Fire in 'kalpvasi' tent at Maha Kumbh, no casualties
Mahakumbh Nagar (PTI): A fire broke out in a 'kalpvasi' tent in Sector 19 of here at the Maha Kumbh on Sunday due to a leak in a gas cylinder, officials said.
Firefighters managed to extinguish the blaze within 10 minutes and no casualties were reported.
Chief Fire Officer (Kumbh) Pramod Sharma told PTI that the fire was reported in a tent set up by Om Prakash Pandey Seva Sansthan and belonged to Rajendra Jaiswal, resident of Karma, Prayagraj.
Upon receiving the alert, three fire tenders were immediately dispatched to the scene.
The fire was contained within 10 minutes, but the tent was completely gutted, he said.
There have been three major fires at the Maha Kumbh besides multiple minor incidents.
Earlier on February 7, a fire broke out in the ISKCON camp in Sector 18 of Mahakumbh Nagar and spread over to a dozen nearby camps. While no one was injured in the fire, around 20 tents were destroyed.
On January 19, a massive fire broke out in the Maha Kumbh Mela area's Sector 19 due to a cylinder blast. While no casualties were reported, the blaze had left over a dozen camps gutted.
Earlier on January 25, two cars caught fire in Sector 2 of the Maha Kumbh fair area, but no casualties were reported. Short circuit in one car led to the fire which then spread to the other vehicle parked next to it, according to officials.
The Maha Kumbh, which started on January 13, will continue until February 26.
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Sujit Nair raises concerns over speculation of DMK-AIADMK understanding to block TVK
Chennai: Journalist and political commentator Sujit Nair has expressed concern over speculation that the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam could explore a post-poll understanding to prevent Vijay-led Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam from forming the government in Tamil Nadu.
In a social media post, Sujit Nair said the election verdict in Tamil Nadu reflected a clear public demand for political change and argued that the mandate should be respected irrespective of political preferences.
Referring to reports and political discussions surrounding a possible understanding between the DMK and AIADMK, he said he hoped such developments remained only speculative conversations and did not turn into reality.
Nair stated that if such an alliance were to take shape, it would raise serious questions about ideological politics in the country. He said TVK had emerged through a democratic electoral process and that the legitimacy to govern in a parliamentary democracy comes from the people’s verdict.
According to him, attempts to prevent an electoral winner from forming the government through unexpected political arrangements may be constitutionally valid, but many people could view them as politically opportunistic.
He further said that such a move could particularly affect the political image of the DMK, which has historically projected itself around ideology, social justice and opposition politics. Nair said that in ideological terms, the DMK appeared closer to TVK than to the AIADMK, and joining hands with its long-time political rival only to remain in power could weaken its broader political narrative.
He added that the same questions would apply to the AIADMK as well, as the party had spent decades positioning itself against the DMK and such an arrangement could create discomfort among its cadre and supporters.
Drawing a comparison with Maharashtra politics in 2019, Nair said he had expressed similar views when the Shiv Sena formed an alliance with the Indian National Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party after the Assembly elections.
He said post-poll alliances between long-standing political rivals often create a public perception that ideology and electoral mandates become secondary when political power equations come into play.
Nair also said such developments increase public cynicism towards politics and reinforce the belief among voters that ideology is often sidelined after elections.
He maintained that the Tamil Nadu verdict was emphatic and said respecting both the spirit and substance of the mandate was important for the credibility of democratic politics.
