishes the Meeting of Speakers of the Parliaments of BRICS Member Countries every success and hopes that it will yield constructive outcomes towards strengthening cooperation and engagement among member countries,” the statement added.

Several global parliamentary leaders will assemble in New Delhi for the conference being hosted under India’s chairship on the theme of people-centric development.

Earlier this week, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla mentioned that the conference marks a new chapter in the history of India’s parliamentary diplomacy. It will bring together Presiding Officers and parliamentary leaders from BRICS member and partner countries, Union Ministers, Deputy Chairman of the Rajya Sabha Harivansh, Presiding Officers of State Legislatures, Members of Parliament and other dignitaries.

The Lok Sabha Speaker stated that Prime Minister Narendra Modi would grace the event and meet the leaders of the visiting delegations.

He further stated that the conference would feature bilateral and multilateral interactions with the leaders of visiting delegations and parliamentary friendship groups. A meeting of the Secretaries of the delegations will be held on Monday to finalise the Joint Statement of the 12th BRICS Parliamentary Forum.

Highlighting the central theme of the programme, he said that the forum would deliberate on the overarching theme of ‘Strengthening Parliaments for People-Centric Development’.

He added that, building on the legacy of the BRICS Parliamentary Forum, the 12th BRICS Parliamentary Forum would facilitate consensus-based dialogue through four high-level sessions, titled Resilience: The critical role of parliaments in strengthening institutions to ensure a better future; Innovation: Promoting human-centred innovation in artificial intelligence and digital technologies through parliaments; Cooperation: Ensuring a more representative system of global governance through parliamentary cooperation; and, Sustainability: The role of parliaments in ensuring a sustainable and inclusive future for our countries.

Members of the delegations will visit the Parliament of India and also enjoy cultural visits in Delhi.

Necessary safety and security measures have been implemented at the DDA-maintained Aastha Kunj Park, Kalkaji, including deployment of the allotted security personnel, installation of 105 additional lights and CCTV surveillance, an official said on Saturday.

Further strengthening of lighting arrangements is under process, with due consideration to the ecological sensitivity of the Morphological Ridge, said the official on a day when Union Home Minister Amit Shah reviewed the city’s security during a visit to the Delhi Police headquarters.

The new security framework for the park comes against the backdrop of the alleged gang rape of a 17-year-old girl at Aastha Kunj Park on September 21. Three accused were arrested for the crime.

The incident exposed that Aastha Kunj Park — a 142-acre DDA park with 29 multi-access points — continues to suffer from poor lighting, broken perimeter walls, unmanned or missing gates, and a lack of CCTV coverage inside the premises.

According to a status report on the beefed-up security at the DDA park, all security guards, as per the presently allotted strength, have been deployed in the park. Considering its extensive area of 142.41 acres and 29 gates, regular patrolling is undertaken to ensure security coverage across the park.

Two siren-equipped motorcycles, along with torches and essential safety equipment, are deployed for night patrolling. Surprise night inspections are also conducted by the site in-charge, security supervisor and departmental staff to verify security arrangements and guard deployment, said the status report.

For addressing dark spots in the green zone, all 340 existing lights in the park are presently functional. Further, 105 additional lights have been installed in accordance with the recommendations of the Safety Audit Report, it said.

A joint inspection has been conducted with officials of the electrical department, and the proposal for installation of high-mast lights at suitable identified locations is under process, said the status report.

The official pointed out that augmentation of security facilities is being done while bearing ecological considerations in mind.

“Approximately 99 per cent of the park area falls within the Morphological Ridge. Accordingly, additional illumination in densely vegetated areas is being planned judiciously to avoid disturbance to the natural flora and fauna while ensuring adequate lighting along pathways and visitor-use areas,” said the official.

Other steps taken by the agencies include installation of four CCTV cameras, closure of gates at 9 p.m. and biometric attendance for all security guards, said the official.