Rajasthan BJP MLA Habibur Rahman rejoins Congress after a decade
Jaipur, Nov 14: In a setback to Rajasthan's ruling BJP ahead of the December 7 Assembly elections, the party's Nagaur MLA Habibur Rahman on Wednesday returned to the Congress after a decade.
Rahman joined the Congress at the party's office in Jaipur in presence of Ajmer MP Raghu Sharma and other leaders, the same day BJP's Dausa MP Harish Chandra Meena joined the grand old party in New Delhi.
Rahman was initially a member of the Congress and was a state minister between 2001 and 2003 during the Ashok Gehlot-led Congress government. He joined the BJP in 2008 after he was denied a ticket by the Congress.
He won the 2008 and the 2013 Assembly elections as BJP candidate. But when the BJP denied him poll ticket this time and gave nomination to Mohan Ram Choudhary from Nagaur, Rahman left the ruling party.
"I have returned home today. There is no condition for joining the party," he said at a press conference.
On whether he will contest the Assembly elections, Rahman rhetorically asked, "Who does not want to contest elections?"
However, Congress MP Raghu Sharma said the party will release its list of candidates for the Rajasthan polls only after the final approval of party president Rahul Gandhi.
Meanwhile, slamming Harish Chandra Meena for joining the Congress, BJP leader and Rajya Sabha MP Kirodi Meena termed the former "an opportunist" and claimed that this would not have any impact of the saffron party's performance in the state election.
"There will be no impact. People know who is an opportunist and opportunists can go anywhere," Kirodi Meena said.
Hitting back, Congress' Raghu Sharma said, "Kirori Meena's wife Golma Devi was a minister in the previous Congress government. He contested the 2013 assembly polls as the candidate of National People's party and then joined the BJP. He became Rajya Sabha MP and now his wife was given ticket by BJP in its first list. He is the finest example of opportunist."
Harish Chandra Meena joined the Congress in the national capital in presence of former Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot, the party's state unit chief Sachin Pilot and AICC's state in-charge Avinash Pande.
A former IPS officer, who headed state police during the Ashok Gehlot government, Harish Chandra Meena had joined the BJP in March 2014 ahead of the Lok Sabha polls and was pitted against his brother Namo Narain who was then a Union minister.
He had won the Dausa seat by defeating his nearest rival Kirodi Lal Meena, who was then a candidate of National People's Party by a margin of 45,404 votes while Namo Narain Meena had stood third.
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EAM Jaishankar meets Jamaican PM, gifts over 10 BHISHM Cubes
Kingston (PTI): External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Monday met Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness and discussed ways to further deepen "political, economic and people-to-people cooperation."
Jaishankar also conveyed greetings from Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Holness.
"Pleased to call on Prime Minister @AndrewHolnessJM in Kingston. Conveyed the greetings of PM @narendramodi," Jaishankar posted on X.
"Discussed deepening our political, economic and people-to-people cooperation. Value his commitment towards further strengthening India-Jamaica relations," the post further read.
Also, the external affairs minister handed over 10 BHISHM (Bharat Health Initiative for Sahyog Hita & Maitri) Cubes as a gift to Jamaica.
"Formally handed over 10 BHISHM Cubes as a gift from India to Jamaica, in the presence of PM @AndrewHolnessJM, Health Minister @christufton and FM @kaminajsmith," Jaishankar posted on X.
"The BHISHM Cube mobile hospital system, designed for rapid deployment, will help Jamaica during disasters and emergencies. The gift of these cubes is a statement of friendship, a commitment to disaster preparedness, and an outcome of innovation," the post said.
Jaishankar arrived in Kingston on Saturday evening, marking the first leg of his nine-day tour of Jamaica, Suriname, and Trinidad and Tobago, aimed at further strengthening India's strategic and cultural ties with the Caribbean nations.
Earlier in the day, he interacted with the Indian diaspora and discussed India's ongoing transformation in infrastructure, human development and technology-driven governance and entrepreneurship with them.
He also highlighted the cricket bond between both countries as India gifted a scoreboard to Jamaica.
A scoreboard was dedicated at Sabina Park in Kingston. It is the home of the Jamaica cricket team and is the only Test cricket ground in the Caribbean island nation.
The minister expressed hope that the new scoreboard would witness many memorable innings, including those symbolising the enduring friendship between the two countries.
Cricket has long been a strong cultural bridge between India and Jamaica, which is part of the West Indies cricket team.
Jamaican players, including Chris Gayle, Courtney Walsh and Michael Holding, have played a major role in shaping the legacy of West Indies cricket in the international arena, contributing to its dominance in earlier decades and its continued global appeal.
