Nitish Kumar is BJP's 'Chunavi dulha', not CM choice: Akhilesh Yadav
Lucknow (PTI): Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav on Thursday claimed the BJP was "using" JD(U) leader Nitish Kumar to sail through the Bihar Assembly election, and he won't be allowed to remain chief minister after the polls.
Asserting that Bihar is demanding a change and wants to move towards a better and prosperous future, he claimed that RJD's Tejashwi Yadav is going to become the chief minister after the Mahagathbandhan wins the polls.
Taking a swipe at Nitish Kumar while talking to reporters in Ghazipur, Yadav said, "He is definitely the BJP's 'Chunavi dulha', but for the post (of CM) he is not the 'dulha' (groom)."
"The BJP, under a conspiracy, is using Nitish Kumar. The INDIA bloc was making him the prime ministerial face. Today, he is only a face for the sake of elections," he remarked.
The former Uttar Pradesh chief minister further said, "I am telling you again, the people of Bihar know everything. Even leaders from the opposition platforms are saying that Nitish Kumar has been brought only for election purposes."
Yadav predicted the BJP would not make Kumar the chief minister after the elections. "You can ask on what basis I'm saying this. Look at what happened in Maharashtra and other states. Those who were projected as faces before elections were not made chief ministers later. The same will happen in Bihar too," he claimed.
Extending his full support to RLD leader Tejashwi Yadav, the Samajwadi Party chief said, "Tejashwi Yadav is going to become the chief minister. We are all in his support. And not only are we supporting him, but we are also ready to help in running the government in every possible way -- to guide him and assist wherever needed."
Accusing the Election Commission of not acting impartially, he said the BJP wanted to do a scam in the special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
"The Election Commission does not act impartially. It is the responsibility of the EC to maintain an accurate voter list and ensure that every vote is cast. But do you really see impartiality? Look at any bypoll in Uttar Pradesh or even the general election -- the EC acts with bias, and that's why such allegations arise,” he said.
"The BJP wants to commit a scam in SIR. Check the list of booth-level officers if there is even one name from the PDA (Pichhda, Dalit, Alpsankhyak) community.
"There is a large number of 'Pidit' (suffering), 'Dukhi' (unhappy) and 'Apmanit' (humiliated), and the BJP is scared of them. The BJP cannot fight against the unity and strength of the PDA," Akhilesh Yadav added.
Polling in Bihar will be held on November 6 and 11, and results will be announced on November 14. The opposition Mahagathbandhan alliance, which has the RJD, Congress and Left parties as the main constituents, has declared RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav its chief ministerial candidate for the Bihar polls.
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Annpurna Devi expresses anguish over girl's rape in TN, urges NCW to act
New Delhi (PTI): Union Minister for Women and Child Development Annpurna Devi on Tuesday expressed her anguish over the alleged gang rape of a girl in Tamil Nadu and urged the National Commission for Women to take immediate cognisance of the matter.
In a post on X, Devi said, "Deeply anguished by this horrific incident. I urge the NCW to take immediate cognisance and act swiftly in coordination with the concerned authorities to ensure the strictest action against all culprits."
Devi said, "Justice must be swift and unsparing — the accused must be brought to book without delay," adding, "the safety, dignity, and justice of every daughter of India remain our highest priority."
"We stand firmly with the survivor and her family in this difficult hour," she said.
Reacting to a post by former Tamil Nadu BJP president K Annamalai, who flagged concerns over the law and order situation in the state, Devi said such incidents "expose grave concerns" under the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam government.
Annamalai, in his post, alleged that a 15-year-old girl from Kanchipuram, who had come to participate in a temple festival near Seyyaru in Tiruvannamalai district, was gangraped.
He said the incident was "deeply shocking and enraging" to him and alleged that such crimes point to a "complete failure" of law and order in Tamil Nadu.
Annamalai demanded immediate arrest of all those involved and the "harshest punishments" for the accused.
He also called for full protection and mental health counselling for the survivor and her family.
