People at times play 'caste card' to get poll ticket: Nitin Gadkari
Nagpur, Sep 17: Union minister Nitin Gadkari has said sometimes when people fail to get tickets to contest polls on the basis of their work, they play the "caste card".
Praising Prime Minister Narendra Modi "for never invoking his caste", he cited examples of a number of prominent politicians who rose above the caste and religious identity to carve out a niche for themselves.
"When people fail to get (poll) ticket on the basis of their work (krututva), they play caste card," the former BJP president said addressing a gathering here on Monday at the 'Akhil Bhartiya Mali Samaj Mahaadiveshan', organised by the Mahatma Phule Shikshan Sanstha.
"I want to ask - did George Fernandes (former Union minister and socialist stalwart) belong to any caste? He did not belong to any caste...he was a Christian. Did Indira Gandhi come to power because of caste?" he said.
Did Ashok Gehlot belong to your caste? But he became the chief minister of Rajasthan when people from other caste groups helped him, he pointed out.
"People told me that women should get reservation, 'I said yes they should get reservation'. But, I immediately asked them, did Indira Gandhi get reservation? For several years she ruled the country and became popular," he said.
Similarly, did Vasundhara Raje and Sushma Swaraj (BJP leaders) get reservation? the minister said to support his argument that caste was not instrumental in the success of these politicians.
"In politics those who do good work, don't have to ask for votes as the votes come to them naturally," he said.
"Prime Minister Modi never talks about his caste. I really appreciate Modiji. Aaj tak Narendra Modiji ne kabhi nahi kahaa main backward community se hun (PM Modi has never said he belongs to a backward community)," Gadkari said.
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31 students test positive during anti-drug screening drive in educational institutions in Bengaluru
Bengaluru (PTI): Thirty-one students tested positive during an anti-drug screening drive conducted in educational institutions in Vijayanagar area of the city, police said on Thursday.
The drive was conducted as part of Karnataka State Police department's newly introduced initiative called "Sanmitra" aimed to address the serious issue of drug addiction, which has been severely impacting the youth across the state, they said.
This initiative aims to adopt a transformative approach to find solutions and take compassionate steps towards building a drug-free society, police said.
According to police, as part of this directive, on March 4, under the leadership of DCP West Division Yatheesh N, inspections related to drug consumption were conducted within the limits of Vijayanagar Sub-Division police stations under Bengaluru City Police Commissionerate.
With the consent and no-objection certificates obtained from the management of six educational institutions and two hostels, inspections and checks were carried out.
"Urine samples were collected from more than 1,200 students, out of which 585 samples were randomly tested, and 31 samples were found to be positive," police said in a statement.
The operation was conducted with the full cooperation of officers and staff of local police stations, along with doctors, technicians, and staff from nearby hospitals, police said.
Necessary arrangements will be made to provide counseling with mental health professionals and to ensure required medical support for those in need, they said.
The identity and family details of individuals tested will be kept strictly confidential, police assured.
