Asian champion 100m hurdler Jyothi Yarraji leads India's 6-gold show in Taiwan Open
Taipei City (PTI) Asian champion Jyothi Yarraji won the women's 100m hurdles race with yet another impressive time as India won six gold medals in the Taiwan Open international athletics competition here on Saturday.
National record holder Yarraji clocked 12.99 seconds to pocket the gold at the Taipei Municipal Stadium, ahead of Japanese runners Asuka Terada (13.04 seconds) and Chisato Kiyoyama (13.10 seconds), who took the silver and bronze respectively.
The 25-year-old Yarraji had won gold in the Asian Championships in South Korea on May 29 with a time of 12.96 seconds. Her national record stands at 12.78 seconds.
Another national record holder, Tejas Shirse also won gold in the men's 110m hurdles, clocking 13.52 seconds, the second fastest time of his career.
Local athletes Hsieh Yuan-kai (13.72 seconds) and Kuei-Ru Chen (13.75 seconds) won the silver and bronze respectively.
The 23-year-old Shirse's national record stands 13.41 seconds.
India's best 4x100m relay quartet of Gurindervir Singh, Animesh Kujur, Manikanta Hoblidhar and Amlan Borgohain won gold, clocking 38.75 seconds, just six-hundredth of a second outside of the national record of 38.69 seconds set by the same team at the National Relay Carnival in Chandigarh earlier this year.
But, it fell short of the timing which would have taken the team to Tokyo World Championships.
Fourteen countries have already qualified for the World Championships in September through the World Athletics Relays in Guangzhou, China in May and only two slots are available. Nigeria and Netherlands are currently in the reckoning for the two slots with 38.20 seconds.
The Indian team of Sudheeksha Vadluri, Sneha Sathyanarayana Shanuvalli, Abinaya Rajarajan and Nithya Gandhe won gold in the women's 4x100m relay, clocking 44.06 seconds.
The national record in this event stands at 43.37 seconds clocked by the quartet of Archana S, Dhanalakshmi, Hima Das and Dutee Chand in 2021.
Abdulla Aboobacker and Pooja also won gold in the men's triple jump and women's 1500m respectively.
Aboobacker jumped 16.21m, well below his personal best of 17.19m.
Pooja, who had won a silver in the Asian Championships in South Korea last month, clocked 4 minutes, 11.63 seconds to win the gold. She has a personal best of 4:09.52 which she had clocked in 2023.
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Congress committed to social justice, says Karnataka CM; hits out at JD(S), BJP
BJP Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Sunday asserted that the Congress remains firmly committed to social justice, both in principle and practice.
"The Congress is a party committed to social justice. This ideological commitment has been demonstrated not merely through words but through action," the CM said in a statement, underlining that the party has consistently translated its philosophy into governance.
He said his recent article marking Social Justice Day has sparked debate.
Defending the piece, he said: "An article I wrote for a newspaper as part of Social Justice Day celebrations has sparked multifaceted debate in the state’s political circles. If water remains stagnant, it turns into slush; if it flows, it becomes clearer."
"The social system is similar—if it does not remain rigid and instead becomes dynamic, it transforms in a people-centric manner. From this perspective, I welcome the discussion surrounding my article," he added.
Stating that his commitment to social justice is longstanding, the CM said, "Whether in power or out of it, my stand in favour of social justice has remained unwavering. I have greater clarity about the caste system among us than the politicians criticising me."
"I am prepared for a public debate on this issue," Siddaramaiah added.
Responding to criticism from Union Minister and Janata Dal (Secular) leader H D Kumaraswamy, he said, "I have taken his allegation—that I have ‘dragged caste into the picture for the sake of a chair’—lightly."
Launching a sharp attack on JD(S) patriarch and former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda and his family, Siddaramaiah added, "Kumaraswamy and his revered father Deve Gowda are certainly not casteists; they are against their own caste. More importantly, they are family-centric. For them, caste is merely a vote bank."
He alleged that past, present, and future top JD(S) leaders would always be members of the Gowda family, questioning how many Vokkaliga leaders the party had nurtured during Deve Gowda’s long political career.
The CM maintained that it was the Congress that had identified and politically groomed Vokkaliga leaders.
"From Kengal Hanumanthaiah to S M Krishna, hundreds of Vokkaliga leaders have been nurtured. If Kengal Hanumanthaiah, Kadidal Manjappa, and S M Krishna became chief ministers, it was because of the Congress," he said, adding that several prominent Vokkaliga leaders are currently in the party.
"If one day anyone other than a member of Deve Gowda’s family becomes chief minister, it will be through the Congress," he noted.
Highlighting inclusivity, Siddaramaiah said the Congress has enabled leaders from Vokkaliga, Lingayat, and backward communities to become chief ministers in Karnataka, and expressed gratitude to party leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi for giving him a second term.
He added that leaders from the Dalit community who rise to the CM's post do so on merit, not merely caste. "I can confidently say that if someone from the Dalit community becomes chief minister in the future, it will be possible only through the Congress,” he reiterated.
He questioned whether the JD(S) or the BJP in the state is capable of fostering such aspirations. "This is the difference between the Congress, the BJP and JD(S). Therefore, I urge those accusing me of practising caste politics to introspect," the CM said.
