Community welfare workshop held for ISF volunteers at Saudi
Dammam, September 9: The Indian Social Forum Karnataka (ISF) State Eastern Province conducted a community welfare activities workshop for the volunteers to deal with Indian community welfare cases in Saudi Arabia, at Rose Restaurant Auditorium here on September 7.
The objective of the workshop was to brief Indian social welfare activities and train ISF volunteer on how effectively they could get involved in the welfare activities of fellow NRIs in Saudi Arabia.
ISF secretary Mohammad Firoz explained the volunteers on the methods and techniques dealing with community welfare activities and highlighted the importance of coordinating with Indian Embassy while addressing the NRI issues. Naushad Katipalla, in-charge of the ISF community welfare team, conducted question and answer session for the audience. Being an authorized volunteer of the Indian Embassy, Naushad Katipalla has been assisting NRIs in several years in Saudi Arabia. ISF State Committee SWC member Arif Jokatte briefed about the Indian Social Forum activities.
Indian Social Forum volunteers Ibrahim Abdul Khader Alkhobar , Rafique Budoli AlHasa , Hasan Kinnigoli Jubail were felicitated for their excellent contributions to Indian community welfare activities in the recent past.
Earlier, general secretary of ISF Karnataka Muhammad Salahuddin welcomed the gathering and ISF president Mohammed Shareef appealed NRIs to join hands with Indian Social Forum to help the needy fellow Indians in Saudi Arabia.
General secretary of India Fraternity Forum, Sajid Valavoor, Tajamul Hussain Raichur Trust, Masada Nawin Bhandary, Mohammed Noumann, Sayyed Amir, Safeerul Haq Tamimi, Dr. Abhijit (Rahwda Hospital), Bandenawaz Bijapur, Anwar Sadath Mangaluru, Ibrahim Vasat Mangaluru, Suhail Mysuru, Iftikar Bangaluru, Mohammed Ashraf Helpy, Atik Mysuru, Hamid Hussain and syed Saifulla were present.
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Sharad Pawar's 'merger with Cong' remark shows it's difficult for him to run his party,says Fadnavis
Mumbai, May 8: NCP founder Sharad Pawar's remark on regional parties' possible merger with the Congress shows it has become difficult for him to manage his own party, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said on Wednesday.
Chief Minister Eknath Shinde latched on to Pawar's comment to target Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray, saying the latter has already become "Congress-minded".
Another leader of the ruling 'Mahayuti' in Maharashtra said Pawar's remarks reflect that ground was slipping from under his feet in his home turf Baramati and the only option before him was merging his party with the Congress.
In an interview to The Indian Express, Pawar said that in the next couple of years, several regional parties will associate more closely with the Congress or may look at the option of merger with it if they believe that is best for their party.
To a question if that applied to his own party, Pawar told the newspaper that he doesn't see any difference between the Congress and his party because both belong to the Gandhi, Nehru line of thinking.
Pawar made it clear that any decision on strategy or the next step will be taken collectively. He also said that his party is close to the Congress ideologically and that Uddhav Thackeray is positive about working together with like-minded parties.
Asked about Pawar's remark, Shinde said the Shiv Sena (UBT) has already become Congress-minded.
"Pawar is a big leader and he makes such statements. But the Sena (UBT) faction has already become Congress as they speak the language of the Congress and Pakistan," Shinde, who heads the ruling Shiv Sena, said.
"Just the formality (of merger between them) is remaining," he added.
Fadnavis said that through his remark, Pawar might be suggesting that it was difficult for him to run his party and hence he may opt to merge it with the Congress.
"It is nothing new because Pawar has formed new parties and later merged them with the Congress," he said.
Former Congress leader Sanjay Nirupam, who recently rejoined the ruling Shiv Sena led by CM Shinde, said Pawar has been thinking about merging his party with the Congress for a long time and even the Congress had given the proposal to this effect to him.
"But Congress rejected the proposal to entrust the leadership to Supriya Sule. Pawar's fresh comment suggests that the ground is slipping from under his feet in Baramati. Even if that is not the case, he has no option but merge his party with Congress which will be seen as a merger of two loss-making companies," the former MP said.
BJP leader Prasad Lad asked whether the Sena (UBT) will merge with the Congress along with the Sharad Pawar-led party.
"Uddhav Thackeray has stopped saying 'My Hindu brothers and sisters' at the outset of his speeches. He has become friends with those who criticise Veer Savarkar. Only time will tell whether Thackeray will merge his party with Congress," he said.
NCP (SP) working president Supriya Sule said her father made a generic statement.
Leader of Opposition in the state assembly and senior Congress leader Vijay Waddetiwar said there was truth in what Pawar said.
"He has a long-term vision. People are fed up with the dictatorial regime and want a change of guard," he said, targeting the BJP-led government.
Chhagan Bhujbal of the Ajit Pawar-led NCP said he doesn't think regional parties will merge with the Congress.
"They are strong in their respective states and have formed governments in West Bengal and Odisha," he said, referring to the Trinamool Congress (TMC) and the Biju Janata Dal (BJD).
The NCP founded by Sharad Pawar in 1999 split in July 2023 after his nephew Ajit Pawar rebelled against him and joined the Eknath Shinde-led government. The Election Commission and assembly speaker later recognised the Ajit Pawar-led faction as the "real NCP" and allotted the clock symbol to it, while the NCP (SP) group was given 'man blowing turha' as the symbol.
