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Trinamool prepares to play key role in uniting Oppositon, avoiding vote split

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As elections for the new President of India is scheduled sometime in July this year, it is certain that West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee will take a lead role in uniting the regional parties so that a strong and unanimously accepted opposition candidate can be fielded against the nominee of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA).

On Thursday, after a section of the media asked Banerjee about the Presidential polls, she refused to divulge the details of her plans but made it clear that she is determined to take a lead role in uniting the opposition ahead of the Presidential polls.

“There is time to go for the polls. I cannot divulge my plans right now. I will share the details at an appropriate time. All I can say is that the opposition will put up a strong contest,” the Chief Minister said.

a senior Trinamool MP, who on conditions of anonymity said that Banerjee has started talking to the CMs of non-BJP states on this count.

“During her recent visit to New Delhi, she had a meeting with Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. The issue of fielding a unanimous opposition candidate came up in the meeting. I heard that soon she is also likely to hold a meeting with TRS chief and Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao on this matter. The rest is up to the Chief Minister to decide,” the Trinamool MP said.

That Trinamool will go all out to play an important role in forging opposition unity over the Presidential polls was made clear by Banerjee on March 16, when she said that despite BJP’s victory in Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections, it will not be a cakewalk for the BJP since they do not have even 50 per cent of the total number of legislators in the country.

“You should not forget that without our support, BJP will not be able to sail through,” the Chief Minister had said then.

The question that automatically arises is whether the Chief Minister’s dream of taking a lead role in uniting the opposition on this issue will be fulfilled if she keeps the Congress out of her plans.

According to All Indian Congress Committee member Suvankar Sarkar, Banerjee has to decide whether she is really serious about uniting the opposition on the issue of Presidential polls.

“In March, she had said that without Trinamool’s help the BJP will not be able to sail through. Do I consider this statement as a subtle message to the BJP? The initiative has to come from her side on whether she wants the support of the Congress on this issue,” he said.

Political analyst and the former registrar of Calcutta University, Rajagopal Dhar Chakraborty, said that any attempt from the Chief Minister to field an unanimously accepted opposition candidate will not be fruitful without the support of the Congress.

“Mere unity of regional parties will never be able to put up a formidable opposition against BJP’s presidential nominee. However, I feel the equation will be clear by the first or second week of June,” Chakraborty said.

Crime

Fake social media account, Chat GPT used in Ketan Agarwal murder

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Pune, Sep 20: A fake account on social media platform Instagram, along with ChatGPT and murder films, was used by Siya Goyal and her co-accused in the alleged murder of her fiance Ketan Agarwal, reveals the charge sheet filed by the police in the sensational case.

The 5,053-page charge sheet, filed on Saturday, detailed the alleged conspiracy behind the death of the 26-year-old businessman at Lohagad Fort in Pune in June, NDTV reported.

Agarwal was allegedly pushed off the fort on June 18 by his fiancee Siya Goyal, who was assisted by her purported lover Chetan Chaudhary, and another accused, identified as Ritesh Hange. All three have been arrested by the police.

According to the charge sheet, the accused had initially discussed seriously injuring Agarwal and even explored the possibility of hiring someone from outside Maharashtra to carry out the attack.

Police claimed the plan was later dropped because they feared the hired assailant could expose the conspiracy or create problems for them. Investigators have mentioned that a person contacted during this stage has since become a witness, the media report said.

As per the charge sheet, the accused subsequently decided to kill Agarwal themselves and watched murder films and used ChatGPT for the purpose. They also listened to podcasts on how to avoid detection by police as part of their preparations.

Goyal and her co-accused also researched last year’s Meghalaya honeymoon murder case where Indore resident Raja Raghuvanshi was allegedly killed by his wife, Sonam, during the couple’s honeymoon in the state’s East Khasi Hills district.

Moreover, investigators stated that a fake Instagram account named ‘Mahi’ was created using the photograph of a woman known to the accused in order to “lure” Agarwal to the fort.

Subsequently, messages from the account encouraged the victim to visit the spot on June 18 for a surprise birthday plan for Goyal.

According to the chargesheet, the fake account was part of a plan devised by Ritesh Hange to bring Agarwal to the fort. The account was deleted after the incident.

Further, the charge sheet also revealed that the accused conducted a recce of locations around Lonavala before selecting Lohagad Fort.

According to investigators, Goyal and Chaudhary visited Tiger Point and other locations in search of an isolated spot.

Police said that Lohagad was eventually selected because of a death at the fort in March last year. The accused thought they could make Agarwal’s death appear like an accidental fall at the spot.

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Crime

47.3 kg heroin seized in Punjab, four held

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Chandigarh, Sep 20: In a major breakthrough, Punjab Police on Sunday said it had busted a cross-border heroin smuggling network by apprehending four operatives and recovering 47.3 kg of heroin, three pistols, three magazines, 15 cartridges, and two vehicles.

Preliminary investigation revealed that the accused are linked to a network involved in cross-border smuggling of heroin and illegal arms into Punjab, Director General of Police Gaurav Yadav wrote on X.

He said the first investigation report (FIR) was registered in Faridkot.

Further investigation is underway to uncover the wider network and establish its linkages.

A day earlier, Counter Intelligence (CI) Amritsar busted another cross-border narcotics smuggling module with the arrest of three key operatives and recovered 17 kg of heroin from their possession. Police had identified the arrested as Prince, Malkit Singh, and Rajinder Singh, all residents of Kot Mit Singh in Amritsar.

Apart from the heroin, police teams also impounded a car used for transporting the contraband.

With this seizure on Saturday, CI Amritsar has pushed the total recovery of heroin to 54 kg in four days, having previously recovered consignments of 27 kg and 10 kg.

DGP Yadav said CI Amritsar teams had received specific input that three operatives of the smuggling module had received a drone-dropped consignment and were expected to strike a major drug deal beneath the flyover on the Amritsar-Tarn Taran road. Acting promptly, police established a checkpoint and intercepted their car near the park by the flyover. During the search, 17 kg of heroin was recovered.

On September 16, four persons were held with 27 kg of heroin and a foreign-made .30 bore PX5 pistol with three cartridges. On September 18, one person was held with 10 kg of heroin.

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National News

‘Should become stand-up comedian’, BJP’s swipe at Rahul Gandhi over mimicry of Prime Minister

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New Delhi, Sep 20: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Sunday lashed out at the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, suggesting him to double up as a “stand-up comedian” at his ‘Chhatron Ki Goonj’ events.

A political row erupted after a comedian allegedly mocked Prime Minister Narendra Modi while sharing the stage with LoP Gandhi during the Indore event.

Speaking to reporters, Union Minister of Sate Arjun Ram Meghwal accused the Congress leader of lying and insulting Indian culture.

“He misleads students and attempts to spread anarchy,” the Law Minister alleged.

Urging Gandhi to speak with responsibility, he added: “By insulting Indian culture and criticising Narendra Modi ji, he ends up criticising India and insulting Indian civilisation and culture.”

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis took a dig at the LoP, saying: “Rahul Gandhi was doing mimicry. I believe he should leave the party and become a stand-up comedian because he has rendered his party unemployed. At least he would have a job as a stand-up comedian.”

Talking to media, BJP leader Prakash Javadekar accused Congress of crossing all limits of decency.

“Rahul Gandhi spends his time in every meeting abusing PM Modi, but he doesn’t realise that the more he abuses him, the more PM Modi’s votes will increase, and people’s sympathy for him also increases…The Congress is behaving shamelessly, and there is no one to tell them this,” he said.

BJP MP Nishikant Dubey told media: “There is a ‘Jhooth Ki Goonj’ across the country. One can understand the situation. No one is willing to come to listen to Rahul Gandhi. He has lost more than a hundred elections.”

BJP leader Virendra Sachdeva echoed similar views, saying: “Rahul Gandhi organises events and programmes. He does not understand political issues or the pulse of society. He functions like an event company, organises a programme and leaves.”

“While Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s message is for the country, for every section of the society, and the youth are not left out of it,” he asserted.

BJP leader T.R. Sriniwas also took a jibe at the Leader of Opposition, saying Gandhi will end up shutting down comedy shows, “with the kind of act he put on yesterday”.

“The way they called a stand-up comedian onto the stage yesterday and had him do comedy with Rahul ji, he wasn’t a student at all. The way it appeared to me—and to anyone watching who has even a little bit of sense—it was just a comedy show,” he remarked while speaking to media.

However, Congress MP Pramod Tiwari backed Rahul Gandhi.

“The surging sea of students during the event and the visible enthusiasm reflected that the lamp of the BJP is dimming. All I can say is congratulations on the success of the Chhatra Ki Goonj event,” he told media.

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