Nitish Kumar has created storm which can challenge BJP: Shiv Sena
Mumbai(PTI): The Shiv Sena on Thursday claimed Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has created a storm by severing ties with the BJP and this storm can pose a challenge to the saffron party in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls if it intensifies into a cyclone.
An editorial in the Sena mouthpiece 'Saamana' lavished praise on Kumar, saying the BJP tried to break his party Janata Dal (United), but he stung back and turned the tables by severing ties with the BJP.
The Marathi daily also targeted Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, who revolted against the Sena leadership in June, saying he bent the knee before Delhi.
He (Shinde) should understand that Kumar showed he can survive without it, the editorial said. The Sena further said the fissures between Kumar and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) founder Lalu Prasad must come to an end now.
It also praised Prasad's son Tejashwi Yadav, who led the RJD's Assembly polls campaign in 2020, describing him as a "young and popular" leader of Bihar who had posed a challenge to the then BJP-JD(U) alliance.
The RJD and JD(U) had contested against each other in the 2020 Bihar Assembly polls. The ties between Kumar and Lalu Prasad have seen several ups and downs over the last four decades.
Nitish Kumar had on Tuesday quit the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) to join hands with the RJD.
The Sena editorial said the BJP tried to destabilise the JD(U) by backing former Union minister RCP Singh and after realising this, Kumar parted ways with the saffron party.
Nitish Kumar has created a storm. If it intensifies into a cyclone, then it can pose a challenge to the BJP, the Marathi publication said.
It said the repercussions of political revolutions in Bihar, the land of socialist leader Jai Prakash Narayan, are felt in the entire country and the new political realignment in the state could potentially change the outcome of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
Bihar sends 40 MPs to the Lok Sabha, the fourth highest after Uttar Pradesh (80), Maharashtra (48) and West Bengal (42).
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Bengaluru jail introduces biometric tracking system for prisoners
Bengaluru: In a bid to curb misconduct and illegal activities inside Parappana Agrahara Central Prison, prison authorities have introduced a new ‘Prisoners Tracking Movement System’ under which inmates will have to undergo biometric verification while entering every barrack.
According to jail officials, biometric systems have been installed across all major sections of the prison, including barracks, visitor rooms, hospital, canteen, kitchen, library, playground, handicraft units and bakery sections. Staff members have also been deployed at these locations.
Officials said inmates visiting the visitors’ room must now obtain a digital token after biometric verification. Details such as the prisoner’s name, identification number and entry time will be updated in the prison software system. This will help authorities maintain a complete digital record of inmates visiting and returning from meeting rooms.
Similar systems have also been introduced at entry points of the hospital, library and other barracks accessed for work-related purposes. Officials said the system will help identify prisoners involved in suspicious or illegal activities with other inmates and enable authorities to track how much time a prisoner spends at different locations inside the prison.
Authorities stated that AI-powered cameras were already being used inside the prison to monitor inmates as well as prison staff. Along with this, digital tracking of prisoner phone calls and a digital token system for visitor meetings have now been added to strengthen surveillance over inmate movement. Officials said the project has been implemented at a cost of around Rs 2.25 crore.
The prison department has also introduced a canteen usage tracking system to monitor prisoners’ spending patterns. Instead of direct cash payments, inmates can purchase bakery items and snacks using wallets or coupons issued within the prison system.
Officials said the digital system will record details including the buyer’s name, items purchased, quantity, date, time and remaining wallet balance. This will allow prison authorities to maintain complete expenditure records of inmates.
