We welcome Paswan's move, says Congress
New Delhi, July 28 : As Union minister Ram Vilas Paswan-led LJP turned up the heat on Modi government over the appointment of A.K. Goel as NGT chairman and demanded his removal by August 9, the Congress while welcoming his move said he can't stay silent now as he has to do the politics of backward classes.
On Paswan joining the oppositon, the party said whenever he comes, it will comment on it. "Can't comment on a hypothetical question," said AICC in-charge of Bihar Shaktisinh Gohil.
Paswan-led Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) also demanded that the stringent provisions of the SC/ST atrocities law must be restored. It also said if its demands were not met, it will join anti-government protests by Dalit organisations on August 9.
"Not only Paswan-ji, all the allies of NDA, be it its oldest ally Shiv Sena, be it Mehbooba-ji (PDP's Mehbooba Mufti), Chandrababu Naidu (TDP), or Upendra Kushwaha (RLSP), nobody is comfortable with them (BJP)," said Gohil.
The leader said people have gone gainst them and the message is loud and clear. "This message is very clear in Bihar that Modi-led BJP is against the SCs, STs, OBCs and EBCs," said Gohil.
"The SC/ST (Prvention of Atrocities) Act was weakened under this government, because the affidavit of the government of India given in the Supreme Court was against this law," he said.
"The judge who gave judgment against the SC/ST was appointed NGT chairman. If Paswanji stays quiet now, the situation will get worse for him. So, better late than never. Hope his inner soul remains awake," he added.
On Samajwadi Party seeking support of all opposition parties on its demand of restoration of ballot system during elections, Gohil said: "We passed a resolution in the plenary session of the Congress in which we said we should go back to ballot paper and EVM machines should be done away with," Gohil said.
"When questions are raised on our democracy, it is the responsibility of the Election Commission to take steps as a constitutional authority. As far as seeking our support is concerned, our leadership will definitely talk to them along with other opposition parties to plan a strategy," he added.
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MP boat tragedy: Death toll climbs to 13; body of last missing person recovered
Jabalpur (PTI): The bodies of a five-year-old boy and his uncle were recovered from Bargi Dam in Madhya Pradesh's Jabalpur district on Sunday morning, raising the death toll in the cruise boat tragedy to 13, police said.
The boat, around 20 years old and operated by the state tourism department, capsized during a storm on Thursday evening.
"The bodies of Mayuram (5) and his uncle Kamraj (around 50), an employee of the Ordnance Factory in Khamaria, were found floating and were fished out of the dam," Bargi Sub Divisional Officer of Police Anjul Ayank Mishra told PTI over the phone.
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All 13 missing persons identified have now been accounted for, he said, adding the bodies were sent to a government hospital for postmortem.
Teams comprising around 20 Army divers airlifted from Agra, along with personnel from the National Disaster Response Force, State Disaster Response Force and local divers, were involved in the search operation, the police said.
Of the 41 identified passengers on board the vessel, 28 were rescued after the incident, according to the police.
The CCTV footage near the boarding point showed 43 people heading towards the boat, though the identities of 41 passengers have been confirmed so far, they said.
The state government on Friday ordered a probe into the incident and dismissed three crew members. It also banned the operation of similar vessels in the state.
