Ex-Union minister Birender Singh, wife Prem Lata join Congress
New Delhi (PTI): Former Union minister Birender Singh and his ex-MLA wife Prem Lata joined the Congress on Tuesday, a decade after quitting the party.
Their joining comes a month after their son Brijendra Singh, an outgoing MP from Hisar, joined the Congress after quitting the BJP.
Birender Singh (78) is the maternal grandson of farmer leader Sir Chhotu Ram and had quit the Congress in 2014 to join the BJP.
He was Union minister for steel in the first government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He also held the charge of rural development, panchayati raj, and drinking water and sanitation.
On his return to the Congress, Birender Singh said, "It is not just my 'ghar wapsi' but also 'vichar wapsi'."
"It is the return of my ideology. If we have to save democracy, we have to rise and speak up against the government," he said.
"The mood is changing in the country and it is because of the wrong policies of the government," he said.
He said he had met Sonia Gandhi the day he left the Congress and said for some reason he had to quit the Congress.
"I have done politics by annoying my superiors in the party," he admitted.
"I tried to resolve the farmer issues during their agitation. What has the farmer or the poor got even 33 years after economic reforms. Farmers have not got justice yet.
"But, the BJP is far from reality and one should not expect anything from the BJP. They shed artificial tears for the poor and do not mean anything for them," Singh alleged.
He said five hours before he was inducted into the cabinet, the prime minister met me, and "I told him that I am not one of those who would badmouth leaders and the party I have left behind."
Welcoming Birender Singh and Prem Lata into the Congress, party leader Mukul Wasnik said, "With their joining, I am sure the Congress will be strengthened in Haryana and help form the Congress government in the state."
Former Haryana chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda said, "With his (Birender Singh) rejoining, he has proved the age-old saying, 'East or West, Home is the best'. He is my elder brother and I am very happy about his return to the Congress fold."
"We need to increase our strength by displaying unity and only then will we be able to save democracy and the Constitution," Hooda said.
AICC general secretary Randeep Surjewala said, "This is an emotional moment for me and I welcome him into the party fold."
Other Congress leaders, including Kumari Selja, Haryana party chief Uday Bhan, former Haryana Assembly speaker Kiran Chaudhary, former Punjab deputy chief minister Rajinder Kaur Bhattal, and AICC OBC Cell head Capt Ajay Singh, Naseer Hussain and Pawan Khera were also present on the occasion.
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Tribal man brings dead sister's skeleton to bank to withdraw money from her account
Keonjhar (PTI): A tribal man in Odisha's Keonjhar district on Monday brought the skeleton of his dead sister to a bank to withdraw the money deposited in her name, police said.
The incident occurred at Maliposi branch of Odisha Grameen Bank located at Patana block of Keonjhar district. The man was identified as Jeetu Munda (50) of Dianali village. He was seeking to withdraw Rs 20,000 from the bank account of his elder sister, Kalra Munda (56), who died on January 26, 2026.
"I have run several times to the bank, and the people there told me to bring the account holder to withdraw money deposited in her name. Though I told them that she had died, they did not listen to me and insisted on bringing her to the bank. Therefore, out of frustration, I dug the grave and brought out her skeleton as proof of her death," an illiterate Jeetu Munda told reporters.
Patana Police Station Inspector in charge (IIC) Kiran Prasad Sahu, who reached the bank after getting information, said, "Jeetu is an illiterate tribal man. He does not know what the legal heir or nominee is. The bank officials have failed to make him understand the procedure to withdraw money from the dead person's account."
However, after the incident, the police assured Jeetu Munda that they would facilitate the withdrawal of money from the bank account of his dead sister. Later, the skeleton was again buried at the graveyard in presence of police.
Meanwhile, local Block Development Officer (BDO) Manas Dandpat said that he was not approached by anyone for the legal heir of late Kalra Munda. "Today only, I came to know about it. We will see what can be done to resolve the issue," the BDO said.
Meanwhile, bank sources said that the nominee in Kalra Munda's bank account was also dead. Therefore, Jeetu Munda was the lone claimant over the money deposited in her name.
The local administration has directed the bank officers to make arrangements and ensure that Jeetu Munda, who is the only claimant as per the rules, gets the money as soon as possible.
