BJP leaders lack courage to comment against India-Pakistan matches: Minister Santosh Lad
Bengaluru: Labour Minister Santosh Lad on Tuesday hit out at BJP leaders, challenging them to raise their voices against India playing cricket matches with Pakistan instead of selectively opposing issues related to caste and religion.
Speaking to reporters at Vidhana Soudha, Lad said BJP has been opposing the inclusion of a column in the socio-educational survey that records the original caste along with religion in cases of conversion. “But when it comes to cricket matches against Pakistan, let them open their mouths and oppose that as well,” he remarked.
He accused BJP of showing double standards, saying, “They oppose only when caste or religion is involved. Do they have any shame or sense of dignity? They gave big speeches in the name of ‘Operation Sindhoor,’ but under the tenure of Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s son Jay Shah, who is the ICC President, matches with Pakistan are being held. Let BJP leaders have the courage to question this.”
The minister further said BJP survives politically by invoking Pakistan and Muslims. “They are making their livelihood out of this. Religion is a matter of personal choice, and we must respect it. BJP leaders should stop politicising everything in the name of faith,” Lad added.
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8 dead, dozens wounded in Russian strike on Ukraine's Odesa port
Kyiv (AP): Eight people were killed and 27 wounded in a Russian missile strike on port infrastructure in Odesa, southern Ukraine, late on Friday, Ukraine's Emergency Service said on Saturday morning.
Some of the wounded were on a bus at the epicentre of the overnight strike, the service said in a Telegram post. Trucks caught fire in the parking lot, and cars were also damaged.
The port was struck with ballistic missiles, said Oleh Kiper, the head of the Odesa region.
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Elsewhere, Ukrainian forces hit a Russian warship and other facilities with drones, Ukraine's General Staff said in a statement on Saturday.
The nighttime attack on Friday hit the Russian warship “Okhotnik,” according to the statement posted to the Telegram messaging app.
The ship was patrolling in the Caspian Sea near an oil and gas production platform. The extent of the damage is still being clarified, the statement added.
A drilling platform at the Filanovsky oil and gas field in the Caspian Sea was also hit. The facility is operated by Russian oil giant Lukoil. Ukrainian drones also struck a radar system in the Krasnosilske area of Crimea, which Russia illegally annexed from Ukraine in 2014.
