Cricketer Rinku Singh gets engaged to Samajwadi Party MP Priya Saroj in Lucknow
Lucknow: Indian cricketer Rinku Singh got engaged to Samajwadi Party MP Priya Saroj in a private ceremony held in Lucknow on Sunday. The couple is set to tie the knot on 18 November later this year.
The engagement, attended by close friends and family, also saw the presence of several high-profile personalities, including Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, MP Dimple Yadav, veteran actor and Rajya Sabha MP Jaya Bachchan, and Congress leader as well as BCCI Vice President Rajeev Shukla.
Speaking to PTI, Shukla said, "May both of them enjoy a beautiful life. This is a wonderful match. Each excels in their own field, and together, they will make a strong and successful pair."
Priya Saroj’s father, Tufani Saroj — a three-time MP and current MLA from Kerakat — said the event was an “intimate affair.” He revealed that Rinku and Priya met through a mutual friend’s father, who is also a cricketer. The couple have known each other for over a year and decided to proceed with the marriage after receiving the blessings of both families.
Priya Saroj, 26, is among the youngest members of Parliament and represents the Machhlishahr constituency in Jaunpur, Uttar Pradesh. She entered politics in 2024 and defeated BJP’s BP Saroj by a margin of over 35,000 votes.
Rinku Singh, 27, is a key member of the Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL and has represented India in 2 ODIs and 33 T20Is.
Notably, the couple had also recently attended the engagement ceremony of cricketer Kuldeep Yadav and his fiancée Vanshika in Lucknow.
Photos and videos from the engagement have been widely circulated on social media.
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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.
