‘Not allowing’ Nitish to speak at NDA's manifesto release insult to Bihar, claims Congress
Patna, Oct 31 (PTI): The Congress on Friday slammed NDA leaders for “not allowing” Chief Minister Nitish Kumar to speak at the release of the ruling coalition’s manifesto for the state assembly polls, claiming it was “an insult to Bihar and Biharis”.
Talking to reporters here, senior Congress leader Ashok Gehlot also claimed that the NDA’s manifesto release programme lasted only “26 seconds”, as the leaders were afraid of facing questions from journalists about their 20-year rule.
CM Nitish Kumar, his deputy Samrat Choudhary, BJP president JP Nadda, Union ministers Dharmendra Pradhan, Jitan Ram Manjhi, Chirag Paswan and other leaders of alliance partners released the NDA’s manifesto in less than a minute.
All then left the venue, except the deputy CM who remained and answered a few questions from journalists.
An announcement was made from the dais that the leaders had to leave as they had poll-related engagements.
"The NDA leaders came to the press conference which lasted merely 26 seconds. They were afraid to face questions from journalists on the manifesto, as well as on their governance,” Gehlot said.
The CM was “not allowed” to speak at the release of the manifesto, Gehlot claimed, and wondered whether he was "not in a position" to speak about it.
Congress Rajya Sabha MP Akhilesh Prasad Singh, who is also present at Gehlot’s press meet, said, “Nitish Kumar was not allowed to speak on the manifesto. It was disrespect for Bihar and Biharis.”
In the manifesto, the NDA promised jobs to one crore youth, making of one crore 'Lakhpathi Didi', metro train services in four more cities and seven international airports in the state. Seven expressways, 10 industrial parks, free quality education from KG to PG and Rs 2000 aid per month for SC students pursuing higher education are some of the other features of the manifesto.
“The NDA's manifesto is a string of lies. We will highlight this in our public rallies, and demand a report card of the 20 years of NDA rule," Gehlot said.
The NDA leaders should have begun their press conference with the report card, he said.
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Money-dispute angle emerges in Delhi bus gangrape case
New Delhi (PTI): Police probing the alleged gangrape of a 30-year-old woman inside a private sleeper bus in Outer Delhi have found that there was a dispute over money between the victim and the accused, sources said on Friday.
The woman was allegedly dragged inside the bus and raped by the driver and the conductor in the Mangolpuri area here on May 11. Both the accused were arrested the following day.
According to the police sources, the woman, in her complaint, has stated that there was a dispute over money with the accused.
The sources also said that one of the accused did not flee the spot after the incident and the victim later used his mobile phone to call police.
The woman has also told police that her husband is suffering from a medical condition and is unable to work. The couple have four children and she has been working to support the family, the sources said.
Police are probing the case from all angles and have already seized the bus. CCTV footage from the route taken by the vehicle on the day of the incident is also being examined.
The case was registered under the relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) dealing with rape and gangrape, police said.
