Country belongs to all, maintain restraint in comments: JD(U) on Adityanath's 'abba jaan' remarks
New Delhi, (PTI): With "abba jaan" remarks of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath stoking a row, JD(U) president Lalan Singh said on Tuesday that political parties should maintain "restraint" in their comments, asserting that the country belongs to everyone, be it Hindus, Muslims, Christians or any other community.
"Terms like 'unity in diversity' are used for our country. The country belongs to all. No remarks should me made that harm the country," Singh, a confidant of Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, told reporters when asked for his reaction to the BJP leader's comments.
In this context, he also took a swipe at JMM leader and Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren for his remarks allegedly aimed at Bhojpuri and Magahi-speaking people of the state. Everybody has a right to settle in whichever part of the country they like, he said.
Addressing a programme in Kushinagar on Sunday, Adityanath had alleged that people did not get rations before 2017 like they do now.
"Because then, people who say 'abba jaan' used to digest the rations. The rations of Kushinagar used to go to Nepal and Bangladesh. Today, if anybody tries to swallow the rations meant for poor people, he will land in jail," the chief minister said.
'Abba jaan' is the Urdu term for father.
In his press conference, the JD(U) president, a Lok Sabha MP from Munger, also played down the decision of his party, the biggest BJP ally, to send its senior leader K C Tyagi to a rally being organised in Jind on September 25 by INLD chief Om Prakash Chautala, seen as part of effort for forming a non-BJP, non-Congress front.
"We are strongly part of the NDA (BJP-led alliance)," he said and dismissed the talks about the third front, saying his party will attend the rally as it is being organised to mark the death anniversary of Devi Lal, a towering third front leader of his era.
Singh also cited Kumar's old association with Chautala.
Chautala had invited the Bihar chief minister, who has expressed his inability to attend it.
The JD(U) leader also named former MLA Khiru Mahto and Gulab Mahto as the party's president and vice president respectively for its Jharkhand unit.
Singh said the JD(U) used to be a strong party in the state and added that the appointments are part of its effort to strengthen the regional party in different parts of India.
The party will also strongly fight the upcoming assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh and Manipur, he said, adding it will like to be part of the BJP-led alliance and fight on its own if the tie-up does not happen.
JD(U) sources said the party is likely to organise its national executive meeting in Uttar Pradesh in November and its office-bearers meeting in Manipur as it works to tone up its organisational machinery in the two states.
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Bengaluru jail introduces biometric tracking system for prisoners
Bengaluru: In a bid to curb misconduct and illegal activities inside Parappana Agrahara Central Prison, prison authorities have introduced a new ‘Prisoners Tracking Movement System’ under which inmates will have to undergo biometric verification while entering every barrack.
According to jail officials, biometric systems have been installed across all major sections of the prison, including barracks, visitor rooms, hospital, canteen, kitchen, library, playground, handicraft units and bakery sections. Staff members have also been deployed at these locations.
Officials said inmates visiting the visitors’ room must now obtain a digital token after biometric verification. Details such as the prisoner’s name, identification number and entry time will be updated in the prison software system. This will help authorities maintain a complete digital record of inmates visiting and returning from meeting rooms.
Similar systems have also been introduced at entry points of the hospital, library and other barracks accessed for work-related purposes. Officials said the system will help identify prisoners involved in suspicious or illegal activities with other inmates and enable authorities to track how much time a prisoner spends at different locations inside the prison.
Authorities stated that AI-powered cameras were already being used inside the prison to monitor inmates as well as prison staff. Along with this, digital tracking of prisoner phone calls and a digital token system for visitor meetings have now been added to strengthen surveillance over inmate movement. Officials said the project has been implemented at a cost of around Rs 2.25 crore.
The prison department has also introduced a canteen usage tracking system to monitor prisoners’ spending patterns. Instead of direct cash payments, inmates can purchase bakery items and snacks using wallets or coupons issued within the prison system.
Officials said the digital system will record details including the buyer’s name, items purchased, quantity, date, time and remaining wallet balance. This will allow prison authorities to maintain complete expenditure records of inmates.
