Friday, January 16, 2026

Steady decline in dominance of Lals in Haryana politics

By
Tehelka WebDesk
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With Cong’s Kiran Chaudhary, daughter of former Haryana CM Bansi Lal, along with her daughter and former MP Shruti Chaudhary deciding to cross over to the BJP, the saffron party continues to be the favorite destination for clans of Haryana’s famous Lals.  A report by Pawan Kumar Bansal

The three Lals of Haryana—Bansi Lal, Devi Lal, and Bhajan Lal—dominated the state’s politics for several decades. Bansi Lal was a prominent member of the caucus that ruled the country during the Emergency period. Bhajan Lal famously defected along with the entire cabinet of his Janata Party government in Haryana to the Congress in the eighties, while Devi Lal ousted the then PM Rajiv Gandhi from power by uniting all opposition parties. However, in a quirk of fate, their clans, with a few exceptions, have largely surrendered to the leadership of the BJP; more specifically, ironically, to yet another Lal: Manohar Lal, former Haryana CM and now Union Cabinet Minister.

Kuldeep Bishnoi, former MP and son of former CM Bhajan Lal and his wife, Renuka Bishnoi, and son, Bhavya Bishnoi, and Ranjit Chautala, son of Devi Lal, are already in the BJP fold. Aditya Devi Lal, son of Jagdish, youngest son of Devi Lal, has been with the BJP for quite some time and is now Chairman of the Haryana State Agricultural Marketing Board.

The latest to join BJP under the leadership of Union Minister Manohar Lal is former Haryana Congress Minister Kiran Chaudhry and her daughter, Shruti Chaudhry who is also a former MP. Kiran Chaudhry is the daughter of late Bansi Lal, former Haryana CM.

Now siblings of all the three famous “Lals” of Haryana, Bansi Lal, Devi Lal and Bhajan Lal are in the BJP. However, not all the siblings of these three Lals have joined the BJP. Former Haryana Deputy Chief Minister Chander Mohan, son of Bhajan Lal, and Ranbir Mahindra, son of Bansi Lal are still in the Congress. In fact, the family members of Devi Lal are in three different political outfits. Ranjit Singh Chautala, son of Devi Lal, who had won the last assembly elections as an independent candidate from Rania Assembly constituency of Sirsa district, supported BJP when it fell short of a majority and thus helped in formation of the BJP-JJP  government in Haryana and was, therefore, rewarded with a ministerial berth in Haryana government headed by Manohar Lal.

During the just-concluded Lok Sabha, election, he had joined BJP, and within hours of his joining, the saffron party, he was given a party ticket from the Hisar Lok Sabha constituency which he lost to Jai Prakash, a one-time protege of Devi Lal and now a Congress candidate. Dushyant Chautala, great grandson of Devi Lal, is running his own party called Jannayak Janata Party.

In the last assembly elections, his party won ten seats, with himself and his mother, Naina Chautala being among the winners. Since the BJP had not got the required majority for forming the government, Dushyant Chautala extended support of his party resulting in formation of the BJP-JJP alliance government which continued till the announcement of the Lok Sabha polls. Dushyant Chautala was inducted as a Deputy CM and was given important portfolios.

In the 2024 Election, Naina Chautala, contesting from Hisar Lok Sabha constituency, lost and forfeited her security deposit. Sunaina Chautala of the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD), headed by Om Parkash Chautala, also had her security deposit forfeited. Abhay Chautala, son of Om Parkash Chautala, lost the election from the Kurukshetra Lok Sabha constituency, receiving less than one lakh votes. The BJP is jubilant as almost all prominent members of the Devi Lal, Bansi Lal, and Bhajan Lal families have joined their ranks. Arvind Yadav, former Chairman of Haryana Tourism and close confidant of Manohar Lal, told Tehelka, ‘The induction of prominent members from the families of these three famous Lals of Haryana will benefit the party in the upcoming assembly elections.”

Kiran Chaudhry has showered praise on Manohar Lal and PM Narendra Modi. She has resigned from the Congress party, with which she had a nearly four-decade-long association. Speculation had been circulating for a while that she would quit the Congress and join the BJP, ever since her daughter, Shruti Chaudhry, former MP from the Bhiwani-Mahendragarh Lok Sabha constituency, was denied the party ticket, which was given to Rao Dan Singh, a protégé of former CM Bhupinder Singh Hooda. Hitting out at Hooda, Kiran Chaudhry alleged that he was hatching a conspiracy to finish her “politically.”

Kiran Chaudhry’s entry into Haryana politics about two decades ago was an unforeseen turn of events. She was active in Delhi politics, but after the unfortunate demise of her husband, Bansi Lal’s son Surinder Singh, she was given an assembly ticket from Tosham, which was earlier represented by Surinder Singh.

Rest, as they say, is history as she became MLA and later Minister carrying on the legacy of Bansi Lal. Her daughter Shruti Chaudhry also became MP from Bhiwani-Mahendragarh constituency twice.

How Punjab by-poll is posing a daunting test for Mann-led AAP

By
Tehelka WebDesk
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Hit by poor showing in recent Lok Sabha polls and subsequent desertions from the party, and facing opposition fire over drug menace, the ruling AAP government in Punjab now has another challenge staring at it – the upcoming Jalandhar (West) by-election, writes Rajesh Moudgil

The July 10 Jalandhar West (reserved) assembly segment by-poll poses a daunting test for chief minister Bhagwant Mann-led AAP in Punjab, especially in the backdrop of the party’s drubbing in the June 1 general polls in which it could win only three of the 13 seats and the subsequent desertions by party leaders, besides other adverse issues it is facing.

Notably, this bypoll was necessitated after AAP’s own sitting MLA Sheetal Angural from this seat jumped ship, joined BJP ahead of the June general elections, and resigned from assembly. It was on March 27 last that he as well as the AAP’s only MP from Jalandhar (SC) parliamentary seat Sushil Rinku had left AAP just a few weeks ahead of the June 1 Lok Sabha polls and joined BJP.

Interestingly, Angural had won this seat in 2022 by defeating the then Congress candidate, Sushil Rinku, who joined AAP ahead of Jalandhar Lok Sabha bypoll necessitated in the wake of demise of the sitting Congress’ sitting MP Santokh Chaudhary, and won last year. Rinku lost to Congress’ Charanjit Singh Channi in the June 1 2024 Lok Sabha polls.

As regards AAP’s performance in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, it was the Congress which had emerged as the biggest gainer by winning seven of the total 13 Lok Sabha seats of the state. The Congress maintained its grip, emerging as the biggest player from the state which witnessed a multi-cornered contest; while BJP failed to open its account, the Shiromani Akali Dal could win only one, and the remaining two seats were won by radical Sikh candidates – Amritpal Singh from Khadoor Sahib seat and Sarabjeet Singh Khalsa from Faridkot seat.

Though Congress had won eight seats in the 2019 general elections, the party faced a brutal drubbing in the 2022 state assembly election when the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) not only registered a stunning victory by winning 92 out of the total 117 assembly seats, but also decimated Congress’ vote-share.

The Congress which had about 40% vote share and 18 MLAs then, came down to about 26% this time, but the party has bagged seven seats across the three regions of the state – Malwa, Majha and Doaba. It has won Ludhiana, Ferozepur, Fatehgarh Sahib (SC) and Patiala (Malwa), and two seats – Gurdaspur and Amritsar (Majha) and Jalandhar (SC) seat (Doaba).

Also, according to media reports, the AAP has seen a sharp decline – facing drubbing in 60 assembly segments that it had won in 2022 assembly polls. In the recent Lok Sabha polls, the AAP led in just 32 assembly seats compared to 92 of the total 117 assembly seats it won in 2022.

The Congress, on the other hand, staged a comeback, and led in 38 assembly seats compared to its 18 seats in 2022.

Pertinently, while the AAP has been relying on its populist schemes such as monthly free power upto 300 units, better schools and mohalla clinics, besides generation of employment in this by-poll, the Opposition parties on the other hand going full throttle over the unabated drug menace and worsening law and order situation besides other issues.

How seriously CM Mann is looking at this by-poll can be gauged from the fact that he has set up a camp office at Jalandhar. However, he has also declared that he would run the government for two days a week from Jalandhar for the convenience of the people.

Candidates in fray

While the AAP has fielded Mohinder Bhagat as its candidate for the said bypoll, the BJP has picked Sheetal Angural for the same.

Bhagat, who is AAP segment incharge, is a known sports goods manufacturer and former BJP leader. He had also unsuccessfully contested from Jalandhar West seat in 2017. He is son of Chunni Lal Bhagat, who was a minister in the erstwhile Shiromani-Akali Dal (SAD)-BJP government. Mohinder Bhagat left BJP and joined the AAP during the 2023 Jalandhar Lok Sabha by-election.

The Congress named its former senior Deputy Mayor Surinder Kaur, while the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) has fielded its two-time councillor Bibi Surjit Kaur as its candidate for the July 10 by-election.

While Congress’ Surinder Kaur is a four-time councillor, SAD’s Bibi Surjit Kaur, a social worker, came from Panthic background and her late husband Jathedar Pritam Singh had also served as a councillor once. The results for the said by-polls would be out on July 13.

PM Modi to visit Russia and Austria starting July 8

By
Tehelka WebDesk
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New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will pay an official visit to Russia and Austria on July 8-10, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) announced on Thursday.

Prime Minister Modi will arrive in Moscow on July 8 at the invitation of the Russian President Vladimir Putin to hold the 22nd India-Russia Annual Summit.

“The leaders will review the entire range of multifaceted relations between the two countries and exchange views on contemporary regional and global issues of mutual interest, ” the MEA stated.

He will thereafter travel to Austria on July 9 which will be the first visit by an Indian Prime Minister to the country in 41 years.

PM Modi will call on Austria’s President Alexander Van der Bellen and also hold talks with Chancellor of Austria, Karl Nehammer. The two leaders will also address business leaders from India and Austria.

The MEA detailed that Prime Minister Modi will interact with members of the Indian community in Moscow as well as in Vienna.

Centre committed to protecting well-being of women, children & adolescents: JP Nadda

By
Tehelka WebDesk
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New Delhi:  The Union government is committed to protecting the well-being of women, children and adolescents in the country, said Union Health Minister JP Nadda on Friday.

He said this while delivering a keynote address at the Partnership for Maternal, Newborn, and Child Health (PMNCH) Board Meeting in Geneva, Switzerland.

The minister lauded PMNCH for its commitment to the welfare of women, children and adolescents.

He also “reiterated government’s assurance to advancing this issue and fostering meaningful youth engagement”

At the event, Nadda also “underscored the importance of continuing the focus on accelerating progress towards Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) and preparing for the post-2030 agenda”.

The minister further emphasised the power of partnership and multiple stakeholders working in unison towards the attainment of common goals.

In May, Union Health Secretary Apurva Chandra at the 77th World Health Assembly (WHA) of the WHO also reiterated India’s commitment to take proactive actions for the health and well-being of women, children, and adolescents.

PMNCH is the world’s largest alliance committed to protecting and promoting the health, well-being, and rights of women, children and adolescents. It is governed by a Board and administered by a Secretariat hosted by the World Health Organization (WHO).

‘Waris Punjab De’ Chief Amritpal Singh, Engineer Rashid take oath as MPs

By
Tehelka WebDesk
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New Delhi:  Away from the media glare, jailed Sikh leader Amritpal Singh, who is detained under the National Security Act (NSA) in Assam’s Dibrugarh jail, and Kashmiri leader Sheikh Abdul Rashid on Friday took the oath as Lok Sabha MPs amid heavy security in and around the Parliament complex here after they were granted parole.

They were brought to the Parliament complex separately in the morning and took oath in the chamber of the Lok Sabha Speaker, sources said.

Sheikh Abdul Rashid (56), popularly known as Engineer Rashid, is lodged in Tihar Jail in Delhi in connection with a 2017 terror funding case. A Delhi court had granted custody parole for two hours to him to take the oath as an MP.

Rashid won the Lok Sabha elections as an Independent candidate from the Baramulla constituency in Jammu and Kashmir by defeating his nearest rival and National Conference leader Omar Abdullah by a margin of more than 2 lakh votes.

Thirty-one-year-old Sikh radical Amritpal Singh, head of ‘Waris Punjab De’ and currently locked up in an Assam jail, won the Khadoor Sahib seat by 197, 120 votes over his nearest rival, Congress candidate Kulbir Singh Zira.

Both of the leaders won the polls as Independents while being incarcerated.

Their parole orders said during their temporary release, they can neither speak to nor address the media on any issue or make any statements. Their family members also cannot make a statement in any form to the media.

While Amritpal Singh, who claims he’s inspired by Sant Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, was allowed to meet his father and uncle after the oath-taking ceremony, Rashid’s family had permission only to attend his oath-taking.

Constitution experts say a jailed MP-elect can come to Parliament to participate in the oath-taking ceremony and take part in important votes with the court’s consent.

As per Section 8 (3) of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, if a person is convicted of any offence and sentenced to imprisonment of two years or more, he/she will be disqualified from contesting the polls.

For taking the oath, Rashid has been granted a two-hour custody parole, while Amritpal Singh granted a four-day custody parole from July 5. After the oath, he was flown to Assam.

Bihar CM directs authorities to take measures for bridge safety

By
Tehelka WebDesk
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Patna: After frequent incidents of bridge collapse in Bihar, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Thursday directed the Rural Works Department to develop a maintenance policy aligned with the Road Construction Department’s standards to improve infrastructure safety and longevity.

The Chief Minister asked the officials of the departments to prepare Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for regular bridge inspections.

Vigilance, continuous monitoring, and strict accountability measures for maintaining roads and bridges are required for public safety, he said.

“I have directed the officials to visit the sites to assess the condition of old bridges and take prompt maintenance actions to prevent infrastructure failures, ” he said.

Meanwhile, the Leader of the Opposition in the Bihar Assembly Tejashwi Yadav criticised the state government over frequent bridge collapses.

Yadav pointed out that a bridge collapsed on Thursday morning and five bridges collapsed on July 3.

Twelve bridges have collapsed since June 18 in the state, he said.

Taking a dig, Yadav said, “Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Nitish Kumar are silent and speechless about these ‘achievements’. They are thinking about how to convert this auspicious corruption into the ‘jungle raj’?”

LS Speaker changes rule to bar MPs from any additional remarks during oath

By
Tehelka WebDesk
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New Delhi:  Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla has amended parliamentary rules to restrict newly elected MPs from using any additional words or remarks before or after taking the oath or affirmation of membership.

The Speaker has made an amendment to Rule 389 of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in Lok Sabha (Seventeenth Edition).

According to the amendment, a “member shall make and subscribe oath or affirmation, as the case may be, in accordance with the form set out for the purpose, in the Third Schedule to the Constitution of India and shall not use any word or expression or make any remark as a prefix or suffix to the form of oath or affirmation.”

The amendment comes amid controversy over some MPs raising slogans like “Jai Palestine”, “Jai Hindu Rashtra” while taking oath.

Recently, AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi raised slogans of ‘Jai Bhim, Jai Mim, Jai Telangana and ‘Jai Palestine’ in the House after taking oath as an MP. Apart from Owaisi, some other MPs were also seen raising slogans before or after taking oath.

Kashmir faces record heatwave as Srinagar hits highest July temperature in 25 years

By
Tehelka WebDesk
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Kashmir is currently experiencing an intense heatwave, with temperatures soaring to record highs. On Wednesday, Srinagar recorded a maximum temperature of 35.6 degrees Celsius, the highest in July in 25 years since 1999 when the mercury reached 37 degrees Celsius, according to officials.

The temperature was six degrees above the normal for this time of the year. Srinagar was hotter than many major Indian cities, surpassing Delhi, which recorded 34.1 degrees Celsius, Kolkata at 31.2 degrees Celsius, Mumbai at 33 degrees Celsius, and Bengaluru at 28.8 degrees Celsius.

Other areas in the Kashmir Valley also experienced scorching heat. Qazigund recorded 34.4 degrees Celsius, and Kupwara 34.5 degrees Celsius. These temperatures were 4.5 to 6.9 degrees above the normal range for the season.

The heatwave has led to water shortages in many areas. In response, the health department has issued advisories to help residents cope with the extreme conditions. The school education department has announced a 10-day summer vacation for schools in the valley starting from July 8.

The meteorological department has forecast some relief starting Thursday, with the possibility of intermittent light to moderate rain or thundershowers in many areas. From July 5-6, moderate rainfall is expected at many places in Jammu and Kashmir, with heavy spells at some locations. Light rainfall is predicted for July 7, but hot and humid weather is likely to return from July 8 to 10.

Delhi CM Kejriwal files bail plea in High Court in CBI case

By
Tehelka WebDesk
-

New Delhi: Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, who remains under 14-day judicial custody (till July 12) in the corruption case linked to the alleged liquor policy scam, has petitioned the Delhi High Court for bail.

On Wednesday, his bail plea was mentioned before a bench presided over by Acting Chief Justice (ACJ) Manmohan for urgent listing.

CM Kejriwal’s lawyer urged the court that the bail plea be taken up for hearing on Thursday.

At this, the ACJ assured that CM Kejriwal’s bail petition will be heard on Friday, July 5.

The Delhi High Court on Tuesday issued notice on a plea filed by CM Kejriwal challenging his arrest by the CBI. A bench of Justice Neena Bansal Krishna asked the central agency to file its response by July 17 in the matter.

On June 26, CM Kejriwal was arrested by the CBI and was produced before the Rouse Avenue Court. Subsequently, he was sent to three-day CBI custody for interrogation.

Permission was granted to the CBI to produce CM Kejriwal in the special court after questioning him in Tihar Jail last week.

Recently, the Delhi High Court stayed a trial court order granting bail to CM Kejriwal in a money laundering case, saying that the documents and arguments were not appreciated by the lower court.

The Supreme Court, in May, had reserved its verdict on the petition filed by CM Kejriwal challenging his arrest and subsequent remand by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in the excise policy case. He was ordered to be released on 21-day interim bail by the apex court in view of the general elections.

NEET 2024: How it shook the faith among lakhs of students, parents

By
Nitya Gaba
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The medical entrace exam is under lens for lack of integrity in the selection process for undergraduate medical seats. The unprecedented declaration of 67 all-India rank 1 holders has sparked concern regarding the fairness of the allocation of grace marks and attracted criticism, writes Nitya Gaba

We as individuals in life create dreams for ourselves to achieve and hope to reach the top of the mountain. It requires hard work, a strong mindset and most importantly constant support from people around us throughout the journey.

So, there exists a huge chunk of youth aspiring to become a doctor. NEET (National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test) 2024 is a medical entrance exam held every year for the young minds who aim to become a doctor one day. Recently, all the controversies in the air regarding NEET 2024 has led to disappointed eyes. We as Individuals must realise the unjust play that is taking place by understanding the depth of the issue.

NEET has been under spotlight for its lack of credibility and integrity in the selection process of the candidates for undergraduate medical seats. Long before National Test Agency (NTA) came into play, CBSE (Central Board of Secondary Education) was the facilitator of the examination. Presently NEET is overseen by the autonomous NTA under the Ministry of Education. Over the years, from 2012 to 2020, there have been doubts about the system by which the medical exams are conducted. Despite legal challenges that questioned NEET during the last few years, the Supreme Court upheld the involvement in this area, but in 2024, the exam faced petitions cast around for its annulment due to the alleged leaks and irreconcilability, casting doubts on its impartiality.

In this year’s examination, around 23 lakhs candidates have competed for approximately1.09 lakh MBBS seats, with over 55,000 in government colleges and rest in private institutions. The NEET 2024 result was unexpectedly announced on June 4, 2024 amid the general election results. Meanwhile, the unprecedented declaration of total 67 all-India rank 1 holders sparked concern regarding the fairness of the allocation of grace marks and drew criticism. After the street protest by the aggrieved students and their parents, now the issue is also raising the political temperatures. NSUI is taking active part in the protests seeking justice for the students and seeking Re-NEET and ban imposition on NTA.

As expected, this issue has resulted in political parties resorting to blame game where one party is blaming the other for faulty conduct of the exam. Recently, the Delhi Congress workers protested near the BJP headquarters over the alleged question paper leaks in states such as Bihar and other irregularities in the NEET-UG 2024 examinations. Delhi Congress president Devender Yadav led the demonstration. Economic Offence Unit (EOU) has agreed the paper is leaked but why the government is aligned with the idea that this case is only limited to Bihar. In Latur, Maharashtra, two individuals were arrested; arrests were also made in Devghar, Jharkhand. More recently, the CBI team has reached Gujarat, Godhra for inspection. The leak spread is reaching state to state in a speedy manner. During the first day of the Parliament session, when the Minister of education was taking the oath of the office, the protests erupted at the opposition benches with the leaders shouting “shame shame” even as the Union Minister of Education, Dharmendra Pradhan kept a smile on his face.

Protests are happening in different cities by the students and their parents for the justice they deserve and the questions that must be answered. It’s the message they are spreading trying to evoke emotions and help from the responsible authority, through slogans like  #RENEET”. Three most pivotal steps taken till now are, first, the chief of NTA Subhod Kumar Singh is removed from his position and is replaced by Pradeep Singh; second, the CBI has been appointed to investigate the paper leak; and third, the NEET-PG paper is set to kept on hold. In total, 13 persons have been arrested from Bihar, 6 from Jharkhand, 5 from Gujarat and one from Maharashtra and other four have been booked.

Students have been asking for the re-scheduling of the counselling that is supposed to be on July 6, but the Supreme Court has refused to postpone the NEET -UG counselling process putting it as not straightforward. “Counselling is a process. It only commences from July 6. It will continue for a week. Meanwhile, the applicants have many options…to amend/modify…”  SC told a counsel for a petitioner. There also exists a question on the number 1563. Well, what does this number mean? The Supreme Court recorded the Union government’s submission on June 13 that the score cards of 1,563 candidates granted compensatory marks in the undergraduate medical entrance examination will stand is going to be held on June 23 itself. cancelled and examination for these candidates

Additionally, NTA following its own pattern, has cancelled the UGC-NET examination just a day after the apparent “successful conduct” of the examination by NTA. The exam got postponed due to some “unavoidable circumstances and logistics issues.”  University Grants Commission (UGC- NET) and Joint Council of scientific and industrial Research (CSIR) is scheduled for June 27 to June 27. The examination was cancelled after the ministry received information from the National Cyber Crime threat analytics unit pointing at the potential compromise made which questioned the exams integrity.

A student aspires the whole year to crack a particular exam, it’s the sweat and hard work that is put in that deserve recognition. Such unjust brings upon the destruction of the mental health of the young minds leading to medical cases and the worst-case scenario being suicide. The mistake of the coaching centres, a few students and teachers and most importantly NTA the responsible authority is costing consequences on hundred and thousands of aspirants. “It’s completely unfair, that you make so many sacrifices by taking a one-year drop, the efforts are put not only by us but also our parents, when I saw my marks 640, I was happy with it but when my eyes dropped at the rank there was nothing but confusion as to why this happened,” said a student.

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