'Mahagathbandhan' cries foul over CBI reopening case against Lalu Prasad Yadav
Patna, Dec 26: The ruling 'Mahagathbandhan' in Bihar on Monday cried foul over reports of a corruption case being reopened against Lalu Prasad, the founding president of the RJD which helms the alliance.
The central agency which is often accused, by parties opposed to the BJP, of having become a political instrument in the hands of the party ruling the Centre, has reopened inquiry into a case against Prasad which it had closed last year.
Former state minister and senior RJD leader Vijay Prakash recalled the "caged parrot" remark of the Supreme Court, made long back while the Congress-led UPA was in power, to allege "misuse" of the agency by the "government at the Centre".
"We are sure that Lalu ji, who has been slapped with so many cases by the CBI, will be proven innocent in all matters, including the latest one", Prakash told PTI.
Prasad, a former Chief Minister of undivided Bihar, is serving sentences in a few fodder scam cases.
Currently, out on bail, he is away in Singapore recuperating from a kidney transplant.
He is facing a number of corruption cases pertaining to his tenure as the Railway Minister from 2004-2009. In the present case, he is named along with his son Tejashwi Yadav, who is currently the state's Deputy CM, besides two of his daughters, Ragini and Chanda.
The RJD leader's views were echoed by Vijay Kumar Chaudhary, a senior minister in the cabinet who belongs to Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's JD(U).
"It is surprising that the CBI goes after only those who are opposed to the BJP. Never do we see the agency taking cognisance of any corruption matter against a BJP leader. Of course, these central agencies are being misused to tarnish the image of political opponents", said Chaudhary.
"There is, however, nothing to fear. Lalu Prasad is facing a number of cases", added the JD(U) leader whose party had snapped ties with the BJP nearly five months ago and joined the Mahagathbandhan' to form a new government.
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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.
