Congress MLA blows flying kiss to speaker in Odisha Assembly
Bhubaneswar: Congress MLA Taraprasad Bahinipati evoked peals of laughter in the Assembly on Tuesday when he blew a flying kiss to Speaker S N Patro after being allowed to raise issues faced by his constituency.
The Jeypore MLA, who was the first to ask questions in the House, clarified that he did not mean to insult Patro and that the gesture was a mark of gratitude towards the speaker.
"I wanted to thank the Speaker. The flying kiss was a mark of my appreciation for him as he showed concern for the backward areas in my constituencies.
"I am indebted to the Speaker for giving me the opportunity among the 147 members of the House to raise the first question," Bahinipati told reporters outside the Assembly. Among other issues, the MLA drew the government's attention to the drinking water problems in his constituency.
The lawmaker had last week raised eyebrows when he approached Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on the first day of the winter session and asked, "Apana Khusi Ta? (Sir, Are you happy?)"
Patnaik had promptly responded, saying "Mu Bahut Khushi. (I am very happy)"
The BJD president, during his election campaigns earlier this year, often asked voters if they were happy. The phrase has gained such popularity in the state that T-shirts with 'Apana Khusi ta' written on them are being sold online.
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NEET student hangs self in Rajasthan's Sikar
Jaipur (PTI): A student preparing for the NEET examination allegedly committed suicide by hanging himself in a rented room in Rajasthan's Sikar on Friday, police said.
According to the police, the student allegedly hanged himself from a ceiling fan using his sister's scarf while one sister was attending coaching classes and the other was in the bathroom.
He had appeared in the NEET UG exam 2026, which was cancelled due to paper leak, they said.
Udyog Nagar SHO Rajesh Kumar said that the deceased, identified as Pradeep Meghwal, was a resident of Kanika ki Dhani village in Jhunjhunu's Gudha Gaudji area.
He had been living in a rented room in Sikar's Jaldhari Nagar area with his two sisters while preparing for NEET over the last three years.
His elder sister later found him hanging and informed the landlord and police after bringing him down, officials said.
The SHO said the body was kept at SK Hospital mortuary, and a postmortem had not been conducted.
The student's father, Rajesh Kumar Meghwal, told police that Pradeep's NEET examination had gone well and the family was expecting him to score around 650 marks.
Former Rajasthan deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot expressed grief over the incident and linked it to anxiety among students after reports of irregularities and paper leaks in NEET 2026.
Pilot said repeated paper leak incidents and cancellation of examinations were affecting students' mental health and demanded a time-bound investigation and strict action against those responsible.
