BJP leaders, who cast votes in Delhi, also voted in first phase of Bihar polls: Rahul
Banka/Bhagalpur (PTI): Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday alleged that BJP leaders, who had exercised their franchise in Delhi, also cast votes in the first phase of the Bihar assembly polls.
Gandhi, addressing election rallies in Banka and Bhagalpur, also asserted that the Congress produced evidence of “vote chori” (vote theft) in the Haryana polls, and the Election Commission cannot deny the charges.
The Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha had on Wednesday alleged that the Haryana assembly polls last year were "stolen", citing electoral list data to claim that 25 lakh entries were fake and the Election Commission colluded with the BJP to ensure the party's victory.
“Many BJP leaders voted in Bihar yesterday, and the same leaders had also voted in the Delhi elections. On one hand, the BJP leaders are being allowed to cast more than one vote, and on the other.... Names of those who voted for the Congress are being deleted,” the former Congress president claimed.
He, however, did not elaborate further or mention anybody by name.
“Narendra Modi and Amit Shah have been stealing votes for many years. Earlier, we didn't have any evidence, but now we have all the evidence backed by data. And that is why I say, there is a government of thieves in Haryana,” he asserted.
“Out of the 2 crore voters in Haryana, 29 lakh electors are fake... The BJP indulged in ‘vote chori’ in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Haryana, and now they are trying to repeat it in Bihar. But, I am certain the people of Bihar will not allow this to happen in their state,” Gandhi said.
He also accused the NDA government of encouraging the youth to make social media reels to “divert attention from pressing issues”.
“Reels are the addiction of the 21st century, which is distracting the youth so that they cannot ask questions on issues like unemployment, education and health,” Gandhi said.
At the Bhagalpur rally, the Rae Bareli MP alleged that farmers, labourers and weavers in Bihar neither get loans from banks, nor is their debt waived.
The BJP-led government, however, always waives loans of certain corporates, Gandhi claimed.
He alleged that land is given away to big corporates at throwaway prices in the state.
Gandhi also asserted that TV channels get paid by the BJP to show the Prime Minister’s face 24 hours.
“The media is being controlled by the BJP... Whatever we say, you can see that on social media... But, not on TV channels. Narendra Modi, Amit Shah and the EC stole the Haryana polls, and we have the evidence in black and white... I can say with full confidence that the Haryana government is 'Chori ki Sarkar' (government formed through theft),” he claimed.
Gandhi said only the rich and sons of corporate leaders can dream big in the country in today’s era.
“Take for example, Amit Shah's son; he doesn't know how to hold a cricket bat, but he controls cricket...,” he asserted.
The Congress leader also said a change is imminent in Bihar after the assembly polls.
“The government will change. Bihar will change. And, these changes will be recorded in Bihar's history like a golden page, one that took it out of unemployment, migration, poverty, and rule by goons and set it on the path of development,” he said.
Gandhi said the opposition INDIA bloc, if voted to power, will be a government of every citizen of Bihar.
“The ‘Mahagathbandhan’ government will be the voice of entire Bihar,” he said.
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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.
