Hardik Patel’s hunger strike at Gujarat: Deve Gowda writes to Modi
Bengaluru, September 3: Former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda has written a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Patidar community protests and youth leader Hardik Patel’s hunger strike in Gujarat.
In the letter, Gowda said that in recent days, he has been observing the Patidar community’s protests in Gujarat. Youth leader of the same community Hardik Patel has been fighting for their rights for the last three years. Now, he has started hunger strike. He is just 25 years old. At this young age, he has been fighting for the welfare of his community. Considering his health and pro-social activities and fights, the central and state government should take steps to fulfill his demands, he said.
When he was the prime minister in 1996, the Jat community in Rajasthan had submitted a representation demanding backward class status to their community as the community was financially backward. So, he had constituted the Backward Classes Commission and asked it to submit a report. The Commission had recommended to include the Jat community to the backward classes category as the community lagging behind in all sectors. Based on it, he had included the community to the OBC category, he recalled.
But the court had stayed the decision of his government then. Later, the central government had convinced the court on the need to provide the OBC status to the Jat community and included it in the OBC list. In the same way, the government should consider the demands of the Patidar community and constitute a commission to study their condition and implement its report, he urged Modi.
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Nagaland bypoll: Nearly 20 pc voter turnout recorded in Koridang seat in first two hours
Kohima (PTI): Nearly 20 per cent of 22,382 electors exercised their franchise in Nagaland's Koridang Assembly bypoll in the first two hours of polling on Thursday, officials said.
The voting that commenced at 7 am across all 30 polling stations has so far been peaceful, they said.
The polling will continue till 4 pm.
Security has been significantly tightened across the constituency following violence on April 5 and 6, in which one person died, and several vehicles were damaged.
The byelection was necessitated by the demise of sitting BJP MLA Imkong L. Imchen in November last year.
A total of 22,382 electors, including 11,071 women, are eligible to decide the fate of six candidates in the fray.
The ruling People’s Democratic Alliance (PDA) has fielded BJP nominee Daochier I. Imchen, while the Congress candidate is T. Chalukumba Ao. The National People’s Party (NPP) has nominated I. Abenjang, while the Independent candidates are Imchatoba Imchen, Imtiwapang, and Toshikaba.
Of the 30 polling stations, 13 have been categorised as vulnerable and 17 as critical, prompting deployment of additional security personnel and intensified surveillance measures. Two polling stations have been designated as all-women booths.
Counting of votes is scheduled for May 4.
