Union minister Giriraj Singh takes dig at Bihar CM's 'silence' on Rahul's disqualification from LS
Patna, Mar 26: Union minister Giriraj Singh on Sunday alleged that Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's "silence" over the disqualification of Rahul Gandhi indicated that the JD(U) leader was pleased over increased chances of claiming leadership of the opposition camp.
The BJP leader also slammed Gandhi for "my name is not Savarkar" jibe, and asserted that it will take "many lifetimes" for the Congress leader to become like the freedom fighter-turned- Hindutva mascot.
At the Bihar BJP headquarters, the Begusarai MP was responding to queries from reporters on Kumar, his bete noire, keeping "silent" over the development even though top leaders of JD(U), including the national president Rajiv Ranjan Singh alias Lalan, have condemned the disqualification unequivocally.
"He (Kumar) must be chuffed that his chances have become brighter. After all, competing ambitions for the elusive top slot has become the defining trait of all parties (opposed to BJP)", said Singh.
He, however, bristled at Gandhi's assertion that he would not seek an apology for defamatory remarks that led to his conviction by a Gujarat court, with the remark "my name is not Savarkar".
The allusion was to petition for clemency of V D Savarkar, while he was lodged in jail, to the British imperialists, which has become a stick to beat the BJP with for its opponents.
"It will take many lifetimes for Rahul Gandhi to become like Savarkar", fumed Singh, charging the Congress leader with behaving like an Emperor (shahenshah) who had no respect for Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
"My name is not Savarkar, my name is Gandhi and Gandhi does not offer an apology to anyone," Rahul Gandhi had said on Saturday responding to a query on repeated calls by the BJP seeking his apology over various issues.
The former Congress chief made the remarks while addressing a press conference after being disqualified from Lok Sabha.
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Israel launches first airstrike on Lebanon since ceasefire, accusing Hezbollah of breaching truce
Beirut, Nov 28: The Israeli military on Thursday said its warplanes fired on southern Lebanon after detecting Hezbollah activity at a rocket storage facility, the first Israeli airstrike a day after a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah took hold.
There was no immediate word on casualties from Israel's aerial attack, which came hours after the Israeli military said it fired on people trying to return to certain areas in southern Lebanon. Israel said they were violating the ceasefire agreement, without providing details. Lebanon's state-run National News Agency said two people were wounded.
The back-to-back incidents stirred unease about the agreement, brokered by the United States and France, which includes an initial two-month ceasefire in which Hezbollah members are to withdraw north of the Litani River and Israeli forces are to return to their side of the border. The buffer zone would be patrolled by Lebanese troops and UN peacekeepers.
On Thursday, the second day of a ceasefire after more than a year of bloody conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, Lebanon's state news agency reported that Israeli fire targeted civilians in Markaba, close to the border, without providing further details. Israel said it fired artillery in three other locations near the border. There were no immediate reports of casualties.
An Associated Press reporter in northern Israel near the border heard Israeli drones buzzing overhead and the sound of artillery strikes from the Lebanese side.
The Israeli military said in a statement that “several suspects were identified arriving with vehicles to a number of areas in southern Lebanon, breaching the conditions of the ceasefire.” It said troops “opened fire toward them” and would “actively enforce violations of the ceasefire agreement.”
Israeli officials have said forces will be withdrawn gradually as it ensures that the agreement is being enforced. Israel has warned people not to return to areas where troops are deployed, and says it reserves the right to strike Hezbollah if it violates the terms of the truce.
A Lebanese military official said Lebanese troops would gradually deploy in the south as Israeli troops withdraw. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief media.
The ceasefire agreement announced late Tuesday ended 14 months of conflict between Israel and Hezbollah that began a day after Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023 attack out of Gaza, when the Lebanese Hezbollah group began firing rockets, drones and missiles in solidarity.
Israel retaliated with airstrikes, and the conflict steadily intensified for nearly a year before boiling over into all-out war in mid-September. The war in Gaza is still raging with no end in sight.
More than 3,760 people were killed by Israeli fire in Lebanon during the conflict, many of them civilians, according to Lebanese health officials. The fighting killed more than 70 people in Israel — over half of them civilians — as well as dozens of Israeli soldiers fighting in southern Lebanon.
Some 1.2 million people were displaced in Lebanon, and thousands began streaming back to their homes on Wednesday despite warnings from the Lebanese military and the Israeli army to stay out of certain areas. Some 50,000 people were displaced on the Israeli side, but few have returned and the communities near the northern border are still largely deserted.
In Menara, an Israeli community on the border with views into Lebanon, around three quarters of homes are damaged, some with collapsed roofs and burnt-out interiors. A few residents could be seen gathering their belongings on Thursday before leaving again.
