Maithili Thakur faces backlash over remarks on renaming Alinagar to Sitanagar
Darbhanga: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate and folk singer Maithili Thakur has sparked controversy after stating during her campaign that she would rename Alinagar constituency in Bihar’s Darbhanga district to Sitanagar if elected.
“Alinagar will become Sitanagar if I win the election from the seat,” the 25-year-old first-time contestant said while addressing a public gathering, drawing sharp reactions across political and social circles.
The statement was criticised as aligning with a pattern of attempts to rename places associated with Muslim heritage and such symbolic acts overshadow pressing developmental issues.
After the backlash, Thakur clarifying that the proposal did not originate from her, said “It was not my idea, the suggestion came from Union Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai. He mentioned it during the nomination process in Darbhanga. I agreed as I felt the name should reflect the cultural identity of Mithilanchal,” she said.
RJD candidate Vinod Mishra, Maithili Thakur contesting against said, “People are aware of the BJP’s tactics. Changing the name of a place does not solve unemployment or address lack of development,”
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'Someone must be held accountable': HC converts civil suit on Goa nightclub tragedy into PIL
Panaji (PTI): The Bombay High Court on Monday converted a civil suit against Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub into a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) saying "someone has to be held accountable" for the tragedy in which 25 people were killed.In a stern observation, Goa bench of the High Court of Justices Sarang Kotwal and Ashish Chavan said the local panchayat had "failed to take suo motu cognisance" of the club and had taken "no action despite complaints."
The division bench directed the Goa government to file a detailed reply on the permissions granted to the nightclub.
The High Court, while fixing January 8 as the next date of hearing, pointed out that commercial operations were continuing in the structure despite it having been served a demolition order.
The original petition was filed after the December 6 tragedy by Pradeep Ghadi Amonkar and Sunil Divkar, the owners of the land on which the nightclub was operating.
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Advocate Rohit Bras de Sa, the lawyer representing the petitioner, was made amicus curiae in the matter and has been asked to file a detailed affidavit in the matter.
In their petition, Amonkar and Divkar highlighted "the alarming pattern of statutory violations that have remained inadequately addressed despite multiple complaints, inspections, show-cause notices, and even a demolition order".
They contended that these violations posed "immediate threats to public safety, ecological integrity, and the rule of law in the state of Goa."
Investigations by multiple agencies into the nightclub fire have revealed various irregularities, including lack of permissions to operate the nightclub.
The Goa police arrested five managers and staff members of the club, while co-owners Gaurav Luthra and Saurabh Luthra have been detained in Thailand after they fled the country.
