‘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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NCW sets up panel to probe alleged sexual harassment at TCS Nashik
New Delhi (PTI): The National Commission for Women on Wednesday said it has set up a fact-finding committee to probe the alleged incidents of sexual harassment of employees at a Tata Consultancy Services BPO unit in Nashik, Maharashtra.
In a statement, the Commission said the panel will visit the facility on April 17 to conduct an on-the-spot inquiry, examine the circumstances leading to the incident and assess the response of the authorities.
"The National Commission for Women (NCW) has taken suo motu cognisance of serious media reports concerning alleged incidents of sexual harassment of women at the Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) BPO unit in Nashik, Maharashtra," the statement read.
"Taking a serious view of the matter, the Commission, in exercise of its powers under Section 8 of the National Commission for Women Act, 1990, has constituted a fact-finding committee to conduct a detailed inquiry into the incident. The committee will visit the place of incident on 17th April," it added.
The allegations, which surfaced during an initial inquiry triggered by a complaint related to religious practices, include claims of sexual harassment, rape and attempts at forced religious conversion of female employees by by certain individuals in supervisory roles, the Commission said.
The committee comprises retired Bombay High Court Justice Sadhna Jadhav, former Haryana DGP B K Sinha, Supreme Court advocate Monika Arora and NCW Senior Coordinator Lilabati.
It has been tasked with interacting with victims, police officials, company representatives and other stakeholders, identifying lapses, if any, and recommending appropriate action against those responsible.
The panel will also suggest remedial measures to prevent recurrence of such incidents and strengthen workplace safety mechanisms for women.
The committee has been asked to submit its report to the NCW within 10 working days, following which it will present its findings in person, the statement said.
