Bihar polls: Jitan Ram Manjhi announces alliance with BJP to 'defeat Nitish Kumar'

June 12, 2015

New Delhi, Jun 12: Former Bihar chief minister and leader of Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM) Jitan Ram Manjhi met Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Amit Shah in the capital on Thursday and announced that his party would join the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) alliance ahead of the state Assembly polls.

manjhi-shah-nitish

Speaking to scribes after his meeting with Shah, Manjhi said, "Saath milke ladenge. Abhi seat ke baare mai kuch decide nahi hua hai. (We will fight together. Nothing has been decided on the number of seats.)"

The motivation, Manjhi said, was to ally with BJP 'to defeat Nitish Kumar'. "Lalu ji-Nitish Kumar ke gathbandhan ko nakamyaab kare; yeh hamare liye aur BJP

ke liye Bihar ka sabse bada mudda hai. (Biggest motivation for me and BJP is to defeat the Lalu-Nitish alliance)," he added.

Manjhi further added that a meeting of his party's core committee would be held on June 15 to fine-tune the details of the alliance.

Sources said that Manjhi was demanding 50 tickets while the BJP preferred giving only 30 seats to HAM.

Meanwhile, rumours are also rife that Madhepura MP and expelled RJD leader Rajesh Ranjan alias Pappu Yadav too may seek alliance with the BJP.

The saffron party has been holding talks with other NDA allies over Bihar polls and Rashtriya Lok Samata Party (RLSP) chief and Union minister Upendra Kushwaha also met Amit Shah in Delhi today.

HAM spokesman Danish Rizwan had informed that Manjhi would meet EC and claim "handpump" symbol for his new party.

With RJD President Lalu Prasad who was initially insisting on inclusion of Manjhi in broad secular front accepting Nitish Kumar as CM candidate of the anti-BJP grouping, doors had been shut for Manjhi and he had been left with the option either to go with BJP-led NDA or enter into fray alone.

Manjhi, who has emerged as a prominent dalit face in the Bihar poll, had three meetings with Prime Minister Narendra Modi indicating that he was inching closer to the saffron party.

BJP chief Amit Shah and other party leaders have time and again said their options are open for Bihar election and hinted contact with Manjhi who could help them reach out to dalits constituting about 22 per cent of the population in the state.

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News Network
June 8,2020

Panaji (Goa)/Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh), Bengaluru(Karnataka)/New Delhi [India], June 8 (ANI): With the government allowing the re-opening of restaurants and eateries from Monday, these establishments re-opened across several states on Monday including in Goa, Madhya Pradesh and Delhi, with necessary precautions in place amid COVID-19 crisis.

Restaurants reopened in Panaji today after relaxations in lockdown.

Speaking to ANI, Goa Hotel and Restaurant Association President, Gaurish Dhond said, "We expect that not more than 25 per cent of restaurants will reopen because our labour force is dependent upon migrant workers who have gone to their homes".

"Every guest will be checked with a thermal gun, we will provide them with a sanitizer and a digital menu most probably. We would like to request our customers to pay online. Residential hotels are also allowed to operate and guidelines have been issued for them," he added.

Bars are not allowed to operate, he added.

While religious places across the country were thrown open today, worship places continued to remain closed in Goa till June 30.

In Bhopal restaurants opened but with fewer customers venturing to eat outside.

Speaking to ANI, C Kumaran, Manager, India Coffee House, New Market said, "We will conduct a temperature check for customers at the entry point. Then the customers will have to wash and sanitize their hands only then they will be allowed to sit inside. Only two persons will be allowed to sit on a four-seat table."

"This restaurant has a seating capacity of around 120 persons which has now been reduced to 50. Even in the kitchen, staff capacity has been reduced to 50 per cent," he added.

Meanwhile, malls re-opened in Bengaluru today, people along with staff members were allowed to enter inside Garuda Mall while maintaining social distancing.

"As per government norms, we are following all the preventive measures. Staff and other people are being sanitized and then only allowed inside the mall. The mall has been deep cleaned. People entering the mall should have Aarogya Setu App installed in their mobile phones if not, they will be sent back," said John Joseph, Manager, Garuda Mall.

Restaurants re-opened in the national capital as Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal announced yesterday that all restaurants and malls are allowed to resume operations from today.

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News Network
March 21,2020

New Delhi, Mar 21: A couple was deboarded from a Delhi-bound Rajdhani train on Saturday after co-passengers observed a home quarantine seal on the husband's hand, the Railways said Saturday.

Officials said the Delhi-based couple boarded the Bangalore City-New Delhi Rajdhani at Secunderabad on Saturday morning.

When the train reached Kazipet in Telangana at 9:45 am, a co-passenger noticed the quarantine mark authorities are putting on suspected coronavirus cases —on the husband's hand when he was washing his hands. Other co-passengers then informed the TTE onboard.

The train was briefly detained and the couple was taken to a hospital. The coach was completely sanitised in Kazipet and was locked, officials said.

The air conditioning was also switched off.

The train left for its destination at 11.30 am.

People fleeing quarantine has been a common problem reported from different parts of the country.

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News Network
March 26,2020

Srinagar, Mar 25: A 65-year-old man hailing from Hyderpora area of the city died on Thursday, becoming the first fatality in Jammu and Kashmir due to coronavirus.
"As we share the sad news of our first #Covid19 fatality, my heart goes out to the family of the deceased. We stand with you and share your grief," Mayor of Srinagar Junaid Azim Mattu tweeted.
Government spokesperson Rohit Kansal also confirmed the death via Twitter.
"First death due to Coronavirus- 65 years old Male from Hyderpora Srinagar. Four of his contacts also tested positive yesterday," Kansal said.
Four people had tested positive for coronavirus in J-K on Wednesday, taking the total number of cases to 11.
Authorities in Kashmir have expressed apprehensions that the cases could be more than reported in the Valley as a significant number of people appeared to have concealed their travel history.
As per a government bulletin on Wednesday in Jammu and Kashmir, as many as 5,124 travellers and people who came in contact with suspected and positive cases have been put under surveillance.

Among them 3,061 are in home quarantine (including facilities operated by the government), 80 in hospital quarantine and 1,477 in home surveillance.
Restrictions on movement imposed in Kashmir to prevent the spread of coronavirus were tightened on Wednesday.

 

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