J P Nadda
BJP chief starts his 120-day nationwide tour
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chief JP Nadda began his 120-day nationwide tour with a visit to Dev Sanskriti Vishwavidyalaya in Shantikunj, Haridwar on Friday. The aim of the nationwide tour is to strengthen the party.
“I am starting my journey of 120 days where I will travel to all the states to strengthen my party. I have started it from Shantikunj to take the blessings of the Gurus,” Nadda said while addressing an event at Dev Sanskriti Vishwavidyalaya. Nadda also attended Ganga Aarti at Har Ki Pauri Ghat in Haridwar during his visit.
In a bid to strengthen the party machinery in every nook and corner of the country for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, BJP national president JP Nadda is undertaking a 120-day nationwide tour.
Earlier in November, BJP national general secretary, Arun Singh had said that Nadda during his country tour will give priority to visiting the constituencies where the BJP had lost in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.
“He will also take stock of the Assembly election preparations in the states. He will hold discussions with MLAs and party officials. The aim is to strengthen the party in every corner of the country and establish direct contact with ground-level workers,” Singh said.
Nadda will also meet eminent citizens in each and every state. He will visit big states for a period of three days and smaller states for two days. The states, where the BJP is in power, will also give a presentation on schemes and policies. Nadda is also expected to meet social media volunteers of the party.
GHMC polls
BJP’s numbers will further decline: TRS
As the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) election vote counting is underway, Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) MLC Kalvakuntla Kavitha on Friday said that Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) number will further decline and heavy support for TRS will surface in Hyderabad.
“TRS is winning in most seats. As voting was by paper ballot, we have to wait 3-4 hours to get exact numbers. I believe BJP numbers will further decline and heavy support for TRS will surface. We will have our mayor and do public works uninterrupted,” said Kavitha, Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao’s daughter, while speaking to ANI. The counting of votes for the GHMC election began on Friday morning. After campaigning by regional and national political parties, voting for the GHMC elections was held in 150 wards on December 1.
The mayor’s post is reserved for a woman this time. Elections were conducted with ballot papers in view of the COVID-19 pandemic.
In the Hyderabad city commissionerate, 817 new polling stations have been set up as compared to 2016. There are 2,146 normal polling stations, 1,517 sensitive polling stations, and 167 hypersensitive polling stations.
In the latest polls city is witnessing a triangular contest among the ruling TRS, the AIMIM and the BJP, which recently bagged the Dubbak Assembly seat in a recent by-poll. The top brass in the BJP, including Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, National President JP Nadda and Union Minister Amit Shah have campaigned for this election.
In the last GHMC election, the Telangana Rashtra Samithi won in 99 wards. AIMIM bagged 44, with the remaining seven wards won by other parties and Independents.
Shirdi dress code
Infringement of right, says women activist
After Shri Saibaba Sansthan Temple Trust in Shirdi put up a notice appealing to devotees to dress in “civilized clothes” as per “Indian culture”, women rights activist Trupti Desai on Friday called it an infringement of the constitutional right to freedom of expression.
She threatened if it was not removed, she and other activists would remove it at 1 pm on December 10. The Shirdi trust, however, clarified that this was not a dress code but merely a request.
Desai has also sent a complaint to Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray regarding the notice that read, “You are entering into holy shrine of Shri Saibaba, hence to observe the holy spirit, humble request to wear civilized costumes or as per Indian Culture.”
“The sign that has been put up by the Shri Saibaba Sansthan Trust is wrong and is an attempt to take away the constitutional right to express oneself. We have sent a complaint to Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray demanding that the institution be investigated,” she said in a self-made video message, adding that the devotees knew very well how to maintain the purity of a temple.
Bagate said some news channels have reported that a dress code has been issued for devotees. “This is incorrect. We had received complaints from a few people that some were dressing inappropriately. I appeal to the people to dress properly with a pure heart when coming to the temple for darshan, and it will be greatly appreciated if they wear Indian attire,” Bagate said.
Priyanka Gandhi Vadra
Congress to make new members to ensure social justice:
Congress general secretary in-charge of Uttar Pradesh Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Friday said the party will make new members in its Scheduled Caste wing to ensure social justice, prevent crimes against Dalits and protect scholarships of Dalit students.
Gandhi said this at the state party workers conference of the Scheduled Caste wing on Friday. “The meeting was organized after the release of chairperson of the UP Congress Dalit unit Alok Prasad,” said a press release. Prasad was allegedly arrested in the middle of the night in October. Earlier on Wednesday, the Congress leader lashed out at Yogi Adityanath government for failing to control crimes against women in UP.
“When the government’s only aim is hypocrisy and false propaganda, then the missions will fail. The BJP government’s Mission Shakti failed to reduce rising crimes against women in UP,” she tweeted.
Global Teacher Prize
Primary school teacher from Maharashtra awarded
A primary school teacher from Maharashtra’s Solapur has won the USD 1 million Global Teacher Prize for his inspirational work in promoting girls’ education at the Zilla Parishad Primary School.
Ranjitsinh Disale was given the honor for his transformational work of translating textbooks to the poor students in their mother tongues. This attempt had helped the girls students immensely. Also, by using QR codes he made audio poems, video lectures, stories and assignments more accessible to the students.
“This is a matter of great pride for teachers all over the country, and for every student studying in a government school,” said Disale, who added that he would share half of his Rs 7.35 crore award money with the other nine finalists, the first in the Global Teacher Prize’s six-year history to do so.
“I will share 50 per cent of the prize money with my fellow top-10 finalists to support their work and use the rest to create a fund to support teachers who are doing good work,” Disale said.
He also expressed gratitude to the Varkey Foundation, the Maharashtra government’s education department and the staff of his District Council.
Over 12,000 were nominated from over 140 countries and the winning announcement was made from the Natural History Museum in London.
Nagrota encounter case
NIA takes up investigation
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has registered a case in connection with the encounter in Jammu and Kashmir’s Nagrota, in which four terrorists who were hidden in an apple truck were killed, officials said on Friday.
According to officials, the NIA registered a case on Thursday in connection with the encounter which took place on November 19. It was found that the Pakistan-based terrorists neutralized in the encounter were planning a “major attack” on the anniversary of the 26/11 terror attack, sources had said.
A day after the Nagrota encounter, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had held a high-level meeting with Union Home Minister Amit Shah, National Security Adviser Ajit Doval and others to take stock of the security scenario on the region.
On November 19, the encounter between terrorists and security forces broke out in the early hours near Ban Toll Plaza in the Nagrota area of Jammu district. The encounter lasted for three hours in which four terrorists of the Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) were eliminated.
Mumbai had come under attack on November 26, 2008, when 10 Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorists targeted the city in a series of coordinated shootings and bombings that injured over 300 and claimed the lives of 166 people in India’s financial capital.
(with ANI reports)
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