BJP seeks votes in name of cows, but has never served them, says Chhattisgarh CM Baghel
Durg, May 21: Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel on Sunday alleged that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) only seeks votes in the name of cows, but has never served them.
Speaking at 'Bharose ka Sammelan' programme in his constituency Patan in Durg district, the chief minister slammed the BJP's claims about the absence of cows at "gauthans" (cow shelters) in the state.
"BJP leaders and workers have been visiting 'gauthans' and claiming that there are no cattle at these shelters. People of Chhattisgarh know that in summers cattle are left to graze outside in the afternoons and only brought back in the evenings," Baghel said.
"You (the BJP) ask for votes in the name of cows, but have never served them. You do not know Chhattisgarh. We know when garwa' (cattle) is at a khar (a place for cattle resting and grazing) or gauthan," he said.
Meanwhile, the chief minister transferred Rs 2,800 crore in bank accounts of beneficiaries of various government schemes.
A total of Rs 111 crore was transferred in the accounts of labourers, while Rs 7.71 crore was released for 3,085 Rajiv Yuva Mitan clubs in 13 districts and Rs 13 crore was disbursed under Godhan Nyay Yojana, Baghel said.
"In all, Rs 2,800 crore was transferred in the accounts of people from different classes," he said.
Addressing the gathering earlier, state Congress in-charge Kumari Shailja said the time has come to remove the BJP.
"I am seeing the dream of Rajivji (late prime minister Rajiv Gandhi) taking shape here. Today, we are showing Chhattisgarh model to everyone. It is the hard work of our government in the last four and half years," she said.
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Dalit outfits call state-wide hartal over dental student’s death
Thiruvananthapuram (PTI): Various Dalit organisations on Monday announced a state-wide hartal seeking justice in the death of Kannur Dental College student Nithin Raj.
The hartal will be observed on Tuesday from 6 am to 6 pm.
As many as 52 Dalit organisations, including Justice for Nithin Raj Action Council, have announced the strike.
Organisations requesting cooperation for the strike said that no vehicles will be forcibly stopped and that all essential services are exempted.
Raj, a first-year BDS student at a private dental college in Anjarakkandy in Kannur district, was found critically injured after falling from a building on April 10 and later succumbed to his injuries.
Police have registered a case against two faculty members on charges of abetment of suicide and under provisions of the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, following allegations by the student’s family that he was subjected to caste- and complexion-based harassment.
Kerala Pinnokka Samudaya Munnani (KPSM), one of the organisations supporting the hartal, alleged in a statement that police had shown apathy in the investigation and were attempting to protect the accused in the case.
KPSM state president K V Padmanabhan and general secretary S Anwar alleged that the probe into Raj’s death was being deliberately misdirected and delayed.
While the family has firmly alleged that caste discrimination and mental harassment by faculty members led to the student’s death, police were attempting to divert the investigation towards loan app borrowings, they claimed.
The organisation alleged that this was a planned move to shield the real accused.
KPSM further alleged that by deliberately delaying the arrest of the accused teachers, police enabled them to secure anticipatory bail.
They said there was no confidence in the present police investigation and demanded that the case be handed over to an independent agency at the earliest.
