Modi government 'breaking the back of the poor': Sonia

Congress President Sonia Gandhi on Saturday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of being narrow-minded and practicing "low-level politics" by attacking his political rivals from foreign soil. Addressing an election rally in Bihar's Wazirganj, Gandhi blamed the policies of the Modi government for "breaking the back of the poor". Meanwhile, at a Bharatiya Janata Party event, party president Amit Shah appealed to the people of Bihar to bring the National Democratic Alliance to power in the state in order to bring prosperity to all regions.

CPI(M) calls for bandh in West Bengal

The Commmunist Party of India (Marxist) blasted the ruling Trinamool Congress government in West Bengal as sporadic violence and assaults on journalists marred elections for two municipal corporations on Saturday. Even though the turnout was over 70%, the CPI(M) claimed the elections had resulted in the "cold blooded murder of democracy" and called for fresh polls to the two Municipal Corporations monitored by Central forces. Party leader Gautam Deb also informed that the Left Front has called for a 12-hour bandh at Rajarhat-Bidhannagar area on Monday in protest against the violence.

MK Stalin is iron man, says M Karunanidhi

Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam patriarch M Karunanidhi on Saturday praised his son and party treasurer MK Stalin, refuting claims of differences between the two. Karunanidhi said that he had named his third son after the former Soviet leader Joseph Stalin and called him an “iron man”. The 91-year-old DMK head has rarely acknowledged Stalin as his successor in public, but said on Saturday that his son would “run the administration and implement welfare measures for the people". Stalin recently began a state-wide tour in the run-up to the Assembly elections next year.

Independent MLA protests J&K beef ban

Independent Jammu and Kashmir MLA Rashid on Saturday protested against the beef ban in the state by unfurling a banner on religious tolerance before the Speaker in the state Assembly. As the Assembly convened for the first time in the autumn session, Rashid, who represents North Kashmir’s Langate constituency, got up from his seat and displayed the banner which read, "No interference in religious affairs." He went into the well of the House and accused Speaker Kavinder Gupta, a senior BJP leader, of “depriving MLAs of their rights by acting as an agent, mouth piece and proxy of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP), the Bajrang Dal and the BJP”.

Dalit Rajasthan student thrashed for touching utensil

A 10-year-old Dalit student of a government school in Rajasthan’s Osian tehsil was admitted to hospital with minor bruises after being allegedly thrashed by his teacher for touching a utensil when the mid-day meal was being served. The father of the Class 4 student approached the police on Saturday after the alleged incident took place on Thursday. The police have lodged a case under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.