Raghuvansh Singh, who shocked Lalu Yadav by quitting RJD days ago, dies in AIIMS

Agencies
September 13, 2020

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New Delhi: Veteran Bihar politician and ex-RJD leader Raghuvansh Prasad Singh - his June resignation letter to Lalu Prasad Yadav emerged Friday - died Sunday morning at AIIMS in Delhi. He was 74 years old. Less than an hour later a shocked Lalu Prasad tweeted: "Dear Raghuvansh babu! What did you do?"
Mr Singh tested positive for COVID-19 in June, after which he was admitted to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Patna. He was re-admitted to AIIMS in Delhi, where he was being treated for post-Covid complications.

His condition deteriorated rapidly over the past two days and he was placed on a ventilator. He died at around 11 AM after complaining of breathlessness, according to news agency PTI.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who this morning was speaking at the launch of petroleum projects in Bihar, began his speech by paying tribute to Mr Singh. "Raghuvansh Prasad Singh is no more among us. His demise has left a void in the political sphere of Bihar as well as the country," the Prime Minister said.

The Prime Minister also told Chief Minister Nitish Kumar "we should try our best to fulfill the spirit that Raghuvansh Prasad has expressed in his last letter".

"I would urge Nitishji that you and we (the BJP) should try our best to fulfill the spirit that Raghuvansh Prasad has expressed in his last letter. Raghuvanshji had... sent a list of his development works to the Chief Minister of Bihar. (Concern for) the people of Bihar (and) concern for the development of Bihar appears in that letter," PM Modi said.

A long-time associate of former Bihar Chief Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav, Raghuvansh Prasad Singh  rattled Mr Yadav and the RJD on Friday by turning in a handwritten resignation letter.

"After (former Chief Minister and socialist icon) Karpuri Thakur's death, I stood by you for 32 years, but no more," he wrote in a not-so-steady hand, adding that he had received love and support from the party.

Mr Singh had been unhappy for some time with the party, which Lalu Yadav's son Tejashwi Yadav has been running since his father went to jail on corruption charges. Among his biggest concerns was Tejashwi's move to welcome Rama Singh, who had defeated him in the 2014 general election.

But Lalu Yadav made it clear he was not giving up on his old friend so easily, and sent back a handwritten reply of his own, writing: "...I cannot believe it... First you get better, then we will talk. You are not going anywhere. Know it."

This morning an anguished Lalu Prasad tweeted: "Dear Raghuvansh babu! What did you do? I told you the day before yesterday, you are not going anywhere. But you went so far. I am speechless. I am sad. Will miss you very much."

Tejashwi Yadav, also tweeted condolences, saying that Mr Singh had been one of the few to inspire him following his father being sent to jail.

"Respected Raghuvansh babu! A few days ago I spoke to you at AIIMS.... you said you would come out soon and (we would fight hard together. Only a few people have been giving (me) energy and inspiration after (my) father (went) to jail... you have gone and made me almost alone," Tejashwi Yadav said.

LJP chief Ram Vilas Paswan, a Union Minister from Bihar, also expressed his sorrow, praising Mr Singh as a politician who focused on the issues and fought for social justice.

"The death of Raghuvansh Prasad Singhji, a senior leader of RJD, is a big blow to the politics of Bihar. Raghuvansh babu always did politics based on issues and throughout his life he fought for social justice and the rights of the exploited, deprived and backward. May his soul rest in peace," Mr Paswan tweeted.

Mr Singh's letter of resignation came months before Assembly polls are due in Bihar.

Raghuvansh Prasad Singh represented the state's Vaishali constituency and was the Union Minister for Rural Development in the Congress-led UPA-I government. He also served as Union Minister of State for Animal Husbandry, as well as Food and Consumer Affairs.

A politician of nearly four decades, Raghuvansh Prasad Singh was widely regarded as an expert in the rural and agricultural landscape of the country and is credited with the conceptualisation and implementation of the NREGA (National Rural Guarantee Employment) Act.

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News Network
November 18,2024

Advisors to US President-elect Donald Trump have instructed his allies and associates to refrain from using the inflammatory language they previously employed when discussing issues related to migrants and the deportation of asylum seekers, in a bid to avoid “looking like Nazis.”

US media reports said that Trump’s associates had been asked to stop using the word “camps” to describe potential facilities that would be used to accommodate migrants rounded up in deportation operations across the country.

The reports said the US president-elect’s allies had been ordered to stave off such charged terms as they would bring to mind “Nazis,” and be used against Trump.

“I have received some guidance to avoid terms, like ‘camps,’ that can be twisted and used against the president, yes,” one Trump ally told American monthly magazine Rolling Stone.

“Apparently, some people think it makes us look like Nazis.”

The presidential advisers also cautioned surrogates and allies to keep racist terms, which have dogged Trump’s campaign, out of their remarks.

They said with Trump’s heated rhetoric that used to compare undocumented immigrants to “animals” and his slight that they are “poisoning the blood of our country,” detractors did not need to reach too far to find parallels to Nazi Germany.

Stephen Miller, who Trump tapped to be his deputy chief of staff of policy, specifically used the word “camps” to describe holding facilities that he hoped the military could put together for immigrants.

Tom Homan, who served as the acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement and is chosen by Trump to be in charge of the US borders, was no stranger to such language.

“It’s not gonna be a mass sweep of neighborhoods,” he said in an interview earlier this week. “It’s not gonna be building concentration camps. I’ve read it all. It’s ridiculous.”

Becoming a little more forthright about the new government’s aggressive deportation plans, Homan likened the early days of the Trump administration to the initial invasion of Iraq in 2003.

“I got three words for them – shock and awe,” he said. “You’re going to see us take this country back.”

Trump made immigration a central element of his 2024 presidential campaign but unlike his first run, which was mainly focused on building a border wall, he has shifted his attention to interior enforcement and the removal of undocumented immigrants already in the United States.

People close to the US president and his aides are laying the groundwork for expanding detention facilities to fulfill his mass deportation campaign promise.

The businessman-turned-politician deported more than 1.5 million people during his first term.

The figure do not include the millions of people turned away at the border under a Covid-era policy enacted by Trump and used during most of Biden’s term.

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News Network
November 15,2024

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Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) has killed or captured 69 terrorists linked to the Israeli spy agency Mossad during a major counterterrorism drill in the country's southeast, its spokesman says.  

General Ahmad Shafaei, the spokesman for the “Martyrs of Security” drill, said Friday that a total of 23 terrorists have been killed and another 46 arrested in various clean-up operations ever since the IRGC Ground Force launched it in the Sistan and Baluchestan province on November 1.

Seven terrorists have also turned themselves in during the period.

“The undeniable fact about terrorists is that they rely on arrogant powers, particularly the intelligence service of the wicked and vicious Zionist regime," Shafaei said.

“Unfortunately, weapons and munitions at terrorists’ disposal are among the most sophisticated ones in the world. This accounts for their heavy dependence.” 

The official stated that several members of the disbanded terror teams were non-Iranian nationals, who had been hired by foreign intelligence agencies to carry out acts of sabotage and terror inside Iran.

In a most recent operation, six terrorists were arrested and four others were eliminated, three of whom were non-Iranians, he added. 

On October 26, ten members of Iran's law enforcement forces were killed in a terrorist attack in the Gohar Kuh district of Taftan in the Sistan and Baluchestan province.

The so-called Jaish al-Adl terrorist group claimed responsibility for the assault, which was one of the deadliest in the province in recent months.

The group has carried out numerous terrorist attacks in Iran, primarily in Sistan and Baluchestan.

Its tactics include the abduction of border guards as well as targeting civilians and police stations within the province to incite chaos and disorder.

In January, Iran launched a military operation during which the headquarters of the Pakistan-based terrorist group was targeted in missile strikes, destroying its infrastructure.

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News Network
November 28,2024

Mangaluru: The upcoming assembly session at Suvarna Soudha, Belagavi, scheduled from December 9 to 19, will primarily focus on addressing issues pertaining to North Karnataka, according to Assembly Speaker U T Khader. "While the main emphasis will be on North Karnataka, concerns from other regions will also be part of the discussions," he clarified.

Speaking to reporters at the Circuit House in Mangaluru on Thursday, Khader shared that a meeting of the Business Advisory Committee had been convened, with the Chief Minister, Leader of the Opposition, and other key figures in attendance to ensure effective deliberations during the session.

"The session was initially planned from December 9 to 20. However, it was later decided to conclude it by December 19, as the All India Kannada Literary Convention is set to begin on December 20 in Mandya," Khader explained.

When asked about the process for discussions in the Assembly, Khader assured, "Discussions will take place according to the established rules."

The Speaker also highlighted his participation in various international conferences. "As Speaker of the Legislative Assembly, I have consistently sought opportunities to represent the Assembly at overseas conventions. I am pleased to announce that I will be attending the International Peace Conference in Vatican City," he said. "It is an honor to participate as a representative of the Mangaluru constituency and as the Speaker of the Assembly."

In response to questions about government grants, Khader remarked, "Grants do not come automatically. MLAs must actively follow up with the relevant authorities rather than simply complain about the lack of grants in their constituencies."

Addressing the tragic incident of three students drowning at a resort in Ullal, the Speaker emphasized, "The Deputy Commissioner has been instructed to enforce strict safety measures in resorts to prevent such incidents in the future."

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