Bihar's youth to oust NDA from power, elect CM who will give jobs, not 'jumla', claims Akhilesh
Patna (PTI): Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav on Thursday launched a blistering attack on the ruling BJP and JD(U) during a rally in Bihar's East Champaran district, claiming that the state's youth have made up their minds to "oust the NDA from power and elect a chief minister who will give jobs, not jumla".
Addressing a rally as part of campaigning for the INDIA bloc candidates in the assembly polls, Yadav asserted that the people's mood across the state was "against the ruling NDA".
“Half of Bihar is voting today, the other half is waiting for its turn. All of Bihar is sending just one message. This time, the youth will oust the NDA from power and elect a chief minister who will give jobs, not jumla (rhetoric), and this time, Bihar will write the BJP’s defeat.”
Alleging that the BJP and its allies had "failed to provide employment, tame inflation and ensure farmers’ welfare", Yadav said people were asking for accountability.
“In 10 years of Delhi’s (BJP-led central) government and 20 years of Bihar’s government, tell me, how many youth got jobs? They promised that farmers’ income would be doubled. Has anyone’s income doubled?” he asked, as the crowd responded with a loud “No”.
Taking a swipe at BJP leaders’ development claims, Yadav said he recently heard a Delhi-based professor talk about expressways being built from Gorakhpur to far-off places.
“We are coming from Uttar Pradesh. We didn’t see any such expressway. I think they are building expressways in the air,” he said.
Accusing the BJP of “vote theft”, he said, “They have a 'C' team, the Election Commission party. A 'P' team, another party, that helps them steal votes. So support the INDIA bloc candidates."
His allusion was to Prashat Kishor's Jan Suraaj party.
The SP chief sharply criticised the "rising" prices of essential items during the NDA rule at the Centre and in Bihar.
Yadav also uttered the expression "ekrangi" (unicoloured) that he has been using to target his rival in UP, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, who always wears saffron clothes.
“If the youth search on Google what 'ekrangi' means, they will understand why I don’t want to repeat that word. They are dividing society, fooling people, and selling dreams,” he alleged.
Without mentioning Nitish Kumar by name, he claimed that the Bihar chief minister was aware that the NDA would not back him for another term.
“He has realised no one is going to put the garland on him. That is why he has begun putting garlands on others,” he said in a swipe at Kumar.
Yadav said the INDIA bloc would put a stop to what he called the “loot of Bihar’s budget”.
“When the BJP is removed from power, jobs will come. Bihar’s money will be spent on the state,” he said.
Praising RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav and VIP chief Mukesh Sahani, the SP president said the next phase of Bihar’s politics would be shaped by “young leadership”.
“Help Tejashwi. Bihar wants a young chief minister, and when Bihar changes, the country will get a new message. You change Bihar, we will change Uttar Pradesh,” the SP leader said at the rally.
Yadav is scheduled to address rallies in East Champaran and Sitamarhi to bolster support for the INDIA bloc candidates in Bihar.
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South African police arrest suspect in mass shooting that killed 12, including 3 children
Johannesburg (AP): A 32-year-old suspect has been arrested in connection with a mass shooting which claimed the lives of 12 people including three children at an unlicensed pub earlier this month, South African police said on Monday.
The man is suspected of being one of the three people who opened fire on patrons in a pub at Saulsville township, west of South Africa's capital Pretoria, killing 12 people including three children aged 3, 12 and 16.
At least 13 people were also injured during the attack, whose motive remains unknown.
According to the police, the suspect was arrested on Sunday while traveling to Botlokwa in Limpopo province, more than 340 km from where the mass shooting took place on Dec 6.
An unlicensed firearm believed to have been used during the attack was recovered from the suspect's vehicle.
“The 32-year-old suspect was intercepted by Limpopo Tracking Team on the R101 Road in Westenburg precinct. During the arrest, the team recovered an unlicensed firearm, a hand gun, believed to have been used in the commission of the multiple murders. The firearm will be taken to the Forensic Science Laboratory for ballistic analysis,” police said in statement.
The suspect was arrested on the same day that another mass shooting at a pub took place in the Bekkersdal township, west of Johannesburg, in which nine people were killed and 10 wounded when unknown gunmen opened fire on patrons.
Police have since launched a search for the suspects.
South Africa has one of the highest homicide rates in the world and recorded more than 26,000 homicides in 2024 — an average of more than 70 a day. Firearms are by far the leading cause of death in homicides.
The country of 62 million people has relatively strict gun ownership laws, but many killings are committed with illegal guns, according to authorities.
According to police, mass shootings at unlicensed bars are becoming a serious problem. Police shut down more than 11,000 illegal taverns between April and September this year and arrested more than 18,000 people for involvement in illegal liquor sales.
