Shivakumar appeals Bihari people in Bengaluru to vote for 'Mahagathbandhan'
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on Sunday appealed to businesses and establishments in the city, employing people from Bihar in their organisations, to grant them three to four days of leave, to enable them to cast a vote during the Assembly polls in their home state.
Shivakumar, who is also the Karnataka Congress President, appealed to people of Bihar, residing in Bengaluru to vote for 'Mahagathbandhan', while pitching it as the only alternative to that state's progress.
The much awaited Bihar Assembly polls, where the opposition bloc -- Mahagathbandhan-- led by the RJD and the Congress is striving to unseat the ruling NDA, will be held over two phases on November 6 and 11. The votes will be counted on November 14.
"People of Bihar are hardworking. I'm happy interacting with them. Many of them reside here and speak Kannada. While many of them have their votes here, some have retained their votes there (in Bihar). I had come here to appeal to them to vote for Mahagathbandhan," Shivakumar said.
Speaking to reporters after addressing people from Bihar residing in Bengaluru, he said, "I appeal to all the businesses, establishments, and contractors in the city that if there is anyone working in their organisation, who has a vote in Bihar, to give them leave for three to four days, to enable them to cast their votes."
Stating that the Mahagathbandhan should come to power in Bihar and Tejashwi Yadav should become the chief minister, Shivakumar said the Mahagathbandhan is the only alternative for the progress of Bihar.
Indicating the possibility of him going to Bihar for campaigning, he said, "I will not meet anyone from the high command, everyone is busy with the elections."
To a question about those at the event wishing a "bigger role" for him in the days ahead, Shivakumar said, "There is no need for it now. Ensuring Mahagathbandhan win is the first priority."
The wish for a bigger role to Shivakumar has come amid speculation about chief minister change in Karnataka in the days ahead with him as the prime contender for the post.
Noting people from Bihar saying that they don't have any office in the city for their association, Shivakumar said, he has assured them a site to enable them to construct an office, and similar demand has come from people belonging to Assam, living in the city.
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Madhya Pradesh: BJP leader assaults blind woman in Church
Jabalpur: Anju Bhargava, vice-president of BJP's Jabalpur city unit, has come under sharp scrutiny, creating the ripples of political controvery in Madhya Pradesh, after a video surfaced online showing her physically assaulting a visually impaired woman inside a church.
The New Indian Express has reported that the said incident reportedly took place on Saturday (20 Dec) at a church in the Hawa Bagh area, which comes under the limits of Gorakhpur police station.
The video footage that has circulated widely on Monday shows Anju Bhargava, assaulting the blind woman in the presence of a police officer. In the video, Bhargava is seen shouting at the woman, twisting her arm and forcibly grabbing her face. The victim can be heard pleading to Bhargava to speak to her rather than resorting to physical violence. Also, we can hear Bhargava screaming, “will be blind in her next birth too”
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According to The Indian Express reports, Bhargava entered the church, with members of several Hindutva affiliated organisations, alleging that the visually impaired children were being forced into religious conversion; But, the students present at the church have flatly denied all the allegations.
An unnamed police officer cited in media reports states that there was no evidence to support claims of forced religious conversion. The incident has since intensified political debate in the state, with opposition parties demanding accountability and action against those involved.
