KCR calls Chandrababu Naidu 'mental', questions his development claims
Hyderabad, Nov 25: The verbal attacks during the ongoing election campaign in Telangana hit a new low Sunday when Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao called his Andhra Pradesh counterpart N Chandrababu Naidu "a mental".
The Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) chief was speaking at a public meeting at Pargi in Vikarabad district ahead of the December 7 state Assembly polls.
"I say Chandrababu is a mental. Why? Because he had once said goats should be banned in order to save the forests (by preventing grazing). When was the goat born (the species came into existence) and when was he born? Who are you to ban the goat, a creation of nature?" Rao asked.
"He (Naidu) claims that he was instrumental in putting Hyderabad on the world map. What should we do with this man," he said, hitting out at the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) supremo.
"If he is that capable, why did he fail in building Amaravati (the upcoming capital of Andhra Pradesh)? Except graphic representations, no real building has come up there.
"This kind of cheats are coming to you, seeking votes. If we are not careful, we will be cheated," Rao said in a scathing attack on the People's Front alliance of the Congress, TDP, Telangana Jana Samithi and CPI.
He claimed that the power situation in Telangana had improved drastically since 2014, but it would worsen again if his party lost in the upcoming polls.
The TRS was going to form the government by winning 103 to 106 of the 119 seats in the state, Rao claimed, citing a survey.
At a public meeting at Devarkadra, Rao alleged that Naidu had filed 35 court cases and "written 40 letters", opposing the irrigating projects in Telangana, and now, he was seeking votes in the state.
Hitting out at the Congress, the TRS chief said, "Don't you see the development here? Are you giving a Rs 1,000 pension to people in the states where your party is in power (as in Telangana)?"
Speaking at Narayanpet, the chief minister said democracy in the country had not reached "enough maturity levels" and that people should not vote carelessly.
"Many parties will come and say many things. Please listen to them and think once again before casting the vote, which is going to change our fate," he said.
Rao also addressed public meetings at Tandur, Shadnagar and Ibrahimpatnam Sunday.
The 119-member Telangana Assembly will go to the polls on December 7 and the results will be announced on December 11.
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Morning strikes by Pak military: JCO, BSF trooper among 7 killed
projectile debris found at many border areas
Jammu/Pathankot, May 10 (PTI): Seven persons, including a JCO and a BSF trooper, were killed and several others injured in mortar shelling and drone strikes by Pakistani military early Saturday in India's border districts where debris of unidentified projectiles were also found and a crater was formed in an agricultural field.
However, as the day was drawing to a close, India and Pakistan reached an understanding to stop all firings and military actions on land, air and sea, with immediate effect after four days of cross-border strikes that triggered fears of a wider conflict.
After witnessing intense cross-border shelling over the past three days, border residents heaved a sigh of relief.
After a night of bristling tension, India woke up Saturday to reports of sounds of explosions, drone attacks and mortar shelling coming in from Jammu and Kashmir and several places in Punjab.
BSF sub-inspector Mohammed Imteyaz was killed and seven others were injured in Pakistani firing along the International Border in Jammu's R S Pura sector.
Eight BSF personnel were injured in Pakistani shelling along the international border (IB) in Jammu's R S Pura sector. They are being treated at a military medical facility.
In Jammu's Rajouri, Additional District Development Commissioner Raj Kumar Thapa and his two staff members were seriously injured when an artillery shell hit his official residence in the town, officials said.
They were shifted to the nearby Government Medical College where Thapa succumbed to injuries.
Subedar Major Pawan Kumar, a resident of Himachal Pradesh, laid down his life when a Pakistani artillery shell exploded near his post in Krishna Ghati sector of Poonch this morning.
Two-year-old Aisha Noor and Mohd Shohib (35) were killed and three others injured in Pakistani shelling near an industrial area in Rajouri town, the officials said.
A 55-year-old woman named Rashida Bi also lost her life when a mortar shell hit her house at Kanghra-Galhutta village in Mendhar sector of Poonch district.
In another incident, Ashok Kumar alias Shoki, a resident of Bidipur Jatta village, was killed in cross-border firing in the R S Pura, the officials said.
Three more persons were also injured in intense shelling in Poonch and were evacuated to a hospital, they said, adding a local journalist was injured in the Nowshera sector of Rajouri.
Zakir Hussain (45) was killed and two others, including a girl, were injured in Pakistani shelling in Kheri Keran village of Bantalab in the outskirts of Jammu, the officials said.
Four persons were injured when artillery shells and suspected drones hit some residential areas in Jammu, including Rehari and Roop Nagar in Jammu city.
These strikes in the morning followed after Pakistan launched a wave of drone attacks targeting 26 locations in India -- from Jammu and Kashmir to Gujarat -- for the second night on Friday.
The locations included Baramulla, Srinagar, Avantipora, Nagrota and Jammu in Jammu and Kashmir, Ferozpur, Pathankot and Fazilka in Punjab, Lalgarh Jatta, Jaisalmer and Barmer in Rajasthan, and Bhuj, Kuarbet and Lakhi Nala in Gujarat.
In Punjab, debris of unidentified projectiles was found in Beas in Amritsar, Jalandhar, Pathankot and Dubli village in Tarn Taran districts.
In Gurdaspur's village Rajubela Chhichhran, residents said a crater -- around 35 feet wide and 15 feet deep -- was formed following a loud blast in the early hours of Saturday.
A police official said no one was hurt in the incident. However, there was damage to electrical wires in the incident.
After learning about the crater in the field, many curious villagers, including youngsters, reached the site and started clicking pictures on their mobile phones.
In Phagwara, an unidentified object fell in a field between Khalyan and Sahni villages in Phagwara district early Saturday, officials said.
Locals said an explosion-like sound was heard around 2.40 am from the fields at Khalyan village towards Sahni.
The impact of the unidentified object created a crater about 7-8 feet deep and 12-14 feet wide in the field, the officials said.
Some parts of the unidentified object were found lying scattered in the field.
Authorities have asked people not to touch any part of any unidentified projectile lying on ground and to inform local police about it.
An unidentified projectile also landed in a residential area at Kanganiwal village in Jalandhar district early morning.
The locals said a migrant labourer was injured in the incident, while a few houses in the area also sustained damages.
Pathankot went into alert mode after explosion-like sounds were heard in the border district early morning, with the local authorities ordering closure of markets in the region as a precautionary measure.
After a night of bristling tension, people woke up to explosion-like sounds in Pathankot and Jalandhar districts, while air sirens rang out in Hoshiarpur, Amritsar and Ferozepur amid a sharp upturn in the military conflict between India and Pakistan.
Punjab shares a 532-km border with Pakistan.
In Haryana's Sirsa too, some locals claimed they heard blast-like sounds after midnight.
In Rajasthan, markets in Barmer and Jaisalmer remained closed during the day as a precautionary measure.
Multiple drone attacks were attempted by Pakistan on the night of Friday in Jaisalmer and Barmer districts. However, the drones were neutralized mid-air by the Indian defence forces.
Debris of suspected drones were found at different locations in Barmer and Jaisalmer district Saturday morning.
Tensions between India and Pakistan soared significantly after the Indian armed forces on Wednesday conducted precision strikes targeting terror launchpads in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) in response to the April 22 Pahalgam attack that had cross-border linkages.
India shares a total of 3,323 km of border with Pakistan, divided into three parts: the International Border (IB), approximately 2,400 km from Gujarat to the northern banks of the Chenab river in Akhnoor, Jammu; the 740-km-long Line of Control (LoC), running from parts of Jammu to parts of Leh; and the Actual Ground Position Line, 110 km long, dividing the Siachen region from NJ 9842 to Indira Col in the north.
