Doors of Grand Alliance shut on Nitish Kumar: Tejashwi
Patna, June 26: Setting at rest all speculation about Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar joining the Grand Alliance in the state, RJD leader and Leader of Opposition in the Assembly Tejashwi Yadav on Tuesday said there is no chance of extending him an invitation ahead of the 2019 general elections.
"Why should we offer those to join the Grand Alliance who insulted the mandate of the people? We will not allow their entry into the Grand Alliance," Tejashwi, also a former Deputy Chief Minister, told the media here.
Reporters had asked him whether the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) allies -- Congress and Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM) -- had invited Nitish Kumar to join the Grand Alliance with certain conditions.
Tejashwi, the younger son of RJD chief Lalu Prasad, categorically said that the doors of the Grand Alliance were closed for Nitish Kumar. "People also want this as he has proved himself a 'Paltu Ram' (a turncoat)."
He, however, said that the Grand Alliance was ready to welcome Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ally Rashtriya Lok Samta Party (RLSP) chief and Union Minister Upendra Kushwaha. "We will welcome his (Kushwaha) entry into Grand Alliance."
It was being widely speculated that senior Congress leader Shakti Singh Gohil, who is party incharge for Bihar, has asked Nitish Kumar to join the Grand Alliance. Besides, another ally HAM chief and former Chief Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi also extended an invitation on the condition that Tejashwi would be the chief ministerial candidate in the 2020 Bihar Assembly polls.
The Grand Alliance comprises the Congress, RJD and the HAM. In February this year, the HAM walked out of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and joined the Grand Alliance.
Last July, Nitish Kumar -- also Janata Dal-United (JD-U) president -- joined hands with the BJP and formed the government in the state after dumping the Congress and the RJD.
In the 2015 state polls, the Grand Alliance of JD-U, RJD and the Congress had defeated the BJP-led NDA.
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AIITA welcomes Karnataka’s ban on obscene songs in school events
Bhatkal: The Karnataka unit of the All India Ideal Teachers Association (AIITA) has welcomed the Karnataka government’s decision to strictly ban school children from dancing to obscene songs during educational and cultural programmes in government, aided, and private schools across the state.
AIITA Karnataka State President M. R. Manvi congratulated the government for taking what he termed an important step to preserve the sanctity of education.
“Such decisions to safeguard the dignity of school children and uphold the values of education are the need of the hour. This rule should not be limited to government schools alone but must be strictly implemented in all private educational institutions as well,” he said.
He further urged the government to address other concerns within school programmes.
“The government should not only prohibit obscene dances in the name of school anniversaries, but also ensure that plays and dialogues that incite religious hatred are avoided. Schools should be centres of harmony, not platforms for spreading hatred,” he added.
According to a recent circular issued by the Department of School Education and Literacy, obscene dances are adversely affecting the mental health and moral values of students.
In this regard, schools have been advised to use songs that promote nationalism, positive thinking, the greatness of Kannada culture, and value-based traditions instead of inappropriate content during programmes.
The circular also emphasises that students should be dressed in decent attire.
AIITA also backed the department’s warning that disciplinary action would be taken against head teachers if such guidelines are violated. The association has further demanded that district Deputy Directors of Public Instruction strictly monitor the implementation of these rules.
