Gorakhpur made BJP realise even this can happen: Rajnath
New Delhi: Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Saturday said the loss in Uttar Pradesh by-polls made the the BJP realise that "even this can happen" but "it will not happen again".
The minister's statement came days after the Bharatiya Janata Party suffered a double jolt as it was trounced in the Uttar Pradesh Lok Sabha by-polls for the Gorakhpur and Phulpur and in Bihar's Araria.
"Ho gaya, aage nahin hoga. Humein pata chala ki aisa bhi ho sakta hain (It happened, will not happen again. We realised even this can also happen)," the minister said, addressing the CNN News18 Rising India Summit.
Gorakhpur was held by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath for five consecutive terms, while Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya was Phulpur's elected Lok Sabha representative.
Commenting on Congress President Rahul Gandhi's statement that the country was rising against the BJP, Rajnath Singh said: "He is our opposition leader and will keep saying things but only time will tell against whom the country is rising."
On being asked if he harboured the dream of being Prime Minister one day, he said he was not "over ambitious".
"I'm not over ambitious. But yes, if one is given the opportunity, they must fulfil it. Our Prime Minister is doing a very good job."
Asked whether the interference by Art of Living founder Sri Sri Ravi Shankar in the Ram Janmabhoomi issue was right, Rajnath Singh said: "We cannot stop him from mediating in the issue. As far as the government is concerned, the matter is sub-judice."
Replying to a question if the Jawaharlal Nehru University was creating problem in the internal security, the Minister said he didn't think so.
"If anyone is misusing the JNU for political gains, it should be checked. If any party is doing politics by politicising any university, it should not be done."
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2 men dragged for 300 metres by truck in Agra; locals save their lives
Agra, Dec 23: A truck driver dragged two people for about 300 metres in Agra under his vehicle, police on Monday said.
Some locals forced the driver to stop the truck and extricated the men from under the vehicle.
Police arrested the driver and seized the truck.
The two men, both residents of Nunhai in Agra, were going towards Rambagh from Waterworks when they met with an accident around 11 pm Sunday.
The driver, instead of stopping the truck sped up, trapping both of them underneath, police said.
"In the accident, two youths were dragged by a canter driver for about 300 metres. Later, some residents saved the youths by stopping the driver using force," Chhatta Police Station Inspector Pramod Kumar told PTI.
"The youths were sent for treatment at a nearby hospital and are still being treated, but are in stable condition. The youths were from Agra. The canter driver was arrested and the canter seized after the incident," he said.
A video of the incident that surfaced on social media showed the men shouting for help.
The video was purported to have been shot by a person passing by on a two-wheeler.
“पिछली पोस्ट में वीडियो में युवकों को मोटर साइकल सहित ट्रक वाला कई मीटर तक घसीटता हुआ ले जाता गया देखा था,
— Umashankar Singh उमाशंकर सिंह (@umashankarsingh) December 23, 2024
अब जनता द्वारा उस ट्रक ड्राइवर की ठुकाई पिटाई का समारोह देखिए।”#Agra@madanjournalist
pic.twitter.com/Qh5ncyWtEa
HORRIFYING!
— Sanjay Kishore (@saintkishore) December 23, 2024
In Agra, a truck driver dragged two men for 300 meters. Locals intervened, stopping the truck and saving the men. Both are stable but continue receiving treatment. The driver has been arrested and the truck seized.
pic.twitter.com/1ply5wemfX
