JD(S)-BJP alliance: Minister Priyank Kharge suggests dropping of 'secular' word from party name
Bengaluru: A day after the JD(S) officially joined hands with the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), hitting out at their action minister for Rural development, Panchayat Raj and IT & BT Minister suggested that the JD(S) should write to the Election Commission of India to officially rename themselves from Janata Dal Secular to Janta Dal, dropping the term secular from its official name.
While addressing reporters here, Kharge expressed his opinion that the JD(S) should consider removing the term 'secular' from its name, following the party's alliance with the BJP, which he accused of being the "most communal party" in India's post-independence history.
He further explained that the JD(S) party’s decision to join the NDA was not unexpected, as it had become evident that the BJP's central leadership had lost faith in the state leadership following the elections in Karnataka.
In the meantime, Kharge assured that the Congress party will emerge victorious at the state’s Lok Sabha seats.
The Janata Dal Secular announced the alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party on Friday, officially joining the National Democratic Alliance (NDA).
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.
Bridge portion collapses on Jammu outskirts; 3-4 labourers feared trapped, 1 rescued
Jammu (PTI): A portion of a small bridge collapsed in the Bantalab area on the outskirts of Jammu city on Friday, trapping at least three to four labourers under the debris, while one injured worker was rescued, official sources said.
Authorities have closed the road link following the collapse of the portion of the bridge.
The incident occurred when labourers were carrying out repair work on a retaining wall near the bridge that was damaged in last year's flash floods, the sources said.
According to the sources, a section of the bridge suddenly gave way, burying workers engaged at the site under the rubble.
Police, Army and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) teams launched rescue operations to extricate those buried under the debris. They pulled out one injured labourer and shifted him to a hospital, the sources said.
Family members of the labourers present at the site said around six workers engaged at the site at the time of the incident came under the debris when the structure collapsed. The family members said while two of the labourers managed to escape, four got trapped.
The sources said those trapped included the husband of a woman labourer, a mason, an unmarried labourer and a relative of the contractor.
There was no official confirmation on the exact number of persons trapped under the debris till the filing of this report.
The rescue operations are ongoing.
