Rahul Gandhi asks new district chiefs in MP to work at grassroots level, be upright
Narmadapuram (PTI): Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday asked the new district unit presidents of the party in Madhya Pradesh to work at the grassroots level, and also to stay upright so that they could not be blackmailed, a local leader said.
Gandhi spoke at an ongoing camp organised for the 71 newly appointed district presidents of the party at Pachmarhi under the `Sangathan Srajan Abhiyan' to strengthen the Congress organisation.
"Rahul ji asked us to reach the grassroots level, booth level, respect the smallest worker by keeping aside our ego, and tour the area religiously to ensure victory in the (assembly and Lok Sabha) polls in the state," said a camp participant.
Gandhi also ate dinner with the families of participants, he added.
"He gave us some examples of leaders who had amassed ill-gotten wealth and were now crawling before the government after being hounded. He asked us to be upright and righteous so that we can not be blackmailed or made to kneel," the Congress functionary added.
Before meeting the district presidents, Gandhi met senior party leaders in the state including Digvijaya Singh, Arun Yadav, Ajay Singh, MP Congress chief Jitu Patwari and Leader of Opposition in MP Assembly Umang Singhar.
Ajay Singh told reporters that Gandhi stressed the need for coordination and strengthening the organisation at grassroots level for winning the 2028 assembly elections.
The Congress held power in the state under Kamal Nath's leadership for a brief 15-month period from December 2018 to March 2020. Apart from that, it has been out of power in Madhya Pradesh since 2003.
In 2024 Lok Sabha elections, Congress failed to win even a single seat in Madhya Pradesh.
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South African police arrest suspect in mass shooting that killed 12, including 3 children
Johannesburg (AP): A 32-year-old suspect has been arrested in connection with a mass shooting which claimed the lives of 12 people including three children at an unlicensed pub earlier this month, South African police said on Monday.
The man is suspected of being one of the three people who opened fire on patrons in a pub at Saulsville township, west of South Africa's capital Pretoria, killing 12 people including three children aged 3, 12 and 16.
At least 13 people were also injured during the attack, whose motive remains unknown.
According to the police, the suspect was arrested on Sunday while traveling to Botlokwa in Limpopo province, more than 340 km from where the mass shooting took place on Dec 6.
An unlicensed firearm believed to have been used during the attack was recovered from the suspect's vehicle.
“The 32-year-old suspect was intercepted by Limpopo Tracking Team on the R101 Road in Westenburg precinct. During the arrest, the team recovered an unlicensed firearm, a hand gun, believed to have been used in the commission of the multiple murders. The firearm will be taken to the Forensic Science Laboratory for ballistic analysis,” police said in statement.
The suspect was arrested on the same day that another mass shooting at a pub took place in the Bekkersdal township, west of Johannesburg, in which nine people were killed and 10 wounded when unknown gunmen opened fire on patrons.
Police have since launched a search for the suspects.
South Africa has one of the highest homicide rates in the world and recorded more than 26,000 homicides in 2024 — an average of more than 70 a day. Firearms are by far the leading cause of death in homicides.
The country of 62 million people has relatively strict gun ownership laws, but many killings are committed with illegal guns, according to authorities.
According to police, mass shootings at unlicensed bars are becoming a serious problem. Police shut down more than 11,000 illegal taverns between April and September this year and arrested more than 18,000 people for involvement in illegal liquor sales.
