Chateauroux (France), Aug 5: Indian shooters Maheshwari Chauhan and Anant Jeet Singh Naruka made the bronze medal round in the skeet mixed team event at the Paris Olympics here on Monday.

The Indian duo aggregated 146 in the qualifications and will lock horns with China for the bronze medal.

The Indian pair was placed tied second with a score of 49 after the first stage in the qualification, sharing the position with Australia, Korea, France and two Italian teams.

Anant Jeet Singh Naruka scored 25/25 in the first round the qualification while Maheshwari Chauhan shot 24/25 to take India's total to 49.

In the second round, it was Maheshwari's turn to shoot a perfect 25 but Naruka missed two shots each in the 2nd and 5th series to tally 23, which gave them an aggregate score of 48.

In the third round, India got 49 with 25 for Maheshwari and 24 for Naruka.

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Lucknow (PTI): Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati on Monday accused the BJP and the Congress of disrespecting the legacy of B R Ambedkar and exploiting Dalit votes for political gains.

She also called on people from all communities to ensure the success of the BSP's nationwide protest on Tuesday against Union Home Minister Amit Shah's remarks on Ambedkar.

In a series of posts on X, Mayawati described the remarks as deeply hurtful to Ambedkar's followers.

"The recent events prove that neither the BJP nor the Congress is truly committed to protecting the interests of Ambedkar's followers. Their policies and principles lack sincerity," she said.

Referring to Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi's scheduled visit to Parbhani, Maharashtra to meet the family of a man who died in judicial custody, Mayawati termed the Congress' response to the controversy "crocodile tears".

"Despite Ambedkar's struggles and contributions, the Congress has historically maintained a casteist and neglectful attitude towards his community and its welfare. Their remembrance of Dalits and backward classes only comes when they face political crises," the former chief minister said.

Mayawati also took aim at Shah and demanded the withdrawal of his remarks about Ambedkar.

"In light of the disrespectful comments, the BSP is calling for peaceful demonstrations in district headquarters across the country tomorrow. I appeal to all communities to ensure the success of these protests. Those exploiting Ambedkar's name for deceitful politics must be stopped," she said.

During a debate on the Constitution in the Rajya Sabha on December 17, Shah said, "Abhi ek fashion ho gaya hai – Ambedkar, Ambedkar, Ambedkar, Ambedkar, Ambedkar, Ambedkar. Itna naam agar Bhagwan ka lete to saat janmon tak swarg mil jata (It has become a fashion to say Ambedkar, Ambedkar, Ambedkar, Ambedkar, Ambedkar, Ambedkar. If they had taken God's name so many times, they would have attained heaven for seven lifetimes)."

Mayawati emphasised that the BSP remains the true defender of Ambedkar's ideals and the empowerment of "Bahujan Samaj".

"Unlike other parties, which only pretend to be Ambedkarites to gain Dalit votes, the BSP focuses on transforming political and social power into self-respect for Ambedkar's followers. To these parties, Dalits are just a vote bank while the BSP ensures the true realisation of their interests," she said.