Union Minister Suresh Gopi says no need for him to reply to voters' list manipulation charges
Thrissur (Kerala) (PTI): Union Minister Suresh Gopi on Sunday said there is no need for him to answer to the voters' list manipulation charges raised by the Congress and the Left parties, and the Election Commission of India would give them a reply in this regard.
Gopi said he is a minister, and he is delivering his responsibilities well.
While replying to reporters' questions, the BJP leader also called "vanaras" (monkeys) the persons who have raised voters' list manipulation charges against him.
"The Election Commission will give a reply to this (allegations). It is the EC who should answer...I am a minister. I am delivering my duties well. Otherwise, they will get a reply when they take the matter to the Supreme Court," Gopi said.
He said those "vanaras" who have raised the charges could also go there to get answers.
It is for the first time that Gopi was responding to the allegations of voters' list manipulation charges against him and the BJP in connection with the Lok Sabha polls last year.
In the morning, the union minister garlanded the statue of the erstwhile ruler of the kingdom of Kochi, Shakthan Thampuran.
The Congress, last week, made fresh allegations against Gopi, accusing him of submitting a false declaration to be included in the voters' list for the Thrissur Lok Sabha constituency during the 2024 general election.
The Congress filed a police complaint also against the actor-turned-politician.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Search operation ends in Anjaw truck accident, 20 bodies recovered
Itanagar (PTI): The multi-agency search and rescue operation in Anjaw district of Arunachal Pradesh, where a mini-truck on which 21 people from Assam were travelling plunged into a deep gorge, has been officially called off by the district administration on Monday.
Till Sunday, 20 bodies were recovered and one survivor rescued following four days of intensive efforts by disaster response teams, Anjaw Deputy Commissioner Millo Kojin said.
The DC in an official order said that the search and rescue operation, which began on December 11, was formally concluded at 10 am on Monday after exhaustive combing of the accident site near Lailiang, about 40 km from Hayuliang sub-division.
Though earlier it was estimated that 22 labourers were in the ill-fated vehicle, but a communication from the senior superintendent of police of Assam's Tinsukia district on Sunday confirmed that there were only 21 people in the mini truck, including the driver, the DC said.
ALSO READ: Private bus from Kerala gutted on the streets in South Kodagu; no fatality reported
The accident occurred on the night of December 8 along the Hayuliang–Chaglagam road when a mini truck carrying 21 labourers from Tinsukia district of Assam fell into a deep gorge. The incident came to light only on the evening of December 10 after one injured survivor managed to reach a nearby Border Roads Task Force (BRTF) labour camp and alerted authorities.
Following the report, a large-scale rescue operation was mounted involving the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), Indian Army, BRTF, local police and the district administration.
Despite extremely challenging terrain and weather conditions, rescue teams successfully retrieved 20 bodies from the gorge, while one labourer survived the mishap.
In a separate order, the district administration confirmed that the NDRF team completed its assigned task and has been released from duty with immediate effect, after all mortal remains were handed over to the district administration and subsequently to the relatives of the deceased following completion of legal formalities.
The deputy commissioner, who is also chairman of the District Disaster Management Authority (DDMA), placed on record appreciation for the professionalism, dedication and coordinated response of all agencies involved in the operation, carried out under extremely difficult conditions.
The district administration also expressed deep condolences to the bereaved families of the victims.
