New Delhi, July 28: Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Saturday expressed grief over the death of at least 10 passengers in a bus accident in Maharasthra's Raigad district.

"Pained by the loss of lives due to the bus accident. My condolences to those who lost their loved ones," Modi said in a tweet.

Gandhi too condoled the deaths and urged state Congress leaders to provide all assistance to the injured.

"I'm sorry to hear about the terrible bus accident in which many persons were killed and others injured. I appeal to area Congress workers to provide all possible assistance to the injured and bereaved families," Gandhi said in a tweet.

According to police, around 35 staff of Konkan Agriculture University in Ratnagiri, including some women, were on way for a weekend picnic to popular tourist destinations of Mahabaleshwar-Panchgani when the bus fell 500 feet down into the ravine around 9 a.m. near Poladpur.



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New Delhi (PTI): Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi Friday called for creating a system in which people's skills get their due and everyone's contribution is respected, as he shared a Diwali video in which he interacts with paint job workers and potters.

Posting the over nine-minute video which features him also having a conversation with his nephew Raihan Rajiv Vadra on YouTube, the former Congress chief said, "A memorable Diwali with special people - I celebrated this Diwali working with some painter brothers and making earthen diyas with a potter family."

"I saw their work closely, tried to learn their skills and understood their difficulties and problems. They don't go home. We celebrate festivals happily and to earn some money, they forget their village, city, family," Gandhi said.

"They make happiness from clay. While lighting up the festivals of others, are they able to live in light themselves? Those who build houses can hardly run their own houses!" he said.

Gandhi said Diwali means light that can remove the darkness of poverty and helplessness.

"We have to create such a system -- in which people's skills get their due and contribution is respected -- makes everyone's Diwali a happy one. I hope this Diwali brings prosperity, progress and love in the lives of all of you," he said.

In the video, Gandhi is seen working with labourers at the 10 Janpath residence and learning to paint walls along with his nephew. In the second part of the video, Gandhi goes to the house of a woman who makes earthen lamps with her five daughters.

Gandhi tries his hand at pottery and makes 'diyas', which he says he would give to his mother and sister.

Since his Kanyakumari to Kashmir Bharat Jodo Yatra and his Manipur to Mumbai Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra, Gandhi has been interacting with a cross-section of people from mechanics and cobblers to labourers and bus drivers.

He often posts videos of his numerous interactions and highlights the plight of various sections of society.