Bengaluru: The Indian National Congress has taken sharp aim at senior leaders from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Janata Dal (Secular) for allegedly making contradictory statements regarding the caste census. Former Indian Youth Congress President Srinivas BV, in a social media post, highlighted a series of U-turns by BJP MP Tejasvi Surya and JD(S) leader H.D. Kumaraswamy.

In his statement, Srinivas BV referred to them as the “Ghajini Brothers of Karnataka politics,” alluding to their frequent changes in position, and suggesting they suffer from political amnesia. Highlighting their contradictory statements, he remarked that one day they term the caste census as "dangerous," and the next, they celebrate it as "historic." With sharp sarcasm, he added that at this rate, even Ghajini might ask them for memory lessons.

The Congress also released a digital poster under the theme "U-Turn MPs", showcasing contrasting remarks by the two leaders.

 

BJP MP Tejasvi Surya’s statements:

On October 31, 2023, Surya stated: “Caste-based divisions have had an adverse impact on society. Hindu reformers have unequivocally condemned them. In this age, it is incumbent upon us to unite, rather than further divide ourselves on the basis of caste.”

In a more recent post, he expressed support for the Union Government’s decision: “Welcome the historic decision of Shri Narendra Modi-led NDA government to include caste enumeration in the census exercise.”

JD(S) leader H.D. Kumaraswamy’s remarks:

Initially, Kumaraswamy had questioned the motives behind the exercise: “Caste Census or Census of Hatred? What is it really—a caste census or a census of hate?”

Subsequently, he welcomed the same decision: “A historic and visionary decision under the dynamic leadership of Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi; caste enumeration will now be part of the upcoming national census for the first time since 1931.”

The Congress has used these statements to argue that the BJP and JD(S) are not consistent in their approach to socially sensitive issues like caste enumeration. According to party leaders, such shifting positions reflect political opportunism rather than principled leadership.

 

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Itanagar (PTI): Eleven more bodies were retrieved on Saturday from the deep gorge in Arunachal Pradesh's Anjaw district, where a mini-truck on which 22 labourers from Assam were travelling fell, an official said.

With this, 17 bodies have been recovered from the accident site, Anjaw's deputy commissioner Milo Kojin said.

He said three more bodies will be brought out on Sunday.

The operation, being conducted by a joint team of the NDRF and Army, resumed at 6 am.

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"The retrieval process was extremely difficult because of the treacherous terrain, and the gorge is very deep," Kojin said.

The operation was suspended around 4 pm due to low visibility and will be resumed on Sunday morning, he said.

"One person is still missing, and a search operation will be carried out tomorrow," he added.

The accident happened on the evening of December 8, around 40 km from Hayuliang towards Chaglagam in the district. On the evening of December 10, one survivor managed to climb out of the gorge and reach a nearby Border Roads Task Force (BRTF) labour camp, following which the authorities were alerted.

Six bodies were recovered from the gorge on Friday and handed over to their families on Saturday.