'Acceptability eludes Dalits even at top post': Bihar Congress chief breaks down over attack on CJI
Patna (PTI): Bihar Congress president Rajesh Kumar Ram, the party's Dalit face in the poll-bound state, on Tuesday burst into tears while voicing anguish over the attack on Chief Justice of India BR Gavai.
Addressing a press conference, Ram alleged the incident reeks of the RSS's ideology.
"Even after reaching the most respectable constitutional posts with efforts of a lifetime, acceptability eludes Dalits," he said, breaking down.
"The incident reeks of RSS' ideology," he alleged, claiming that the BJP wants to replace the Constitution, which has empowered Dalits, with 'Manusmriti'.
Ram alleged that Dalits are still facing atrocities in daily life.
"We, as Dalits, have been facing discrimination day in and day out -- within the House and beyond," he said.
A lawyer, identified as Rakesh Kishor, attempted to hurl a shoe towards CJI Gavai in his courtroom on Monday.
The CJI, who remained unfazed during and after the incident, asked Supreme Court officials and security personnel to "just ignore" it and let off the errant lawyer with a warning.
Ram, who is aiming for a hat-trick from the Kutumba assembly seat this time, also charged the NDA governments, both at the Centre and in the state, with doling out "election-centric tokenistic welfare measures" for women.
Speaking alongside him, Jharkhand minister Dipika Pandey Singh questioned the authenticity of the NDA government's claim of ensuring financial empowerment for women.
"What has the PM given the women of Bihar? A mere Rs 10,000?" she asked.
Pandey announced that if voted to power, the Mahagathbandhan will give Rs 30,000 to women per year, and even provide them with ownership of plots measuring 3-3.5 decimal.
She highlighted that the Mahagathbandhan government in Jharkhand is already giving Rs 30,000 per year to women, which, she emphasised, is "not centred around elections".
She alleged that 64 per cent of people in Bihar have been pushed into the "quagmire of poverty" by the NDA government.
"The condition of education, health, and security is deplorable in the state, let alone the prospects of financial empowerment. Women are the worst sufferers of this abject poverty," she claimed.
"If PM's intentions were right, he would have made provisions for the entire nation, and not just Bihar. If Nitish Kumar is healthy enough to govern Bihar, he should come forward and lay his vision for the women of Bihar," she added.
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Lebanon appoints new representative for talks with Israel, rejects linkage to Iran
Beirut: Lebanon’s has moved to underline its independent position in ongoing regional developments, amid attempts to link the country to the broader conflict involving Iran, the United States and Israel.
President Joseph Aoun, while announcing the appointment of former US ambassador Simon Karam as Lebanon’s representative in talks with Israel, made it clear that Karam would be the sole representative for Lebanon and that there would be no substitute.
The move comes in response to what the Lebanese officials see as efforts by Iran to tie Lebanon’s situation to the wider regional conflict. Iran had indicated that there would be no ceasefire involving the US, Israel and Iran unless it also included a ceasefire in Lebanon.
Some groups, including Hezbollah and its supporters, had expressed support for linking the situations, citing concerns that the Lebanese government has limited leverage in negotiations with Israel. Lebanon is not formally a party to the conflict, and its army is considered weak.
However, others, including Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, have opposed this approach. They view Iran’s stance as an attempt to influence Lebanon’s internal affairs and see it as undermining the country’s sovereignty.
Officials backing the government’s position say the move is aimed at reaffirming Lebanon’s sovereignty and ensuring that decisions about peace and ceasefire within the country are not dictated externally.
They also see it as a safeguard, so that any breakdown in talks between the US, Israel and Iran does not automatically lead to renewed conflict in Lebanon.
