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Puducherry CM dharna outside Raj Nivas enters 2nd day

February 14, 2019

Chief Minister V Narayanasamy and his ministerial colleagues continued their dharna outside the Raj Nivas for the second day on Thursday protesting Lt Governor Kiran Bedi’s “negative stand” towards his government’ proposals awaiting her approval.

Narayanasamy, his ministers and party MLAs had on Wednesday night slept on a pavement close to the Raj Nivas wearing black shirts. They have been demanding that that the Lt Governor accord sanction to 39 government proposals, including a free rice scheme. Functionaries of different wings of the ruling Congress and the DMK have also joined the protest. However, Bedi left for New Delhi early on Thursday morning under tight security of the Rapid Action Force (RAF).

A source in the Raj Nivas told media that she would return on February 20 and has invited the chief minister for discussion over the issues raised by him on February 21. Asserting that their protest would continue till the government proposals were cleared, the chief minister said, “Even if it is not possible to immediately concede all the 39 pleas, the Lt Governor can give her nod to some of the important schemes including the free rice scheme and grants.”

“When people’s representatives are holding agitation in support of their charter of 39 demands since Wednesday seeking approval of Lt Governor, it is amusing indeed that Bedi had left for Chennai enroute Delhi. This shows that she does not respect the popular government. This is the height of her vanity,” PWD Minister A Namassivayam told media.

On the helmet rule, Namassivayam said that the government had asked the police not to be very stern against those not using helmets while driving two wheelers as awareness needs to be raised at least for a month before making the wearing of helmets compulsory. He, however, clarified that they were not against the helmet rule as the Supreme court’s directive to implement the rule should be complied with by all.

Meanwhile, barricades were erected around the Lt Governor’s office to keep agitators at bay as a section of volunteers of different political parties raised slogans against the deployment of the RAF around Raj Nivas and at various vantage points. Chief Minister Narayanasamy had led an agitation in front of the Parliament on January 4, demanding that the Centre sanction statehood for Puducherry and replace Kiran Bedi as the Lt Governor.

The Lt Governor and the government headed by Narayanasamy had been at loggerheads over various issues ever since Bedi assumed office in May 2016.

Jallianwala Bagh massacre: Banned poem ‘Khooni Vaisakhi’ now in English

Web Team

February 14, 2019

A poem on the Jallianwala Bagh massacre by acclaimed Punjabi writer Nanak Singh which was banned by the British after its publication in 1920 has now been translated into English.

Singh was present at Jallianwala Bagh on April 13, 1919. He was 22 years old at the time. As the British troops opened fire on the unarmed gathering protesting against the Rowlatt Act, killing hundreds, Singh fainted and his unconscious body was piled up among the corpses.

After going through the traumatic experience, he proceeded to write “Khooni Vaisakhi”, a long poem that narrates the political events in the run-up to the massacre and its immediate aftermath. The poem was a scathing critique of the British Raj and was banned soon after its publication. Its manuscript was subsequently lost.

After long years, the poem has been rediscovered and now translated into English by the author’s grandson and diplomat, Navdeep Suri. It will be published by HarperCollins India next month to mark the centenary of the Jallianwala Bagh massacre.

Featuring the poem in translation and in original, the bilingual edition is accompanied by essays by Suri, H S Bhatia and by Justin Rowalatt, whose great-grandfather, Sir Sydney Arthur Taylor Rowlatt, drafted the Rowlatt Act.

Singh (1897-1971) is widely regarded as the father of the Punjabi novel. With little formal education beyond the fourth grade, he wrote an astounding 59 books and received the Sahitya Akademi Award in 1962.

‘Slanguage’ within a tricky tongue

C S Krishnamurthy

February 14, 2019

Do you ever ‘LOL’ or Reply ‘ASAP’? In America, ‘Obama’ means “cool and intelligent”. “Don’t worry about the exam, just ‘chillax’ (Chill+Relax)”. Then, ‘presh’ is precious; ‘bromance’ is close to male friendship. The endless list is as informal as it gets, Yeah! These words and phrases aren’t taught in English classes. They are slang, notoriously indefinable.

Does such usage make you sound stupid? Do you find it incomprehensible? Has it crossed limits? Should it be banned? Do you feel anachronistic? You are not alone. Thousands of such “words” trend on social media. Many old-timers struggle when youngsters employ current slang. Often, you need a translator! The weirder you sound, the more you are admired! This bizarre usage steadily infiltrates mainstream language.

Know the appropriateness

Using slang may not be appropriate and may also harm somebody’s life chances if they are unable to learn it. If you are unable to express yourself clearly, others may not understand you and may genuinely misinterpret your words.

There is a big difference between the evolution of a living language and simply not knowing or bothering to use words properly. Many don’t know the correct form and use slang not out of choice but unknowingly. When you say “I wouldn’t of done that” and seem unaware that this isn’t actually English, it is pathetic! That’s the obstacle that youngsters with improper language skills have built before them.

Some slang words have been part of the English language for many years. Text-speak is more annoying, especially with touch screens and hundreds of inclusive free texts to send. At least, pick your language according to your audience. Even if words don’t change, meanings do. For example, ‘gay’ meant happy earlier; now, it does not; ‘decimate’ (from Latin decimare meant to take a tenth person or thing) now is used to mean to destroy all rather than just one-tenth.

Linguistic fancy ignores the difference between sexes (“guys”). “Awesome” has become a default word. Roadside panipuri, as well as newborn babies, are both “awesome”. Why use ‘absolutely’, when a simple ‘yes’ suffices? What used to be called a “four-letter” abusive word, now appear in mainstream magazines and newspapers! When obscenity becomes the norm, what words are left to describe truly vulgar things? Worse, it’s used by people of all ages and backgrounds. Some of these manipulations, to the chagrin of purists, have even managed to enter into the dictionary.

Lack of role models

Words don’t just convey meaning, they actually shape thinking. Do teachers stress the importance of correct usage? Earlier, the impact of TV/radio was less and there was no internet. Elocution was taught. No one advocates the Queen’s English, but have we not become extremely lazy with language? Today, part of the problem is a lack of role models. Many publications use sloppy grammar. Also, some celebrities deliberately use street slang to sound ‘cool’.

Thanks to dwindling reading habits, many are puzzled with: There and Their, Your and You’re, Loose and lose, even Two and Too. Spelling or grammar mistakes during earlier times were met with a rap on the knuckles and an instruction to spell the word correctly 100 times. Now, many in the teaching profession often mumble with pointless add-ons such as, “yar know ar mean”. Who will lead us back to a sense of pride in language?

Space for slang

Slang is now more socially acceptable because a fair segment of linguists believed that when selectively used with skill, it adds a new and exciting dimension to language. Slang protagonists argue that this kind of language has always been there. Borrowed words are a different topic. ‘Pyjamas’ came from India, ‘Shampoo’ from Urdu. ‘Television’ is part Latin, part Greek, yet we think of it as one word. Some even ask if English is multicultural.

Language is what we use for communication, is their defense. Twitter and Facebook have helped spread and standardise terms that might otherwise have stayed regional. American lexicographer, Noah Webster, dismissed slang as “low, vulgar, unmeaning language”. James Kelman, the Scottish novelist, caused a small literary furore two decades ago when his book “How late it was, how late” won the Booker prize. A judge declared that the book was unreadably bad and said the awarding of the prize was a “disgrace”. The Times of London called the award “literary vandalism”. A few authors turned to slang narratives as a more authentic mode of storytelling.

“The linguistic sky isn’t falling, so ‘chill’”. “The English language has endured many changes over time, so tweeting, texting in emoji isn’t going to be the cause of our lingual ruin”, but then, who is to police the slanguage?

(The views expressed by the author in the article are his/her own.)

“Get RSS in Constitutional ambit”: Prakash Ambedkar seeks assurance from Congress-NCP

Moumita Mukherjee

February 13, 2019

Bharipa Bahujan Mahasangh (BBM) Chief Prakash Ambedkar wants a written assurance from the Congress to bring the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh in the ambit of the Indian Constitution. He further insisted that unless the Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) together give a proposal for the action against the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), he would not favour the alliance. He demanded 12 seats to contest in this alliance and also clarified that he is not in favour of banning the organisation and wants it to be registered either as a social or a political organisation and follow the Indian Constitution. NCP leader Chitra Wagh asserted, “Not necessarily Prakash Ambedkar has the entire Dalit vote bank. Ambedkar should make an alliance with Congress and NCP and counter the Hindutva forces. The communal crisis has taken over the entire nation and we expect Ambedkar to take a stand for the benefit of Maharashtra.”

The Congress and NCP had held frequent meetings with BBM, urging Ambedkar to join the alliance in their fight against the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Alliance with Ambedkar, the grandson of Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar, has emotional value among the Dalit voters. He enjoys following in parts of Vidarbha, including Akola. Ambedkar refuted the claims that his decision of not contesting with the Congress and NCP will be of advantage to the ruling BJP. Ambedkar has already formed Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA), an alliance of small parties, including Asaduddin Owaisi-led All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM), for the Lok Sabha elections.

Senior Congress leader and former MP Eknath Gaikwad asserted, “The demands of Prakash Ambedkar are being taken into consideration. All anti-RSS political parties must come together to meet Ambedkar’s demand to bring RSS in the constitutional ambit while he should also be adaptive towards Congress’ demands. We want Prakash Ambedkar and Congress to make an alliance to make his demand a reality.”

He added, “To counter Fascism, Congress has already launched the ‘Save the Constitution’ movement and if Ambedkar joins us, it would add great value.”

In a move to attract the dominant castes, Ambedkar said that his party would give Lok Sabha tickets to Mali, Dhangar, Koli, Bhandari, and Agari communities since he believes that they are capable of developing their lands. They will be given tickets in Mumbai, Thane, Kalyan, Bhiwandi, Raigad, Maval, Ratnagiri, and Sindhudurg. However, it is believed by the political analysts that if the alliance fails to take place between the BBM and the Congress-NCP, the saffron party would take advantage of it.

Bharipa Bahujan Mahasangh Chief Prakash Ambedkar spoke to Afternoon Voice and expressed, “Congress should draw a plan and bring the RSS within the folds of the Constitution. While Congress has ruled for 50 years, they have failed to do so. Today, RSS is acting as a parallel administration in this country; Congress should be absolutely sure that they are against the RSS and then only they can bring the RSS under the ambit of the Constitution. We are a small and poor party and we are foot soldiers; we are declaring the name of the candidates and we can’t wait for long. Our party will contest all the 48 seats if there is no alliance with Congress-NCP.”

In the meanwhile, during a rally in Kolhapur on Tuesday, the Dalit leader announced the names of candidates for five Lok Sabha constituencies — Pune, Baramati, Madha, Satara, and Sangli — in western Maharashtra and he also resolved to contest all 10 seats in the region that is considered as NCP stronghold. While Vitthal Satav, who belongs to the Mali community, will contest from Pune, Sahdev Ahiwale will fight from Satara, Navnath Padalkar and Vijay More, the candidates from the Dhangar community will fight from Baramati and Madha seats respectively. However, he is expected to make the names of the candidates for Hatkangle and Kolhapur public soon and there’s a possibility that the party will field a Muslim candidate in Hatkangle.

BJP MLA Sardar Tara Singh said, “It is worthless to talk on the demands to get RSS in the constitutional ambit; it is a separate organisation and it knows the Indian Constitution. The BJP is a brainchild of RSS, so are many other parties. Thus, people need not teach the RSS about the Constitution of India.”

A few days back, the BBM leader also raised the issue of 200 Gaonthan in south Mumbai, which has occupied 2000 acres. Pointing at the nexus between Shiv Sena and builders, he attacked the state government saying that it is planning to give this land to the builders under the Slum Rehabilitation Authority (SRA) for redevelopment and assured his fight against the builder lobby.

AIMIM MLA Waris Pathan speaks out about the BBM Chief’s demand and stated, “AIMIM will support Prakash Ambedkar even if Congress wants to join hands with his party. We live in a democratic country. Lawlessness can’t prevail in the country and every organisation must become a part of the Constitution. Nobody has the right to take law in their own hands.”

Biased Ambedkar bargains on Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh

Vaidehi Taman

February 13, 2019

Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh is always a target by some or the other leftists. In the recent past, Prakash Ambedkar demanded Congress to come up with an “agenda” to “rein in the RSS” before seat-sharing talks could take place between the two parties. He emphasised that the Congress must come with an outline to ensure that the RSS is brought within the “ambit” of the Indian Constitution. He is not the one to see the RSS as a threat. Generally, the people who hate the RSS are either brainwashed by anti-RSS propaganda, or they are facing hurdles in their proscribed profits due to the organisation. The RSS is not against any religion; however, their main objective is “Selfless Service to the Nation” and “Struggle for Hindu Existence” (Hindutva) — as the organisation mentioned about itself in its website. The RSS can be a threat to those who have irreligious beguile in hand (mainly those who have appeasement politics as an agenda). If the RSS is wrong in supporting Hindu, then Ambedkar is also equally wrong in supporting the only Dalit or minorities. Why can’t he stand by the oppressed Brahmins or upper cast citizen of the country, why selective only minorities or Dalits? It goes with the other leftists; they are hardcore haters of one particular community, in a way the politics of this country itself is biased. In India, many individuals criticises the RSS to prove themselves to be Secular and Congress is a political party, who cannot spare any chance to create and maintain their vote bank. Even if you look at the Congress and Rahul Gandhi, they do not have any wrathful agenda. So, they are aiming the RSS because it is a fact that the Modi government is supported by the RSS and also the RSS helped the BJP to win the 2014 election and it will help them in 2019 too. Above all, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has the RSS background. Many other leaders from the BJP also have the RSS background like Rajnath Singh, Nitin Gadkari, Devendra Fadnavis, and many others.

When Rahul Gandhi and Congress delivered speeches against the RSS, directly or indirectly they targeted Modi and the incumbent government’s ideology. In India, most of the population believed that the RSS is an extremist Hindu organisation and to polarise the Muslim voters, it is necessary for Congress to criticise the RSS. Nathuram Godse assassinated Gandhi and people claimed that he killed Gandhi according to the RSS agenda and the Congress plays the sympathy card. The fact is that some of the Hindu fanatics might be worshipping Godse, but largely people also worship Kashmir militants like Afzal Guru.

If we look at the recent Bhima-Koregaon issues, Prakash Ambedkar and his group were equally violent and provocative. What are Prakash Ambedkar’s contributions to his community, people, and their welfare? What had he done for this nation so far? What is his individual credibility other than being the grandson of Babasaheb Ambedkar? If you really scratch your brains to count his achievements as a leader, I am sure that you will not find anything concrete. Just attacking a particular community and organisation is not enough to serve this nation and its people.

The whole world knows about what Culture and Heritage the Hinduism contains. Infusing the Hindus with nationality, however, nationality doesn’t only mean patriotism to India means holding up the true India (Bharat) and not what the British had explained in their journals or documents. The British described Bharatiyas as a bunch of Snake Charmers and Hooligans. The RSS emphasises on bringing out the past glory of Bharat by removing the caste discrimination among the Hindus — “Ek Kuan, Ek Samshan” (One Well, One Cremation Ground) which will let all the Hindus come together irrespective of their caste and creed. Many RSS members are from that community who were treated as untouchables. A Brahmin RSS member takes orders from a so-called Dalit RSS member. Their Hindutva doesn’t prevent the Muslims from doing Namaz (or performing their religious practices) or stop Christians from celebrating Christmas (or their religious beliefs). Hindutva doesn’t mean that you have to be against other religions. However, RSS itself supported the meat ban on Paryushan (a Jain festival). Does that seem like it’s not working on the ideologies of Hindutva?

The RSS is hated the most because of their founding fathers who come from the most conservative Brahmin castes, with enormous faith in the culture that empowered them. People hate the RSS because the policies of this organisation are commonly misunderstood with extreme Hindu outfits like Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP), Bajrang Dal, or Shiv Sena. However, the RSS has entirely different patriotic views, which are very influential for becoming a responsible citizen of India. Maybe, this is the reason, that from Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru to many other Congress leaders once were the RSS members. In the recent past, the narratives have changed. I personally respect all the religion and never feel bad about others’ beliefs. However, when I was a small kid, my father used to teach us the Vedas and the meanings of its verses by connecting them to our daily lives and activities, the accomplishment of moral values for the welfare of the society in regard to our personal moral welfare. For example, in Atharvaveda, dedication towards one’s profession with seriousness is mentioned; we know that we are serious in our profession in order to benefit the society and in return to receive wages which runs our livelihood and if one fails to perform it seriously, then how the entire society gets affected in a series of chain and perpetuates in the rise of problems which cause social disharmony and ultimately results in a corrupt and lousy atmosphere which torment gradually all the members of the society.

Likewise, one needs to be serious towards the welfare of our Motherland; how to prevent corruption and how to take steps towards making a prospered society. At last, I would like to conclude saying that I really found the RSS to be very influential in inculcating patriotism and becoming a responsible member of the society. One should not confuse the RSS with the Bajrang Dal, VHP or Sri Ram Sena types of organisations. The RSS is entirely a separate group with unique patriotic objective, decent ideologies, and thoughts! It aims at the unity of the nation, and on the other hand, the Bajrang Dal, VHP, and Shiv Sena are more like political groups, which have more biased political propaganda that can’t be trusted due to the influence of the political people. I am not advocating the RSS for its wrongs but trying to expose the political agendas and the politicians, who have their own schemes. However, while colouring these patterns, they find an organisation like the RSS a threat, their rival is BJP, and Modi as a political entity, they should focus on their opponents rather than the organisations supporting them.

(Any suggestions, comments or dispute with regards to this article send us on feedback@www.afternoonvoice.com)

‘Oppn leaders playing musical chairs with eye on PM’s chair’

Web Team

February 13, 2019

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Wednesday said that the opposition leaders who are part of the proposed grand alliance are playing a game of musical chairs with an eye on the Prime Minister’s chair.

Fadnavis addressed BJP workers’ meetings at Dharampur in Valsad district and Mandvi in Surat district in Gujarat.

“Twenty, twenty-five, fifty people have come together under the (anti-BJP) ‘mahagathbandhan’. They have not managed to get even 10 persons elected (of their respective parties, to the Lok Sabha) but are eyeing the prime minister’s post,” Fadnavis said at Dharampur.

“In the game of musical chairs, the person who gets to the chair when the music stops wins. Similarly, 25 parties have come together and are playing this game,” he said.

This will adversely impact India’s ambition to become a developed nation in the next fifteen years, the Maharashtra chief minister said.

“We have got fifteen years, from 2020 to 2035. If we develop in these fifteen years, India will be ridden of poverty and become the world’s biggest economy,” he said.

India has the potential to once again become the country of its legendary past when “rivers of milk and curd” flowed and it was called “Sone ki Chidiya (golden bird)”, he said.

Later, in a tweet, Fadnavis said, “Spoke on achievements of 55 months of Hon PM @narendramodi ji as against the lethargy of 55 years of misrule of Congress & how only with utter lies they are trying to run misinformation campaign.

Centre ‘playing with fire’ in Jammu and Kashmir: Mehbooba Mufti

Web Team

February 13, 2019

PDP president Mehbooba Mufti on Wednesday alleged that the Centre is “playing with fire” in Jammu and Kashmir by “implementing” BJP’s agenda through Governor Satya Pal Malik. She also accused New Delhi of “trying to break the Muslim-majority character” of the state.

Mehbooba alleged that the Central government, through the governor, is taking decisions which are against the people and the common sentiment of Jammu and Kashmir.

“The whole country and the Centre should accept that this (J-K) is a Muslim-majority state and the decisions should only be taken after taking care of the sentiments of the larger community as well as the minorities,” Mehbooba told reporters at a press conference here.

Referring to the governor administration’s decision to grant a division status to the Ladakh region, the former chief minister, said, “We had warned the government that if you selectively create a division, the consequences would be grave.”

“They not only selectively created a division by ignoring the Pir Panjal and Chenab Valley, but also discriminated in selecting its headquarter. For Kargil, Leh is perhaps far away than Srinagar is,” she said.

The state administrative council last week created Ladakh as a separate division in the state and made Leh as its permanent headquarter, leading to protests in Kargil.

Mehbooba said there seems to be “Central government’s hand” in the decision.

“We see a hand of the Central government in the decisions being taken now in the state. It seems the agenda, which we did not allow the BJP to implement (when PDP-BJP coalition was in power), is being implemented now through the governor which has led to a volatile situation in Kargil which otherwise was a peaceful area,” she said.

Demanding rotational headquarter in Leh and Kargil as well as a separate division for Pir Panjal and Chenab valley, Mehbooba said the failure to do so would mean there is “some hidden agenda to disempower the Muslims of J-K and divide them on religious and sectarian lines”.

Mehbooba thanked the people of Jammu, especially the members of the Sikh community, and people in south Kashmir for arranging langars for the passengers stranded on the Srinagar-Jammu national highway which had remained closed for about a week due to snowfall.

She criticised the state administration for allegedly not doing enough to mitigate the sufferings of the people stranded on the highway.

Asked about her party’s Rajya Sabha member Mohammad Fayaz Mir appeal to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to consider returning the mortal remains of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru and JKLF founder Mohammad Maqbool Bhat to their respective families, Mehbooba said the PDP’s stance had not changed and their mortal remains should be returned.

“Our stance has not changed. We stand by that and want that his mortal remains be returned to his family,” she said.

Mir made the appeal in a letter to the Prime Minister on Monday, saying he was sure the sense of “alienation” among the Kashmiris would come down by several notches if the Centre decided to return the mortal remains of Guru and Bhat.

Ready to face lie-detector test: Indrani Mukerjea

Web Team

February 13, 2019

Indrani Mukerjea, the prime accused in the Sheena Bora murder case, told a special CBI court in Mumbai on Wednesday that she was ready to undergo a lie-detector test.

She submitted a handwritten application before special judge J C Jagdale, conveying her willingness to undergo a polygraph (commonly known as lie detector) test.

In 2015, Indrani had refused to give her consent to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to subject her to a lie-detector test.

According to the law, an accused cannot be made to undergo such tests without his or her consent.

“In October 2015, I had not given consent…because I was under tremendous pressure not to undergo the test,” she said in the application.

She succumbed to the pressure as she was in a “state of shock”, was “mentally disturbed” and “vulnerable and physically unwell”, she said.

Now she was “emotionally more settled”, Indrani added.

“I realise that I should have never succumbed to such pressure. It is only right and proper in the name of justice that I undergo the polygraph test as out of the 200 witnesses, only 35 have deposed so far. The investigation is also still continuing…,” she said.

Indrani was arrested in August, 2015 for allegedly killing her daughter Sheena (24) with the help of others on April 24, 2012 and disposing of the body in a forest in neighbouring Raigad district.

Her husband and former media baron Peter Mukerjea and her former husband Sanjeev Khanna too have been arrested in the case.

Nitish Kumar stresses for caste-based census in 2021

Web Team

February 13, 2019

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Wednesday stressed the need for caste-based census in 2021 so that the present cap of 50 per cent on reservations is removed and quotas for reserved categories of SCs, STs and OBCs are increased on the basis of the increase in their population. The only caste-based census in the country had been conducted way back in 1931, he said replying to a discussion on the motion of thanks for the governor’s address to the joint session of the state legislature.

“In 1990, the then president Gyani Zail Singh had suggested to me that the census should be on the basis of caste and following talks with party leaders Madhu Limay and Madhu Dandavate (social leaders) I had taken up the issue with the (then) government. But it could not materialize then as the census was already underway. The census in 2011 was not caste-based, though a socio-economic survey was conducted along with it. “But the data collected therein was not adequate for assessing increase in population of each reserved category,” he said.

Stating that he had no differences with the Opposition over their demand for a caste-based census and increase in the quota, the chief minister suggested The House that it should pass a unanimous resolution over the issue which would be forwarded to the Centre. Members from all sections welcomed the suggestion by thumping the desks.

Kumar also said that if the 13-point roster is applied to appointments in universities then it would adversely hit candidates from the scheduled castes, scheduled tribes and other backward classes. The 10 per cent reservation provided recently for the poor among the unreserved category was a different issue which did not affect the SCs STs and OBCs. This reservation for the unreserved category has been provided by amending the Constitution to enable reservation on an economic basis and was applicable to people of all religions.

Referring to the Oppositions charge that there was a spurt in crimes under his rule in recent times, Kumar said that the offences like murder, dacoity, kidnapping and loot had significantly come down during 2014-18 compared with 2001-05 despite increase in population. The figure for cognizable offences in the state during 2014-18 was 157.4 per lakh of population as against the national average of 233.6.

When some members interrupted him by raising the issue of mob lynching in recent times, Kumar asked, where is mob lynching ? The story of mob lynching has emanated from Uttar Pradesh in cases of communal clash. But incidents members are citing here concern criminals being beaten to death by a group of people”.

Such crimes have always taken place in the society but are not exactly instances of mob lynching, he said adding the administration is not lax about the illegal acts. Awareness too needs to be created so that people do not take law into their own hands. Crime-free society is an ideal for which we must keep on striving.

Opposition MLAs belonging to the RJD, Congress and the CPI(ML) staged a walkout expressing dissatisfaction with the chief ministers claims on law and order situation. However, the house passed the motion of thanks after the chief minister concluded his reply.

Rahul Gandhi to visit Odisha to select candidates for LS, assembly

Web Team

February 13, 2019

Congress on Wednesday began the exercise for selection of candidates for the coming simultaneous Lok Sabha and assembly elections in Odisha. The party has decided to release its list of probable candidates for the state by the end of this month, much before the rival parties. AICC screening committee chairman V D Satishan and member Naushad Solanki, who are in the state, have started meeting the aspiring candidates for both the elections, party sources said.

The committee will be in Odisha for three days and have discussions with Congress members of all levels, the sources said adding that the aspiring candidates can directly submit their documents with the committee.

“The candidates will be selected on the basis of their possibilities to winning the polls. However, youths and women will get priority. Congress president Rahul Gandhi is slated to visit the state in the last week of February and attend a public rally at Bargarh in western Odisha,” OPCC president Niranjan Patnaik said.

It will be Gandhis second visit to the state in February. He had addressed two public meetings at Bhawanipatna in Kalahandi district and Rourkela in Sundergarh district on February 6.

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