Why can't Bihar have Muslim CM, questions Owaisi
Gopalganj (PTI): AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi on Tuesday kicked off the election campaign of his party for the Bihar assembly elections, questioning why the eastern state cannot have a Muslim CM despite the minority community comprising 17 per cent of the state's population.
The Hyderabad MP lambasted the ruling NDA as well as the opposition INDIA bloc for allegedly "giving a raw deal" to the Muslim community.
Owaisi, whose party is contesting 32 assembly seats in the poll-bound state, launched his election campaign from Gopalganj, where he addressed a rally at a village 20 km away from the district headquarters.
"Why cannot a Muslim, who represents 17 per cent of the state's population, become the chief minister? After all, they seem to have no problem with promising the deputy CM's post to a person who represents only three per cent of the population," he added.
The allusion was to the INDIA bloc, which has named RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav as its chief ministerial candidate, promising the deputy CM's post to Mukesh Sahni, a Nishad leader who heads Vikassheel Insan Party.
Owaisi said, "Parties like Congress, RJD and Samajwadi Party seek votes of Muslims, cashing in on the minority community's fear of the BJP. These parties have not been able to stop the BJP but are still trying to get the votes of Muslims under the same pretext."
"The time has come to call the bluff of these parties, which cannot even offer a proportionate representation to Muslims in the distribution of tickets. The Muslim community now must look towards building its own leadership," asserted the AIMIM president.
Training his guns at the ruling BJP at the Centre, Owaisi pointed out, "Prime Minister Narendra Modi claims to take all along and strive to work for the progress of all. But his party fails to give tickets, in elections, to a single Muslim."
He also charged Union Home Minister Amit Shah with indulging in dog-whistling against the minority community by repeatedly referring to 'infiltrators' (ghuspaithiye) in his election speeches.
"Amit Shah should tell us how many infiltrators were spotted during the mammoth SIR. He should also tell us how come infiltration continues unabated despite the BSF, which comes under his ministry, deployed along the country's borders.
"Of course, Amit Shah will flinch from answering these questions. But if Muslims of Bihar want these issues to be strongly raised in the state legislature, I appeal to them to vote for the kite symbol allotted to AIMIM," Owaisi added.
The Hyderabad MP also referred to the controversy over Union minister Giriraj Singh's repeated use of the term 'namak haram' (betrayers) for the Muslim community, whom the latter had accused of not voting for the BJP-led coalition despite availing of welfare measures brought in by the NDA government.
"A lot is being said about Rs 6,000 being paid to farmers under the Kisan Nidhi Yojana. It is public money and not the ancestral wealth of those in power. Moreover, corruption is rampant. People cannot avail of benefits they are entitled to unless the officials concerned get a cut," said the barrister-turned-politician.
Owaisi also alleged that leaders like Modi, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and RJD president Lalu Prasad, the father of Tejashwi Yadav, had skewed priorities.
"Modi's heart lies in Ahmedabad. The heart of Nitish lies in Rajgir (in his home district of Nalanda), Lalu's heart lies in his son. There is nobody whose heart beats for the common people," lamented the AIMIM chief.
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J’khand: All 7 on board air ambulance killed in crash, bodies brought to hospital for post-mortem
Ranchi (PTI): All seven persons on board an air ambulance were killed after the aircraft crashed near Simaria in Jharkhand’s Chatra district, and their bodies have been brought to a hospital for post-mortem examination, officials said on Tuesday.
The Beechcraft C90 air ambulance, operated by Redbird Airways Pvt Ltd, was en route to Delhi from Ranchi when it crashed on Monday evening in the Bariatu Panchayat area of Simaria, located deep inside a forest, killing all seven onboard, including two pilots.
"We have brought all the seven bodies for post-mortem at Sadar Hospital, Chatra. The crash is being investigated," an official told PTI.
ALSO READ: Air ambulance with 7 onboard to Delhi from Ranchi crashes in Jharkhand's Chatra
The aircraft took off from Ranchi airport at 7.11 pm and went missing around 7.30 pm. It lost contact with the air traffic control about 20 minutes after departure, he said.
Ranchi airport director Vinod Kumar said inclement weather could be a possible reason behind the crash, though the exact cause would be ascertained after a detailed probe.
Jharkhand Health Minister Irfan Ansari said the state government will conduct a probe into how permission was given to the aircraft to fly during “inclement weather”. He also said proper compensation would be given to the kin of the deceased.
Terming the crash extremely unfortunate, Minister of State for Defence Sanjay Seth said unpleasant weather could be one of the reasons, which will be determined by the probe.
In a post on X, former chief minister and BJP leader Champai Soren said he was deeply saddened.
The deceased have been identified as Captain Vivek Vikas Bhagat, Captain Savrajdeep Singh, Sanjay Kumar, Dr Vikas Kumar Gupta, Sachin Kumar Mishra, Archana Devi and Dhuru Kumar.
Meanwhile, a lingering sense of grief prevailed in Chatra district, as the near and dear ones of those killed in the crash expressed shock and disbelief.
Bajrangi Prasad, the father of deceased Dr Vikas Kumar Gupta, said he had sold all his land to make his son a doctor, who was posted at Sadar Hospital in Ranchi.
"He has a seven-year-old son... He was meritorious and had completed his MBBS from Odisha’s Cuttack," Prasad, who hails from Bihar’s Aurangabad district, said.
Family members of Sanjay Kumar (41), however, blamed the “poor” health infrastructure behind the tragedy.
"Had we given proper treatment to my brother-in-law Sanjay in Ranchi, precious lives could have been saved. I lost both both Sanjay and sister Archana Devi in the incident," Kumar said.
Chatra Deputy Commissioner Keerthishree G had earlier told PTI that the bodies of all seven deceased were retrieved from the crash site and shifted to Chatra hospital for post-mortem examination.
In a statement, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said the Beechcraft C90 aircraft (VT-AJV) was operating a medical evacuation flight on the Ranchi-Delhi sector when it crashed in Kasaria Panchayat of Chatra district.
“The aircraft was airborne from Ranchi at 19:11 IST. After establishing contact with Kolkata at 19:34 IST, the aircraft lost communication and radar contact with Kolkata at approximately 100 nautical miles south-east of Varanasi,” it said, adding that there were seven people on board, including two crew members.
An Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) team has been dispatched to the crash site.
According to the DGCA website, Delhi-based non-scheduled operator Redbird has six aircraft in its fleet, including the one that crashed.
Anant Sinha, CEO of Devkamal Hospital in Ranchi, told PTI that the air ambulance was arranged by one of their patients.
"The patient, Sanjay Kumar, a resident of Chandwa in Latehar district, was brought to the hospital with 65 per cent burn injuries on February 16. He was being treated in the hospital," he said.
The family members decided to take him to Delhi for better treatment, Sinha said.
"They arranged for an air ambulance on Monday. The patient left the hospital for Delhi around 4.30 pm," he said.
