12 people hurt, 30 houses damaged as tornado hits Punjab's Fazilka
Fazilka (Punjab) (PTI): At least 12 people were injured and 30 houses damaged after a tornado hit the Bakenwala village in this Punjab district, officials said on Saturday.
The tornado also damaged standing crops in the fields and kinnow orchards, they said.
Bakenwala resident Gurmukh Singh said, "Villagers saw the tornado around 4 pm on Friday."
It caused damage in a 2-2.5-km area, he said.
Deputy Commissioner Senu Duggal, who visited the affected village, said the administration shifted those villagers whose houses were damaged to the local government school.
"The administration will also begin the process to assess the loss of property and crop that will be compensated by the government," Duggal said.
A video of the tornado wreaking havoc was widely circulated on social media.
The injured have been admitted to the civil hospital in Fazilka.
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BRS takes swipe at Kavitha's TRS, says 'Original is always original'
Hyderabad (PTI): Taking a swipe at K Kavitha over naming her new political party as TRS, the K Chandrasekhar Rao-led BRS on Saturday asserted that "original is always original".
BRS shared photos of a toothpaste, a water bottle brand and their fakes on X to highlight the difference between them.
However, the post did not directly name Kavitha or her party.
Kavitha, daughter of Chandrasekhar Rao, on Saturday launched a political outfit, named Telangana Rashtra Sena (TRS).
In her address, Kavitha strongly attacked the ruling Congress, BJP and BRS, describing her father as a "changed man" who has become "soulless".
The Bharat Rashtra Samiti (BRS) was originally named Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS). However, it was renamed as BRS in 2022 following KCR's ambitious plan to expand the party nationwide.
Meanwhile, Congress MP Chamala Kiran Kumar Reddy took exception to Kavitha's comments dubbing CM Revanth Reddy as "Hitler and heartless".
He pointed out that funds are sanctioned under CM Relief Fund on a large scale to take care of health needs of citizens, among other measures, while Integrated Residential Schools are being built across the state by the Revanth Reddy government to provide free and quality education.
In response to Kavitha's comments that she would like to emerge as a mother-like figure (for 3.50 crore population of Telangana), he questioned her alleged silence during the "misrule" of BRS.
He also referred to Kavitha's criticism against the previous BRS regime.
"But, you remained silent (when BRS was in power) for 10 years. Why you did not raise your voice then? Did you not remember people and people's issues then?" Kiran Kumar Reddy asked.
Telangana BJP's chief spokesperson N V Subhash also raised concerns over the "sudden resurrection" of a similarly named party, questioning its intent and credibility.
The original Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS), founded to capitalise on regional sentiment during the statehood movement, was later rebranded as Bharat Rashtra Samiti (BRS) when KCR sought to expand his political footprint nationally, he said in a statement.
Kavitha’s expulsion from the party and her subsequent political moves could be perceived as part of a pre-scripted narrative, Subhash alleged.
“Projecting a split and then attempting to reclaim the legacy of TRS under a different banner is both illogical and misleading. It is an attempt to confuse the electorate rather than offer a genuine alternative,” Subhash said.
