Union minister Smriti Irani will pay a four-day visit to her parliamentary constituency of Amethi beginning Monday, on a day Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra is set to enter the Uttar Pradesh town.

Gandhi had represented Amethi in the Lok Sabha for 15 years before he was defeated by Irani in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

This will perhaps be the only second time since 2019 that the two leaders will be in Amethi at the same time. They had been in the town at the same time in February 2022 to attend different campaign events in the run-up to the assembly polls.  

Irani's representative Vijay Gupta said the minister will be in her constituency for four days, during which she will hold interactions with residents of several villages and attend her house-warming ceremony on February 22.

Prior to her election from Amethi, she had promised the electorate that she would build a house in the town and become a resident.

According to Congress leaders, the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra will reach Amethi on Monday. Gandhi will hold a road show and public meeting in Amethi town.

The possibility of the two leaders coming face to face is very low, officials in the know of their tentative schedules said. -- PTI 

India needs to grow at an annual rate of 9-10 per cent for around three decades and constant innovations to become a USD 35 trillion economy by 2047, India's G-20 Sherpa and former NITI Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant said on Sunday.

   

"We are the fifth largest economy in the world and by 2027 we will surpass Japan and Germany to become the third largest economy in the world. And our aim is that by the time we turn 100 in 2047, India should be a USD 35 trillion economy," Kant said while addressing a session at Mumbai Tech Week (MTW) hosted by Tech Entrepreneurs Association Mumbai (TEAM).

Which means, India will become the second largest economy in the world, Kant stated.

"And to be a USD 35 trillion economy means that we need to grow year after year for close to three decades by 9-10 per cent annually and this means that we need to do a lot of disruptions and constant innovation," he noted.

Kant said that India created the digital identity of 1.4 billion people and technologically the country has leapfrogged.

With the liberation of policy by the government which supports start-ups, space and in many other areas, young entrepreneurs should focus on areas like artificial intelligence, logistics, health and education. -- PTI

The panel of Union ministers holding talks with protesting farmers reached Chandigarh on Sunday evening for a fourth round of dialogue with farmer leaders over their demands, including a legal guarantee for MSP.

 

After reaching in Chandigarh, Agriculture and Farmer Welfare Minister Arjun Munda and Minister of Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal went to a hotel where Punjab Chief Secretary Anurag Verma and Director General of Police Gaurav Yadav were present.

The meeting between the ministers and the farmer leaders will be held at the Mahatma Gandhi State Institute of Public Administration in Sector 26.

The two sides had met earlier on February 8, 12 and 15 but the talks remained inconclusive.

Prominent among the farmer leaders who will attend the meeting are Jagjit Singh Dallewal and Sarwan Singh Pandher, who are spearheading the agitation.

Besides minimum support price (MSP) for crops, the farmers are demanding a loan waiver, implementation of the Swaminathan Commission's recommendations, pension for farmers and farm labourers, and withdrawal of police cases. -- PTI 

The Congress' Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra, which passed through several northeastern states, has created a "big media buzz" but may not fetch the party votes, Meghalaya Chief Minister and National People's Party president Conrad Sangma has said.

"I don't think they will get the outcome that they desire," he told PTI in an interview.

The amount of energy and resources that the Congress has put in for this Yatra "may not convert into real votes and real seats," Sangma said.

The Yatra, led by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, began from Manipur on January 14 and crossed Meghalaya on January 22. It covered five of the eight northeastern states ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, due in April-May.

Sangma said, "When you do something, whatever energy you put, will obviously have some impact in one way or the other. The question is how much impact it will have. The amount of energy that has been put into this Yatra, would it fructify into equivalent amount of votes being changed or coming in favour of Congress party...I doubt it."

"Yes, it's a big media buzz but winning election is more than just a Yatra. The Congress has a lot of issues internally, organisationally, and there are so many factors that need to be resolved. The Yatra is going on, and so many people are leaving the party. It is reflecting that there is a concern that they need to address, that they have to get their house in order in one way," he said.

Congress' Vincent Pala is the MP from Meghalaya's Shillong constituency, while NPP's Agatha Sangma is the MP from Tura. -- PTI

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday said that had his former Jharkhand counterpart Hemant Soren joined hands with the BJP, he would not have been in jail. 

Kejriwal had a telephonic conversation with Soren's wife Kalpana Murmu Soren, who thanked him for his support. 

Taking to X, she said, "Today I had a telephonic conversation with honourable Chief Minister of Delhi Shri @ArvindKejriwal ji. Thanks to Arvind ji that at such time he is with Jharkhandi warrior Hemant ji and the JMM family."

In the post in Hindi, she stressed on the need to come together to fight the "conspiracy" of the BJP. 

"Today the entire country is watching the conspiracy of the central government and the BJP. Everyone is upset to see how democracy is being sabotaged in Jharkhand as well as in Delhi and other non-BJP ruled states.

"Together, we have to fight this conspiracy of the central government and the BJP. Jai Johar! Jai Jharkhand!" she said. 

Quoting her post, Kejriwal said he stands in solidarity with Soren.

"Kalpana ji, we fully stand with former Jharkhand chief minister Hemant Soren ji. The whole country praises his strength and courage. How he is facing the atrocities of BJP. If today he had gone with the BJP, he would not have been jailed. But he did not leave the path of truth. Salute to him!" he said in the post in Hindi. -- PTI 

Bodies of six suspected Myanmarese poachers were found in remote Narcondam island in Andaman and Nicobar Islands, an officer said on Sunday. 

It appears that the poachers died of starvation and dehydration on the small volcanic island after they ran out of ration, the official said.

The small boat they used to reach the island had developed some snag and they could not return.  

The bodies were found lying a few metres from the shore in a forest on the small Narcondam island on Saturday.

Located in the easternmost part of India, Narcondam in North and Middle Andaman district is only 126 km from Myanmar's Coco Island. It is formed of andesite, a volcanic rock. The island is classified as a dormant volcano by the Geological Survey of India (GSI).

The island covering an area of approximately 7.6 square kilometres is a hunting ground for the poachers from Myanmar.

On February 14, the Andaman police during a search operation apprehended two Myanmarese poachers from Narcondam Island. They were brought to Port Blair and handed over to the CID, the officer said.

During interrogation, they revealed that six more poachers from their country were hiding in the forest of Narcondum.

"Immediately, a search team of Andaman police swung into action and they found bodies of the six poachers," the officer said.

 

Preliminary investigation revealed that the motorised wooden dinghy in which they entered the Indian Territory developed some snag and they took shelter in the jungle of Narcondum. -- PTI

Actor Varun Dhawan and his wife Natasha Dalal are expecting their first child together.

 

The 36-year-old actor shared the news on Instagram on Sunday and posted a picture with Natasha, a fashion designer, showing off her baby bump.

"We are pregnant. Need all your blessings and love. #myfamilymystrength," Dhawan wrote in the caption.

Dhawan and Dalal, 35, tied the knot in January 2021 after dating for several years. -- PTI

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Sunday met his Palestinian counterpart Riyad al-Maliki during which they exchanged views on the current situation in war-torn Gaza.

Jaishankar is in Germany to attend the prestigious Munich Security Conference, the world's leading forum for debate on international security.

"Nice to see Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki. Exchanged views on the current situation in Gaza," the minister posted on X, sharing a photograph of the meeting.

India has been pushing for a two-state solution to the Palestine issue for many decades.

 During an interactive session at a security conference here on Saturday, Jaishankar underlined that an increasing number of countries are now not only supporting the two-state solution to the Palestine issue but seeing it as "more urgent" than before.

The minister described the October 7 attacks on Israeli cities by Hamas as "terrorism". At the same time, he said Israel has an international obligation to observe humanitarian law.

It is important that Israel should have been very mindful of civilian casualties, he said at the session, also attended by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock.

 Israel has been pushing ahead with its military offensive in Gaza as part of its retaliation to the unprecedented attack on Israeli cities by Hamas on October 7. -- PTI

INDIA bloc's doors are "open" for the BSP and it is up to Mayawati to decide if she wants to join the united fight against the BJP in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls or not, Congress' Uttar Pradesh in-charge Avinash Pande said on Sunday.

The Congress general secretary said the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) very much wanted the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) to join the bloc but Mayawati has already declared that she will go it alone in the Lok Sabha polls.

In an interview with PTI during the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra in the politically-crucial state of Uttar Pradesh, Pande said the Congress is "wholeheartedly" supporting the Samajwadi Party and expressed confidence that a seat-sharing deal for the Lok Sabha polls in the state will be finalised "very soon" with remaining "confusions" dispelled.

He said the Congress-SP combine is in talks with small parties in Uttar Pradesh who would also be joining the INDIA bloc to take on the BJP in the Lok Sabha polls, and asserted that everything will be sorted out by the end of this month.

"Some of them are joining unconditionally and some have some expectations and therefore it is taking a little time (for finalising the seat-sharing in UP) but everything will be sorted out by the end of this month," he said.

On the seat-sharing talks with the Akhilesh Yadav-led SP, Pande said it is very much on positive lines and is in progress.

"When you go into a coalition you have to negotiate and rationalise who will be the best candidate who will give proper fight to the BJP. So we are analysing that and I am very much hopeful that very shortly the seat sharing formula will be finalised," he told PTI.

The Congress general secretary termed the exit of the Jayant Chaudhary-led Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) from the INDIA bloc as "very unfortunate" but exuded confidence that with the yatra also going through western Uttar Pradesh later this month, the opposition bloc would draw people's support from there.

Pointing out that a recalibration was needed in seat sharing after the RLD's exit, Pande said, "Whatever discussion we've had so far, definitely there will be some changes now to realign the whole thing and that is why it is taking some time but very soon we will come out jointly with the list of candidates." 

 

Asked whether the BSP could still join the alliance in the future, Pande said, "INDIA bloc very much wanted the BSP to join this bloc but as you know Mayawati ji has already declared she will go it alone. It is up to her to join the INDIA bloc or not but INDIA bloc's doors are open for Mayawati ji if she wants she can very well join to fight the BJP unitedly." 

 

On Sonia Gandhi announcing that she will not contest the Lok Sabha elections this time, he said she is still the pillar of the party and nothing has changed by her announcement.

"As you must have read her letter in which she has very categorically mentioned that she is very much part of UP and Raebareli and Amethi and she will continue to support as the family head, she will give the same kind of guidance to the people as she feels Raebareli is her home," Pande said.

The suspension of internet services has been extended in certain areas of some Punjab districts, including Patiala, Sangrur and Fatehgarh Sahib, till February 24 on the orders of the Union Ministry of Home Affairs.

   

Earlier, the internet services were suspended from February 12 till 16 in view of the farmers' 'Delhi Chalo' march.

According to the ministry's February 16 order, internet services will remain suspended in areas falling under Shambhu, Julkan, Passian, Patran, Shatrana, Samana, Ghanaur, Devigarh and Balbhera police stations in Patiala; Lalru police station in Mohali; Sangat police station in Bathinda; Killianwali police station in Muktsar; Sardulgarh and Boha police stations in Mansa; and Khanauri, Moonak, Lehra, Sunam and Chajli police stations in Sangrur; and areas under Fatehgarh Sahib police station.

The Centre used its special powers under the Telegraph Act of 1885 to suspend internet services in these areas of Punjab.

"In exercise of the power conferred by section 7 of Indian Telegraph Act, 1885 read with Sub-rule 1 of Rule 2 of the Temporary Suspension of Telecom Services (Public Emergency or Public Safety) Rules 2017, and in the interest of maintaining public safety and averting public emergency, it is necessary and expedient to order, the temporary suspension of internet services from 00:00 Hrs on February 17, 2024 to 23:59 Hrs on February 24, 2024 in the following areas," the order read.

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann had raised the issue regarding the suspension of internet services at select areas during the February 15 meeting between three Union ministers and farmer leaders in Chandigarh. -- PTI

Amid the buzz over senior Congress leader Kamal Nath's possible switch to the BJP, his party colleague Digvijaya Singh said on Sunday that the veteran leader started his political journey from the the grand old party and he won't leave it.

Singh said he and other Congress leaders were in contact with former MP chief minister Nath.

"We all used to consider Kamal Nath the third son of late prime minister Indira ji (after Sanjay Gandhi and ex-PM Rajiv Gandhi)," the Rajya Sabha member told reporters in Bhopal.

"Kamal Nath ji has always been with the Congress. He is a true Congress leader... He has got all posts, including chief minister, union minister, AICC general secretary and MP Congress chief, Singh said. 

Nath's character is such that he won't yield to the pressure of central agencies ED, I-T or CBI, he said.

"The biggest denial of all such speculation is that Kamal Nath has still not joined the BJP or resigned from the Congress, Singh said.

Nath started his political innings from Congress and won't leave the party, he asserted.

Nath, a nine-time MP from Chhindwara and currently MLA from the seat, was removed as the party's state president following the Congress' dismal performance in the November Assembly polls. 

\The 77-year-old Congress leader arrived in the national capital on Saturday afternoon. His son and MP Nakul Nath dropped Congress from his bio on social media. -- PTI

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Sunday alleged that the BJP-led central government "deactivated" Aadhaar card of people in the state before the upcoming Lok Sabha elections so that they do not get the benefits of various social welfare schemes of her government through their bank accounts.

Speaking at a public distribution programme in Suri in Birbhum district, Banerjee said that her government would continue paying the beneficiaries of the various state-run welfare schemes even if a person does not have an Aadhaar card.

"Be aware, they (BJP-led Centre) are deactivating Aadhaar cards. Several Aadhar cards have been deactivated in many districts of Bengal. They (BJP-led Centre) are delinking Aadhaar cards so that before polls people do not get benefits of Lakshmi Bhandar through banks, free ration," Banerjee said.

"But we will continue paying the beneficiaries of the schemes even if they have no Aadhaar card. Not a single beneficiary will be affected," she said.

Referring to the agitation of the farmers in Haryana, Punjab demanding the government's guarantee on minimum support price of their produce, Banerjee said that farmers in Bengal do not face any problem.

"I salute farmers' protest. I condemn the attacks on them," the West Bengal CM said. -- PTI

The helicopter landed on an open ground in the Dhadrian village of Longowal in Sangrur around 1 pm, a police official said, adding both crew members and the helicopter were safe. -- PTI 

Experienced left-arm pacer Mustafizur Rahman was on Sunday admitted to a local hospital after suffering a hit on his head by Litton Das during a training session ahead of a Bangladesh Premier League match. 

 

The accident occurred while they were participating in the Comilla Victorians' nets at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium.

Rahman was hit when he was walking back to his bowling mark, and he was immediately given first-aid on the bleeding spot before being taken to the Imperial Hospital here in an ambulance. 

However, the subsequent CT scans cleared 28-year-old Rahman of any internal injuries. 

"During practice, a ball hit directly at the left parietal area (head)

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday asked the Bharatiya Janaat Party cadre to work with renewed vigour and confidence for the next 100 days to reach out to new voters and win their confidence to ensure the party's return to power in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.

Addressing the BJP national convention in New Delhi, Modi said the nation will now have to dream big and make big resolutions to make India a developed country by 2047.

"The next five years are going to be crucial. We have to take a big leap towards 'Viksit Bharat'. The first imperative is to ensure the return of the BJP to power in strong numbers," the prime minister said.

Dreams of crores of women, poor and youths are Modi's dream, he said.

 

"We rid the country of mega scams and terror attacks, and made efforts to improve living standards of the poor and the middle class," the prime minister said.

Modi said he was not seeking a third term to enjoy power, but to work for the nation. "If I had thought of my home, it would not have been possible to build homes for crores of people," he said.

"I have received invites from foreign countries to visit them in July, August, September; they also know 'aayega to Modi hi," he added.

He said 10 years of unblemished governance and pulling 25 crore people out of poverty were no ordinary feats.

"A senior leader once told me I had done enough as PM and CM, I should rest. But I am working for 'rashtraniti', not 'rajneeti'," he said. 

The prime minister said he lives by the ideals of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and takes inspiration from him. 

"I am not someone who lives for his own happiness. I am advocating for a third term for the BJP not for political gains, but for the benefit of India.

My efforts are dedicated to the people of India. The dreams of Indians are my commitments," Modi said.

Security forces have been put on an alert in Kashmir ahead of the visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Jammu on Tuesday.

   

Police and paramilitary forces are conducting random checking of vehicles at dozens of places in the city and elsewhere, officials said here on Sunday.

Special checking points have been set up at various places entry and exit points in Srinagar as a precautionary measure, the officials said.

   

Although the prime minister will be visiting Jammu region, security agencies in the valley have been put on an alert to ensure that terrorists do not carry out any subversive activities during the high profile visit to the Union territory, they said.

This will be Modi's second visit to Jammu and Kashmir during his second term in office.

 

The prime minister is expected to inaugurate various development projects during his visit to Jammu which include AIIMS hospital Jammu, world's highest railway bridge over Chenab river and Devika river project in Udhampur.

   

Modi is likely to remotely flag off the first train in Sangaldan-Baramulla rail link and also address a public rally in Jammu later in the day. -- PTI 

Around half a dozen Madhya Pradesh MLAs loyal to senior Congress leader Kamal Nath reached Delhi on Sunday amid speculation that he and his MP son Nakul Nath are set to join the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party.

Three of these MLAs are from Chhindwara, while another three from the region are set to leave for Delhi, sources close to the veteran leader said.

 Nath, a nine-time MP from Chhindwara and currently MLA from the seat, is a former chief minister who was removed as the party's state president following the Congress' dismal performance in the November assembly polls.

These MLAs were not answering calls, with some Congress insiders claiming Nath loyalist and former state minister Lakhan Ghangoriya was also camping with them in Delhi.

Deepak Saxena, former MP minister and Nath loyalist told reporters in Chhindwara he was hurt by the way the latter was removed as state unit chief following the assembly debacle.

"We want out leader to be accorded all respect. Whatever decision he takes, we will be with him," Saxena said.

Another Nath loyalist, former state minister Vikram Verma, wrote 'Jai Shri Ram'  in his X profile.

"I will follow Kamal Nath," Verma, a former MP, had told reporters on Saturday.

Efforts were on by the Nath camp to get the support of 23 MLAs so that anti-defection laws don't apply to them, party insiders claimed. The Congress has 66 seats in the 230-member assembly.

"In case one-third of the MLAs switch over, then anti-defection laws will not apply," MP High Court advocate Rakesh Pandey told PTI.

Incidentally, in March 2020, another senior leader, Jyotiraditya Scindia, and several MLAs loyal to him had switched over to the BJP, which brought down the Congress government led by Nath.

Renowned Jain seer Acharya Vidyasagar Maharaj breathed his last on Sunday at Chandragiri Teerth in Dongargarh in Chhattisgarh's Rajnandgaon district after undertaking 'sallekhna'.

Sallekhna is a Jain religious practice involving voluntary fasting unto death for spiritual purification, a statement from the teerth said.

The Chhattisgarh government has announced a half-day state mourning on Sunday, officials said. 

"Acharya Vidyasagar Maharaj Ji of the world-famous Digambar Jain saint tradition, known as Vardhaman of the present day, passed away today," the Chief Minister's Office said in a post on X. 

The government has declared a half-day state mourning, during which the national flag will be flown at half-mast (wherever it is hoisted regularly), and no government functions or programmes will be held, it said.

Acharya Vidyasagar Maharaj attained Samadhi through 'Sallekhna' at Chandragiri Teerth at 2.35 am, the statement from teerth said.

"Maharaj was staying at the teerth in Dongargarh for the last six months and was unwell for the last few days. For the last three days, he was observing sallekhna, a religious practice of voluntarily fasting to death, and had quit intake of food and liquids. According to Jainism, it is a vow taken for spiritual purification," the statement said.

A procession was taken out at 1 pm for people to pay tribute to the departed seer, and the final rites were held at the teerth, it was stated. -- PTI

Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday likened the upcoming Lok Sabha polls to the Mahabharata war, asserting that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is leading the Bharatiya Janata Party-led camp working for the country's development while "INDI alliance" under the Congress is full of family-run parties and corruption.

In his address at the BJP's national convention in New Delhi, Shah lashed out at the opposition INDIA bloc for its promotion of dynastic and appeasement politics.

"Just as in the Mahabharata war there were two camps, Kauravas and Pandavas, similarly today there are two camps ahead of the elections," Shah said.

One of the camps is the BJP-led NDA under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership and the other is "INDI Alliance" led by the Congress, he said.

"INDI alliance is an alliance of all dynastic parties, which nurture the politics of  dynasticism, corruption, appeasement, while the BJP-led NDA is an alliance of parties which follows the principles of nation," he said.

People of the country will have to decide which of the two camps they want to give mandate to this time, he added.

He was speaking on the resolution "BJP: Desh ki aasha, vipaksha ki hatasha" (BJP: Country's hope, opposition's despair).

The opposition, he said, is full of "2G, 3G and 4G" parties, a reference to the second, third and fourth generation of families running these parties.

"Congress which leads INDI alliance ended the spirit of democracy with corruption, dynasticism and appeasement so that people's mandate do not come independently," Shah said.

Prime Minister Modi brought the politics of development at the centre stage by ending the Opposition parties' politics of dynasticism, corruption, appeasement and caste, he said.

The prime minister has worked for the development of all sections of society and enhanced the country's global standing, Shah said, while asserting that there is no doubt in people's mind that the prime minister will retain power for a third term.

Shah described Modi as a candle which removes darkness while burning itself, as he lauded his dedication, hardwork and commitment to the country's progress.

While PM Modi thinks of the poor and the country's development, INDIA bloc leaders think of making their children prime minister and chief ministers, Shah said, referring to Sonia Gandhi, Sharad Pawar, Lalu Prasad and M K Stalin among others.

"The Congress is the mother of corruption and its nurturer in this country," he said as he listed the alleged scams during the Congress regime and that of its allies.

All the family "princes" have come together against Modi as they think only someone from a powerful family can occupy the top position, he said amid slogans in support of Modi at the meeting. -- PTI

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Sunday asserted that the Congress will win at least 20 out of 28 seats from the state in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.

  

He also junked the BJP's claim of winning all the 28 seats. 

"We are preparing to win at least 20 seats this time. The BJP is making exaggerated claims that they will win all the 28 seats because they have realised that people will bless Congress this time," the Congress leader told reporters at Malavalli in Mandya district. 

Regarding the Congress strategy to fight against the coalition of BJP and Janata Dal-Secular, Siddaramaiah said there are no two parties in the opposition. 

"This time we have only one opposition. There are no two parties but only one party in the opposition. JD-S has merged with the BJP and is not functioning like a separate party," he said. 

The BJP swept the 2019 Parliamentary polls in Karnataka by winning 25 seats, while an independent (Sumalatha Ambareesh from Mandya) backed by it won one seat. The Congress and JD-S won one seat each.

To a question on fielding sitting ministers in the general elections, the CM said whoever the local MLAs and district level party office bearers recommend will be fielded. -- PTI

The central government should not dilly-dally and accept the demands of farmers before the model code of conduct comes into force, farmer leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal said ahead of a meeting with a panel of Union ministers here on Sunday.

 

The Lok Sabha elections be announced next month.

Three Union ministers and farmer leaders will meet in Chandigarh at 6 pm to discuss their demands, including a legal guarantee for MSP for crops and farm debt waiver.

The meeting comes amid thousands of farmers staying put at the Shambhu and Khanauri points of the Punjab-Haryana border with layers of barricades and a large number of security personnel halting their protest march to the national capital.

The two sides -- ministers and farmer leaders -- had met earlier on February 8, 12 and 15 but talks remained inconclusive.

"We want to tell the government that it should avoid the policy of dilly-dallying," Dallewal told reporters at the Shambhu border point.

If the government thinks it will continue to hold meetings till the code of conduct is imposed, and then say it cannot do anything as the code is in force"...farmers are not going to return", he said.

"The government should find a solution to our demands before the code of conduct comes into force," Dallewal said. -- PTI

Jharkhand Chief Minister Champai Soren has given the go-ahead for a caste-based survey in the state on the lines of neighbouring Bihar, a senior official said on Sunday.

The CM has directed the personnel department to prepare a draft (SoP for conducting the survey) and place it before the cabinet for approval, he said.

If everything goes according to the plan, the exercise will begin after the Lok Sabha elections, the official said.

Indicating the survey, the CM posted on X, "Jiski Jitni Sankhya Bhari, Uski Utni Hissedari (Bigger the population, bigger the share). Jharkhand is ready."

Vinay Kumar Choubey, principal secretary to the CM, told PTI, "The personnel department will prepare a standard operating procedure (SOP) to conduct the survey in Jharkhand. It will be placed before the cabinet for approval."

The caste survey will be conducted on the pattern of neighouring Bihar, where data collection was conducted between January 7 and October 2 last year, he added. -- PTI 

Disgruntled Jharkhand Mukti Morcha legislator Baidyanath Ram on Sunday said his exclusion from the cabinet of Jharkhand Chief Minister Champai Soren "at the last moment" has "hurt his dignity" and he will "not sit silently".

Ram, the Latehar MLA, said the decision to exclude him from the cabinet has also "hurt the sentiments" of his SC community, who have called a meeting at his residence in the afternoon to decide the future course of action.

"My dignity was hurt. I will not sit silently," Ram told PTI.

As many as eight legislators including JMM supremo Shibu Soren's youngest son Basant Soren have taken oath as ministers in the Champai Soren cabinet.

Ram's name was allegedly dropped from the list at the last minute.

"The decision has also hurt the sentiments of my community. They want a solution. So, they have called a meeting with me at my Ranchi residence in the afternoon to decide on the future course of political action," Ram said.

The legislator claimed that the CM has sought two days' time from him for a decision on the ministerial berth.

"The CM is in Delhi. I hope he brings some positive response when he returns to Ranchi. Otherwise, I will be free to take my decision," he said.

The JMM-led alliance in the state has 47 MLAs (JMM-29, Congress-17 and one RJD) in the 81-member assembly.

The alliance government is in for double challenges after the swearing-in ceremony of the ministers.

The Indigenous Tribal Leaders Forum (ITLF) has urged government employees in Manipur's Churachandpur district to refrain from attending work from Monday over the suspension of a head constable who was allegedly seen with armed men in a video grab.

The tribal outfit has made the call to press for its demand for the revocation of the suspension of head constable Siamlalpaul and 'immediate replacement' of Superintendent of Police Shivanand Surve and Deputy Commissioner Dharun Kumar.

At least two people were killed and 30 injured in firing by security forces after a mob barged into a government complex housing the SP and DC offices, torched vehicles and ransacked government property in Churachandpur, hours after the suspension of the head constable on February 15.

'More than 24 hours have passed since the ITLF gave an ultimatum to cancel the suspension order of head constable Siamlalpaul and replace Churachandpur SP and DC but so far, no cancellation or replacement has been done,' the outfit said in a statement.

'State government employees should refrain from going to office... it will be their sole responsibility if any untoward incident happens,' it added.

Head constable Siamlalpaul was kept 'under suspension with immediate effect until further orders' after a video of him with 'armed men' and 'sitting together with village volunteers' went viral on social media.

'This tantamount to very grave misconduct being a member of the disciplined police force,' a police order said.

'A departmental inquiry is being contemplated against Siamlalpaul of Churachandpur district police, as a clip has gone viral on social media showing him making a video with armed men on February 14,' the order stated.

Siamlalpaul has been asked not to 'leave the station without prior permission' and 'his pay and allowances have been restricted to subsistence allowance admissible as per the rules', it said.

Chief Minister N Biren Singh has condemned the violence and said that an FIR has been lodged against one person for threatening to kill the SP and that the damaged DC bungalow was being repaired.

He questioned the motive behind the violence, suggesting a hidden agenda, while asserting that all government records were safe.   -- PTI

In a major reshuffle in its Indian Police Service cadre, the West Bengal government removed senior officer Sumit Kumar from the post of DIG (Barasat Range) and made him DIG (Security), an official said.

Kumar was replaced by DIG (Malda Range) Bhaskar Mukherjee, he added.   

Kumar's removal came after recent incidents of violence in Sandeshkhali in North 24 Parganas district although senior officials in the state government described it as a 'routine shuffle'.

The state government named ADG & IGP, Traffic & Road Safety, Supratim Sarkar as the new ADG & IGP, South Bengal while ADG & IGP (Western Zone) Tripurari Atharv was named the new ADG of state STF.

Ashok Kumar Prasad ADG Bengal STF replaced Atharv.

Joint CP Headquarters of Kolkata Police, Santosh Pandey, was made Additional CP III of the force while Joint CP of Kolkata Police STF, V Solomon Nesakumar, was named the Additional CP-IV of the city police, an order said.

Kolkata Police Joint CP (Establishment) Meeraj Khalid was made Joint CP (Headquarters) while Syed Waquar Raza was named as the Joint CP (Crime).

Abhishek Gupta and Harikrishna Pai were named as the DCs of the North Division and the Port Division respectively.

Rahul De would be the new DC Kolkata Police STF unit, it added.  -- PTI

Congress leader and Wayanad MP Rahul Gandhi on Sunday visited the houses of two victims of the recent wild elephant attacks in this high range district, and consoled their family members.

Gandhi reached neighbouring Kannur district on Saturday night after halting his Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra in Varanasi abruptly in the wake of intense protests by locals seeking solutions to the human-animal conflicts in his constituency.

From Kannur, he proceeded to Wayanad by road and was accompanied by All India Congress Committee general secretary K C Venugopal and other local leaders.

He spent over 20 minutes at the house of Aji (42), who was trampled to death by a radio-collared elephant in the Mananthavady area of Wayanad district triggering massive protests last week.

Later, he visited the residence of Paul, an eco-tourism guide of the forest department who was killed by a wild tusker near Kuruva island on Friday and spent some time there.

The MP is also expected to visit the house of Prajeesh who was killed in a tiger attack recently.

Gandhi will also attend an assessment and review meeting with the district officials at the PWD rest house in Kalpetta before leaving for Allahabad in the afternoon.

Attacks on livestock and humans are frequently being reported from Wayanad of late.

A hartal called by various political parties in protest against the increasing wild animal attacks in the region turned violent here on Saturday.  -- PTI

As the farmer protest at the Shambhu border enters the sixth day, Punjab Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee leaders said on Sunday that the government had asked for some time to discuss the matter with the union ministers.

"It is our sixth day at the Shambhu border. Today we are also holding fourth round of talks with the government. The government has asked for some time and said that it will discuss the matter with the union ministers and find a solution to it," the committee's general secretary Sarvan Singh Pandher said on Sunday.

The Samyukta Kisan Morcha (non-political) and the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha have given a 'Delhi Chalo' call to press the Bharatiya Janata Party-led Centre to accept their demands.

Farmers from Punjab began their march to the national capital on Tuesday but were stopped by security personnel at the Shambhu and Khanauri border points between Punjab and Haryana.

The protesting farmers have been camping at the Shambhu border near Ambala since the start of the march on Tuesday, February 13.

Talks between the union ministers and leaders of various farmers' bodies remained inconclusive, with the fourth round of talks scheduled on Sunday.  -- ANI