Thiruvananthapuram (PTI): The Kerala Assembly on Monday paid homage to former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who died last month, and described him as a unique personality, able administrator, brilliant economist, and a determined patriot.
Cutting across politics, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, Leader of Opposition V D Satheesan, Assembly Speaker A N Shamseer and other leaders hailed the contribution of Singh in various fields.
The 13th session of the 15th Kerala Assembly, which began on Friday, was adjourned on Monday after paying tribute to the former Prime Minister.
During his speech, Chief Minister Vijayan recalled that apart from being the Prime Minister of India, Manmohan Singh was known in many capacities as an internationally renowned economist, exemplary teacher, and eminent bureaucrat, and as the country's finance minister.
There may not be another person who has held all the pivotal positions that shape India's economic policy, he said.
The CM especially mentioned about the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme and the Right to Information Act launched by Singh's government.
Though the CPI(M) had some differences of opinion about certain policies of the Manmohan Singh-led UPA government, his stand for protecting constitutional values and the democratic system of the country was commendable, Vijayan further said.
Through the demise of Singh, the country had lost a gentle and determined patriot and a brilliant economist who firmly believed in secular values, he said.
Leader of Opposition V D Satheesan recalled various initiatives implemented by Singh in finding out solutions to the problems faced by common people.
He said Singh was a leader who strongly upheld the secular and democratic values and the one who had unwavering commitment and dedication towards the country.
During the address in the House, the Congress leader also said that Singh had courageously implemented the economic reforms in the country despite criticisms, and it had helped the nation progress financially.
Assembly Speaker A N Shamseer also said that the country had lost a brilliant economist and a determined statesman.
Singh's contributions to nation building as a finance minister and a Prime Minister went beyond his financial expertise, Shamseer added.
Singh, the architect of India's economic reforms, died at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Delhi, on December 26 at the age of 92.
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Pratapgarh (UP) (PTI): Four people were booked here for the abduction and assault of a man who they allegedly tied to a tree and beat up, police said on Wednesday.
The incident, a video of which has gone viral, took place on Tuesday afternoon under the Kunda police station limits.
The FIR was registered on Wednesday evening based on a complaint from the victim's father.
According to Keshav Prasad Yadav, a resident of Mauli village, some people called his 18-year-old son Nikhil Yadav on the phone and asked him to come out of his house around 2.30 pm on Tuesday.
As he reached outside the village as instructed, the accused allegedly forced him into a car and took him towards the Tinpedwa forest area, where they tied him to a tree and assaulted, the complainant said.
The attackers also recorded a video of the incident and circulated it on social media. The purported video shows the men thrashing Nikhil one after another, while one of them is assumed to have recorded the act.
Kunda Station House Officer Manoj Pandey confirmed the incident and said efforts are underway to identify and arrest all the accused.
Meanwhile, Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav has shared the video on social media, describing the incident as reflective of a "dominant mindset" against the PDA (Pichda or Backward, Dalit, and Alpasankhyak or Minority), and demanded strict action against the accused.
