Regional

Amethi Superintendent of Police (SP), Elamaran G, said that Vimlesh drove a carriage van in Haryana.

The SP added that Vimlesh made the comments on Facebook because he felt “outraged and humiliated” by the remarks made against his community by the Bhim Army chief.

On Thursday, the police had registered an FIR against an unidentified person in Amethi district for a Facebook post where a death threat had been issued to Azad, days before the attack on him in Saharanpur on Wednesday evening.

The FIR, registered under IPC Section 506 (punishment for criminal intimidation) and Section 66 under the IT Act, was lodged at the Gauriganj police station.
The death threat was issued from a Facebook page called ‘Kshatriya of Amethi’.

The post, which has now been deleted, said that Azad would be killed by the Thakurs of Amethi at a road crossing in broad daylight.

Another post shared on this Facebook page on Thursday said that “he (Azad) will not survive next time".
Azad is a very clever man, he needs security, a bulletproof vehicle and jacket, the post said and warned of a big movement if any innocent Rajput was framed for the attack.
A bullet had grazed the Bhim Army Chief’s abdomen when unidentified assailants opened fire at his car in Saharanpur’s Deoband on Wednesday evening.
--IANS

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In response, the Madhya Pradesh Congress has raised varied questions on 'PhonePe' and sought clarity on them.

The Congress alleged that a team of office bearers of PhonePe held a meeting with a BJP leader recently.

"Which poster or banner are you talking about?" Madhya Pradesh Congress asked.

In an official statement issued on Thursday, the Congress also raised some queries such as: "Is PhonePe also responsible for the use of money transferred under it? Will you monitor the use/abuse of PhonePe in the future and ensure that money transferred through your app is never used for bribery or corruption."
The Congress also asked whether PhonePe certify that "there is no corruption in Madhya Pradesh, and if so, what is it's rate?".
The Congress in its statement also asked the digital payment firm to come out with clear reply or else face a legal action.
"Please come with clarity and transparency otherwise this tweet of yours will be counted as politically motivated and aimed at benefiting a particular party and legal action will be taken against you," it added.

The posters featuring a QR code and a picture of Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan with the message “50% Lao, Kam Karao” (bring 50 per cent and get the work done) along with the name of a leading online payment app, PhonePe, have come up in several cities of Madhya Pradesh, including Gwalior, Bhopal, Indore, Chhindwara, in the last few days.

Initially, the objectionable poster of senior Congress leader and former Chief Minister Kamal Nath were put up at the market premises in Bhopal, in which he was accused of ''corruption" during his 15-month Congress government in Madhya Pradesh.

On June 23, similar posters of CM Shivraj Singh were displayed at various places in the state.

The poster war between Chief Minister Shivraj Singh and former Chief Minister Kamal Nath have escalated the political controversy ahead of the upcoming state Assembly polls.

Objectionable posters of Chouhan and Nath which were displayed with QR code in Bhopal last week have spread across the state.

During the recently concluded Assembly elections in Karnataka, the Congress quite successfully used the “PayCM” in its poll campaign. Congress put up posters of the then Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai with “PayCM” as a key element. Now the party is attempting to do the same in the run-up to Assembly elections in Madhya Pradesh.

--IANS

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Speaking at a programme in Ponda-South Goa on Thursday, Sawant added that there is a vast scope in the tourism and hospitality sector in Goa.

“You will not find such scope anywhere else in the country. In Goa there is wide scope in these areas,” he said.

“The way star hotels are established in Goa and increasing footfall of tourists, in future Goa will become tourism capital of India,” he added.

“We are targeting high-end tourists. To cater to their needs we need infrastructure and human resources. Private players are ready to prepare infrastructure in the state. Many people are approaching. But we don’t have that much human resource. If our youth are not skilled in these sectors then outsiders will come and grab the opportunity,” Sawant said.

Earlier in October last year, the Chief Minister had said that if youth from the state fail to grab job opportunities in hospitality and tourism sector, then job seekers from other states will grab them.

“There are many opportunities in the coastal belt. In the next five years more than two lakh jobs will be created in the hospitality and tourism sector. If we don’t grab these opportunities then youth from other states will grab them,” Sawant added, urging youth to skill themselves.

“Be it from Assam or other states, youth from these states come here and do white collar jobs (in the private sector). If we try to take it then we may also get it. Youth need to grab opportunities in these areas,” the Chief Minister said.

Sawant had said that if the youth from Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar can work here in the hospitality sector, then why not the people of Goa. He had said that all the people can’t get a government job.

--IANS

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Immediately after the Governor issued the order, Chief Minister MK Stalin had lashed out against the decision, saying that the Governor does not have any power to remove a minister from the Council of Ministers on his own.

The Governor, in the statement dismissing Balaji, has said that he was misusing his poweras a minister and influencing an ongoing case against him.

Sources told IANS that the Governor has hurriedly withdrawn his earlier order after Stalin has said that the DMK and Tamil Nadu government would fight the move legally and approach the Supreme Court against this.

Officials in Raj Bhavan told IANS that the Governor had withdrawn the decision following intervention from the Central government and that the Governor was advised to take a legal opinion.
Balaji, who was the Electricity and Excise and Prohibition Minister, was arrested earlier this month, amid high drama by the Enforcement Directorate in an old cash for job scam, and is now in judicial custody. While he was divested of the key portfolios, he continued to be a minister in the DMK government.--IANSaal/vd

In the first instance, the infant named Aryan Ravindra Pal was seriously hurt when a wooden loft in their home in Dahisar came crashing down. The child was rushed to the Shatabdi Hospital but declared dead on arrival.

In the second incident, Kisan Dhulla was grievously injured when the slab of a bathroom in his home collapsed.

The tragedy occurred at Telugu Samaj Society in Kandivali East and the victim was rushed to the Shatabdi Hospital but declared dead on admission.

After four days of downpour, the rains subsided on Thursday in the city. The rainfall recorded was: City: 14.36 mm, eastern suburbs: 10.37 mm, and 17.99 mm in the western suburbs, said the BMC.

With the latest fatalities, the death toll in Mumbai rain-related incidents has shot upto 5 in the past 24 hours.

--IANS

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A series of health camps were organised from the three-week-long festival peak starting June 26 and will continue till Friday at the pilgrimage which attracts over two million devotees from across the state.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and his wife Lata, along with other family members, performed the traditional official maha-pooja at the Shri Vitthal Rukmini Temple at 2.30 a.m. and it concluded at 4 am.

Accompanied by Health Minister Dr Tanaji Sawant and Rural Development Minister Girish Mahajan, Shinde went around the Warkaris camps where over 550,000 got free medical services and the figure is likely to cross 600,000 by Friday.

For those needing extended treatment post-festival, the government has issued necessary instructions to all health-care facilities to do the needful across the state, Sawant said.

Just a day earlier, the government raised the insurance cover from Rs150,000 to Rs 500,000 and brought the entire state population under the ambit of the flagship scheme Mahatma Jyotirao Phule Jan Arogya Yojana, and will extend the Hindu HridaySamrat Balasaheb Thackeray health care scheme all over the state with 700 clinics to come up soon.

During the past three weeks, healthcare and medical teams of a total of more than 10,000 workers, comprising doctors, nurses and paramedics, were stationed at every kilometre, with facilities like ambulances, vehicles and other requirements for the sick or fatigued Warkaris walking down from different places.

The government also set up three mega-camps and three minor 24x7 facilities in Pandharpur with treatment for ophthalmology, cardiology, nephrology, orthopaedics, diabetology, dermatology, etc., state-of-the-art equipment to diagnose and treat patients on the spot, ICU and surgical facilities.

--IANS

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He will replace C. Sylendra Babu who is retiring from service on June 30.

Tamil Nadu Chief Secretary V. Irai Anbu issued the appointment orders on Thursday.

Jiwal is a 1990 batch IPS officer and would assume office on July 1.

Tamil Nadu Police Academy Director Sandeep Rai Rathore has been posted as the next Chennai City Police Commissioner.

--IANS

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Responding to the controversy, Karan Singh Bhilala, a senior official in the district education department, told the press that the order was withdrawn soon after receiving objection.

However, MPSC general secretary Ashutosh Pandey told reporters that the controversial order was withdrawn a day before the programme ended after the organisation lodged a protest.

"Teachers are considered second-grade citizens and treated in this manner at the expense of quality education," he said.

Talking to reporters here, Renukacharya said that Kateel spoke about his resignation recently, then he took back his statement.

"What is your (Kateel's) intention? You have toured the state four or five times, has the party benefited by any means? Were you able to convert votes for the BJP?

“I have never spoken about the BJP. The party is like a mother to me. But, inevitably, we need to speak about a few unfortunate things. I do not want to insult someone. I don’t fear anyone. Online meeting was conducted two days before the elections. Those who are not able to win a gram panchayat election guided us,” he claimed.

To a query from a media person on whether he is targeting national General Secretary, Organisation, B.L. Santhosh, Renukacharya maintained that he does not want to take names at this phase but will talk about it at an appropriate time.

He attacked his own party leadership over the treatment meted out to former CM B.S. Yediyurappa.

“If Yediyurappa was allowed to continue as the CM, the BJP would not have lost the elections. Was Yediyurappa so unfit to continue in his position?” he questioned.

"Yediyurappa brought BJP to power by moving around on bicycle and scooter. People were let loose to speak against him during his tenure as CM to bring him down. After all, why did you bring him down from the position? You need his face to seek votes, to enjoy the power you need him and once the party comes to power, you don’t need him," he said.

"You have finished former ministers K.S. Eshwarappa, former CM Jagadish Shettar. Basavaraj Bommai was the CM for name's sake. His hands were tied. The people who were not able to win gram panchayat elections were brought and Yediyurappa, Bommai, and Shettar were made to salute them," he maintained.

Asked whom he is talking about, Renukacharya asked if party's Tamil Nadu chief K. Annamalai, Tamil Nadu BJP Chief is a superhero?

"Who is this Annamalai? Bommai was made to obey his orders. Bommai got salutes from him when he was a police officer. The attitude of the party leaders was the reason for BJP’s defeat. The party and leaders must work together in cohesion. The party office was built for this reason. But, some have used the office for conspiracy and finish off leadership who are opposed to certain leaders, he said.

"After the defeat in the Assembly elections, Yediyurappa and his son (B.Y.) Vijayendra called and spoke to me. The state President did not bother to speak to me once. The party office was turned into a corporate office by a few persons,” Renukacharya said.

Sources claimed that Renukacharya's attacks were targeted towards Santhosh.

Party national General Secretary C.T. Ravi and Mysuru-Kodagu MP Pratap Simha targeted Yediyurappa and Bommai over adjustment politics and subsequently Union Minister Pralhad Joshi had asked Simha not to issue public statements over internal party matters.

With Yediyurappa camp coming forward questioning the leadership, the party has a tough job now to contain the situation and bring the much needed momentum for itself.

--IANS

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