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RJD leader Manoj Jha takes oath as RS MP for 2nd term alongside 6 others

Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader and spokesperson of the party Manoj Jha on Wednesday took oath as a member of Rajya Sabha for his second consecutive term in the House.Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar administered the oath to Jha in the Parliament House."Hon'ble Vice-President of India & Chairman, Rajya Sabha, Shri Jagdeep Dhankhar administered oath to the elected Members of Rajya Sabha in Parliament House today," the vice president's office said in a post on X while sharing pictures of the oath-taking.Notably, all six Rajya Sabha candidates from Bihar were elected unopposed to the Upper House of Parliament comprising two members each from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), along with one each from Janata Dal (United) and Congress.The BJP fielded its State vice-president Bhim Singh and president of State women's wing president Dharmsheela Gupta (from the Extremely Backward Class and Other Backward Classes, respectively) while the RJD nominated Manoj

PM's guarantee like Chinese goods, only meant for polls: Tejashwi Yadav

In a scathing attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav on Sunday claimed that his guarantee is like Chinese goods and is only meant for polls, as he urged people not to fall for the BJP's "propaganda" in the Lok Sabha polls. Addressing the INDIA bloc rally at the Ramlila maidan here, Yadav alleged that an "undeclared emergency" was prevailing in the country and asserted that the opposition will not let the RSS agenda to be implemented in the country. Yadav also sang lines from a Govinda-starrer movie with a play on the lyrics "tum toh dhokebaaz ho, vaada karke bhool jaate ho", to allege that Prime Minister Modi did not fulfil his promises made in the last election. The former Bihar deputy CM charged that the Enforcement Directorate, CBI and IT department are cells of the BJP. "Cases have been slapped on me, my father, mother, sisters. We are not the ones to get scared. The manner in which Hemant Soren ji and (Arvind) Kejriwal ji have been arrested (has been

Security tightened up in UP's Ghazipur ahead of Mukhtar Ansari's burial

Security arrangements have been strengthened outside the residence of Mukhtar Ansari in Ghazipur and a burial ground in the Uttar Pradesh district ahead of the last rites of gangster-turned-politician Mukhtar Ansari on Saturday. The last rites of Mukhtar Ansari, who died due to a cardiac arrest on Thursday and whose body was brought to his home town around midnight on Friday, is scheduled to be held around 10 am, sources in the family said. Rituals related to Ansari's burial are underway and the body will be taken to the Kali Bagh burial ground where a grave was dug on Friday, the sources said. Security personnel in large numbers have been deployed around the Ansari residence and the burial ground, which is located at distance of about a kilometre and a half. In a post on X on Friday, Samajwadi Party (SP) MLA and Mukhtar Ansari's nephew Suhaib Ansari informed: "My uncle Mukhtar Ansari passed away last night. Tomorrow, at 10 am, he will be buried in our Kali Bagh graveyard of Yusufp

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LS polls: RJD to contest on 26, Cong, Left to field on 14 seats in Bihar

In the seat-sharing formula for the Mahagathbandhan allies, RJD gets key constituencies in Madhubani and Hajipur while Congress to contest from Kishanganj and Muzaffarpur

1 dead, 9 injured as under-construction bridge collapses in Bihar's Supaul

One person was killed and nine people injured as a portion of an under-construction bridge collapsed in Bihar's Supaul district in the early hours of Friday, officials said. The 10.2-km bridge was being constructed by the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) over the Koshi river between Bheja in Madhubani and Bakaur in Supaul district, they said. NHAI Regional Officer YB Singh told PTI that 10 labourers were trapped under the debris after the accident. "Unfortunately, one person died on the way to the hospital, and the other nine were rescued with minor injuries. They are out of danger now," he said. "Adequate compensation for the deceased as well as injured victims is being arranged. Experts have been briefed and asked to assess the reason for the accident and suggest necessary remedial measures. Senior NHAI officers have rushed to the site to take immediate action on the matter," he added. The bridge has 171 piers, and the span between piers 153 and 154 collapsed, he ...

LS polls: Bihar Cong chief meets Lalu amid rumours of RJD giving tickets

Bihar Congress president Akhilesh Prasad Singh on Thursday called on RJD chief Lalu Prasad, amid rumours that the latter has begun to allot party tickets for the Lok Sabha polls. After meeting the RJD supremo, the Congress leader maintained that everything will be sorted out in good time, but ducked pointed queries about murmurs that Prasad has given tickets, unilaterally, for all the four seats going to polls in the first phase. "I keep meeting Lalu ji. There is nothing new in it, said Singh, who, incidentally, had started his political career with the RJD and was a minister in the UPA 1 government from that party's quota. He added that seat-sharing will be decided among constituents of the Mahagathbandhan' "in a few days", but did not reply to queries about the RJD reportedly moving forward on ticket distribution without taking allies into confidence. Besides the Congress and the RJD, the Mahagathbandhan' comprises the CPI (ML) Liberation, the CPI and the CPI(M). On Wednesday, i

Nitish Kumar distributes portfolios, retains Home, General Administration

A day after the expansion of his cabinet, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Saturday allocated portfolios to the ministers of the NDA government. While Kumar retained the Home and General Administration departments, Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Chaudhary has been given Finance and Commercial department portfolios. Another Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Sinha, who is also from the BJP, has been given portfolios of Road Construction, Mines and Geology and Art & Culture departments, a notification issued by the Cabinet Secretariat department said on Saturday. Nitish Kumar on Friday expanded his cabinet, which is less than two months old, by inducting 21 new ministers. With the induction of 21 new ministers, the strength of the Nitish Kumar ministry rose to 30, just six short of the constitutional limit of 36 for the state.

Electoral bonds data proves BJP is most corrupt party: RJD's Manoj Jha

Senior RJD leader Manoj Jha on Friday alleged that the data on electoral bonds has proved that the ruling BJP at the Centre is "the most corrupt political party in the history" of the country. Jha, the party's national spokesperson, also claimed that the data, which has been put up on the Supreme Court's website, flies in the face of the "nationalistic pretensions" of the BJP, while lending credence to the charge that central investigating agencies were being misused for political ends. "The data shows that shortly after the Pulwama terror attack, a Pakistani agency purchased electoral bonds. So much for the nationalistic pretensions of the BJP, which stands exposed as the most corrupt party in the history of Independent India," Jha told PTI video. The Rajya Sabha MP also pointed out that "a private company was raided by the Enforcement Directorate and, a few days later, it ended up purchasing electoral bonds. Anybody can join the dots and make out what the so-called largest politic

ED raids against RJD family associate in homebuyer's funds fraud case

The Enforcement Directorate on Tuesday raided multiple premises in Delhi-NCR as part of a money laundering investigation against a realty and liquor group promoted by Amit Katyal, an alleged "close associate" of RJD chief Lalu Prasad's family, official sources said. Katyal was arrested by the central agency last year in the alleged railways land-for-jobs scam involving Prasad, his wife Rabri Devi, son and former deputy CM Tejashwi Yadav, MP daughter Misa Bharti and some other children. A total of 27 premises of Haryana-based Krishn Buildtech Pvt Ltd in Delhi, Gurugram and Sonipat are being searched under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), the sources said. The company is promoted by Amit Katyal and Rajesh Katyal. The probe pertains to alleged siphoning of homebuyer's fund worth Rs 400 crore by the promoters of the company and parking them abroad, they said. The agency alleged that Amit Katyal sent more than Rs 200 crore of homebuyer's funds to Sri ...

Poison of appeasement weakening with development, says PM Modi in UP

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said the "poison of appeasement" is weakening as development takes place. Addressing a rally in Azamgarh, earlier seen as a family bastion of Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav, the PM took a dig again at RJD leader Lalu Prasad Yadav's recent remark and said 140 crore Indians are his family. Modi said Azamgarh, which was once considered backward, is a shining star today and writing a new chapter of development for the country. "Today, the star of Azamgarh is shining. There was a time when there would be an event in Delhi and other states would join in. Today, the event is being held in Azamgarh and thousands of people from different parts of the country are connecting with Azamgarh," Modi said. Before his speech, Modi inaugurated and laid the foundations of projects worth Rs 34,700 crore in the state. The PM said one must not link these projects with elections and added that he sped up the development works to achieve the dream of a devel

ED nabs man in Patna in money laundering case linked to illegal sand mining

The Enforcement Directorate has arrested Subhash Yadav, a man allegedly linked to the RJD, in Bihar's Patna in a money laundering case related to alleged illegal sand mining, official sources said on Sunday. The premises of Yadav and some others were being searched since Saturday as part of a case registered under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). Yadav was arrested late on Saturday night and nearly Rs 2.3 crore cash was seized from various premises, the sources said. Half a dozen premises were searched by the central agency in and around Patna. Yadav is alleged to be involved in sand mining in Bihar and had contested elections on an RJD ticket in the past, according to the sources. The money laundering case stems from some FIRs registered by Bihar Police.

ED raids residence of Subhash Yadav, close aide of RJD supremo Lalu

The Enforcement Directorate on Saturday raided multiple locations in Patna as part of an alleged illegal sand mining linked money laundering case, official sources said. The premises of a person identified as Subash Yadav are being searched as part of a case registered under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), the sources said. About seven premises are being searched by the central agency in and around Patna, they said. Yadav is said to be involved in sand mining in Bihar and has contested election on an RJD ticket earlier, they said. The money laundering case stems from some FIRs filed by the Bihar Police earlier.

Nitish to file nomination on Tuesday for re-election to legislative council

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who is seeking re-election to the state legislative council, will file his nomination papers on Tuesday, a senior JD(U) leader said. Kumar, who heads the JD(U), will be contesting for a fourth consecutive term in the Upper House, to which he first got elected in 2006, a few months after becoming the chief minister. The JD(U) president's current term ends in May. However, the Election Commission recently announced biennial polls for 11 seats of the Bihar Vidhan Parishad, including the one held by the chief minister. Of the 11 seats, the JD(U) held four, the largest number for any single party. However, in view of its diminished tally in the assembly, the party is conceding two seats to ally BJP which has grown numerically stronger. JD(U) leaders said that sitting MLC Khalid Anwar was likely to be considered for a second consecutive term. The BJP is yet to announce its candidates, though Deputy CM Samrat Choudhary, who is also the party's state ...

Agniveer scheme against youths of country, says Rahul Gandhi in Bihar

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Sunday claimed that the Narendra Modi government at the Centre was neglecting 73 per cent of the country's population, which belongs to marginalised sections of the society. Addressing the 'Jan Vishwas Rally' organised by the RJD here, Gandhi, in an apparent reference to the BJP, alleged that "one party" was trying to create hatred among people but "we are offering 'nafrat ke bazaar mein mohabbat' (love in the market of hatred)". He alleged that injustice is being meted out to farmers, youths and downtrodden in the country. "The Centre is neglecting 73 per cent of the population that belongs to marginalised sections of the society," Gandhi said. Referring to the Agniveer recruitment scheme, the implementation of which saw protests in Bihar, the Congress leader asserted that the initiative was against the youths of the country. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, speaking on the occasion, claimed that the INDIA bloc will win the maximum number of

ED raids premises of RJD MLA, husband in money laundering case in Bihar

The Enforcement Directorate on Tuesday raided the premises of RJD MLA Kiran Devi, her husband and former legislator Arun Yadav and some others as part of a money laundering probe linked to alleged possession of disproportionate assets, official sources said. Kiran Devi is a sitting MLA of the Lalu Prasad-led Rashtriya Janta Dal (RJD). She represents the Sandesh constituency in Bhojpur district. Arun Yadav represented the seat from 2015 to 2020. According to the sources, when ED sleuths reached Kiran Devi's residence on Tuesday morning, the MLA was not there. Searches were also conducted at the premises linked to the MLA in Bhojpur's Agiaon. Despite several attempts by PTI, the RJD MLA was not available for comments on the Enforcement Directorate (ED) action. The ED's money laundering case against Arun Yadav and Kiran Devi stems from a total of 16 FIRs filed by the Bihar Police at various police stations in Ara district. The agency filed a criminal case under the Prevention of Mone

Tejashwi to embark on 'Jan Vishwas Yatra' across Bihar to win public trust

Rashtriya Janata Dal leader Tejashwi Yadav on Tuesday will embark on a whirlwind tour of Bihar, during which he is likely to cover all 38 districts of the state within a span of 11 days. Evocatively titled 'Jan Vishwas Yatra', a mass outreach programme aimed at winning "public trust", Yadav, who recently lost the deputy chief minister's post, will commence the tour from Muzaffarpur. He is scheduled to address two more public meetings, in Sitamarhi and Sheohar, before reaching Motihari, the town where East Champaran district is headquartered, for a night halt. On the eve of the commencement of the tour, Yadav went live on Facebook late on Monday evening when he called Chief Minister Nitish Kumar an "old-fashioned leader who would do well to give up his chair on his own". Yadav, who is the younger son and heir apparent of RJD president Lalu Prasad, also claimed that he was not distraught at his party losing power as a result of Kumar's latest volte-face. "But Bihar needs stability a

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'Irregularities' took place when RJD was sharing power: CM Nitish Kumar

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Saturday asserted that he has come to know about many irregularities that took place when the RJD was sharing power with the JD(U) and these were now being investigated. He was responding to media queries about the Bihar government's order to review all decisions taken by the departments headed by former Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav and two RJD ministers Lalit Yadav and Ramanand Yadav in the previous 'Mahagathbandhan' government in the state. "Irregularities (Gadbadiyaan) have taken place ... we will not tolerate this. Things are being investigated", said the CM. In a letter, dated February 16, issued by the Cabinet Secretariat department, headed by the CM, officials of the Health, Road Construction, Urban Development and Housing and Rural Works departments have been asked to review the decisions taken during the previous grand alliance government in the state. These departments were headed by Tejashwi Yadav. Besides, the government has

Bihar govt to review functioning of dept held by former Dy CM Tejashwi

Nitish Kumar further asserted that the Bihar government worked for every section of the society