BJP workers protest against 'abusive' language targeting PM, demand Rahul's apology
New Delhi (PTI): BJP workers staged a protest outside the Congress Headquarters in Delhi on Saturday, over the "abusive language" directed at Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Bihar.
Leading the protest, Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva accused Congress members of hurling insults at PM Modi and his mother during a political event in Bihar, where Rahul Gandhi is campaigning.
The protesters, carrying posters and chanting slogans, called for an apology from Rahul Gandhi.
"This is an unpardonable offence. Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi must apologise for the abusive language used against the Prime Minister. Insulting PM Modi's late mother is an insult to all mothers in the country. I want to ask Sonia Gandhi and Priyanka Vadra how they can accept this, as they are also mothers," Sachdeva said.
The alleged abusive language was reportedly used while referencing PM Modi during a political procession in Darbhanga, Bihar, on Wednesday, which included Rahul Gandhi, his sister Priyanka Vadra, and RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav.
On Thursday, local Congress leader Mohd Naushad, who has been implicated in a case by the Bihar Police, acknowledged that the speech occurred at a podium he had erected. However, he claimed that the profane remarks were made by people he did not know in his absence.
On Friday, the Darbhanga Police identified the individual responsible as Mohd Rizvi, also known as Raja, a 20-year-old resident of Singhwara, and subsequently arrested him.
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Odisha: Normalcy returns to violence-hit Malkangiri; internet services fully restored
Malkangiri (PTI): Normalcy returned to Odisha’s Malkangiri district on Monday, nearly a week after around 200 villages were damaged in violent clashes in a village, with the district administration fully restoring internet services, a senior official said.
Additional District Magistrate Bedabar Pradhan said internet services, suspended across the district on December 8 to curb the spread of rumours and misinformation following the clashes, were restored after the situation improved.
The suspension had been extended in phases till 12 noon on Monday.
The administration also withdrew prohibitory orders imposed under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita within a 10-km radius of MV-26 village, where arson incidents were reported on December 7 and December 8.
Though the violence was confined to two villages, tension had gripped the entire district, as the incident took the form of a clash between local tribals and Bengali settlers following the recovery of a headless body of a woman on December 4, officials said.
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The violence broke out after residents of Rakhelguda village allegedly set ablaze several houses belonging to Bengali residents, forcing hundreds to flee. The headless body of Lake Podiami (51), a woman from the Koya tribe, was recovered from the banks of the Poteru river on December 4, while her head was found six days later at a location about 15 km away.
Officials said the district administration held several rounds of discussions with representatives of the tribal and Bengali communities, following which both sides agreed to maintain peace.
Relief and rehabilitation work has since been launched at MV-26 village, with preliminary assessment pegging property damage at around Rs 3.8 crore.
A two-member ministerial team headed by Deputy Chief Minister K V Singh Deo visited the affected village, interacted with officials and locals, and submitted a report to the chief minister.
So far, 18 people have been arrested in connection with the violence, the officials said, adding that despite the withdrawal of prohibitory orders and restoration of internet services, security forces, including BSF and CRPF personnel, continue to be deployed to prevent any untoward incident.
On Sunday, Nabarangpur MP Balabhadra Majhi visited MV-26 and neighbouring Rakhelguda villages, and held discussions with members of both communities as part of efforts to rebuild confidence and restore peace.
More than two lakh Bengali-speaking Bangladeshis were rehabilitated by the Centre in Malkangiri and Nabarangpur districts in 1968, and they currently reside in 124 villages of Malkangiri.
