10 killed as SUV collides with truck in Chhattisgarh
Raipur, Oct 14 : Ten people were killed and four others injured Sunday when their SUV collided with a truck in Chhattisgarh's Rajanandgaon district, police said.
The accident took place in the early hours on Rajnandgaon-Durg road when the victims, most of them from one family, were returning after offering prayers at the Maa Bamleshwari Temple in Dongargarh town during the ongoing Navratri festival, a local police official told PTI.
As per preliminary information, when the driver of the sports utility vehicle (SUV) tried to overtake another vehicle, it collided head-on with a truck coming from the opposite direction near Somni village, around 55 km from here, he said.
Nine people travelling in the SUV died on the spot while another person succumbed to injuries while being taken to a local hospital, the official said.
A police team rushed to the spot and admitted an injured child to a hospital in Rajnandgaon while three other people were shifted to a hospital in Bhilai town, he said, adding the victims hailed from Bhilai in Durg district.
Efforts were on to trace the truck driver who fled the spot leaving his vehicle there, the official added.
The Rajanandgaon-Durg four lane road is part of the National Highway connecting Mumbai-Kolkata via Raipur and Nagpur.
One way of the road has been closed for vehicles between Anjora village bypass in Durg and Rajnanadgaon town for nine days of the Navratri festival to ensure smooth movement of pilgrims who go on foot to the Maa Bamleshwari Temple.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Sujit Nair raises concerns over speculation of DMK-AIADMK understanding to block TVK
Chennai: Journalist and political commentator Sujit Nair has expressed concern over speculation that the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam could explore a post-poll understanding to prevent Vijay-led Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam from forming the government in Tamil Nadu.
In a social media post, Sujit Nair said the election verdict in Tamil Nadu reflected a clear public demand for political change and argued that the mandate should be respected irrespective of political preferences.
Referring to reports and political discussions surrounding a possible understanding between the DMK and AIADMK, he said he hoped such developments remained only speculative conversations and did not turn into reality.
Nair stated that if such an alliance were to take shape, it would raise serious questions about ideological politics in the country. He said TVK had emerged through a democratic electoral process and that the legitimacy to govern in a parliamentary democracy comes from the people’s verdict.
According to him, attempts to prevent an electoral winner from forming the government through unexpected political arrangements may be constitutionally valid, but many people could view them as politically opportunistic.
He further said that such a move could particularly affect the political image of the DMK, which has historically projected itself around ideology, social justice and opposition politics. Nair said that in ideological terms, the DMK appeared closer to TVK than to the AIADMK, and joining hands with its long-time political rival only to remain in power could weaken its broader political narrative.
He added that the same questions would apply to the AIADMK as well, as the party had spent decades positioning itself against the DMK and such an arrangement could create discomfort among its cadre and supporters.
Drawing a comparison with Maharashtra politics in 2019, Nair said he had expressed similar views when the Shiv Sena formed an alliance with the Indian National Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party after the Assembly elections.
He said post-poll alliances between long-standing political rivals often create a public perception that ideology and electoral mandates become secondary when political power equations come into play.
Nair also said such developments increase public cynicism towards politics and reinforce the belief among voters that ideology is often sidelined after elections.
He maintained that the Tamil Nadu verdict was emphatic and said respecting both the spirit and substance of the mandate was important for the credibility of democratic politics.
