The News Caravan

Tag: threat

  • Nepal PM Prachanda’s visit to Qatar cancelled amid threat to his govt

    Nepal PM Prachanda’s visit to Qatar cancelled amid threat to his govt

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    Kathmandu: Nepal Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal “Prachanda” has cancelled his first foreign visit to Qatar due to some “important political engagements” at home, officials said on Monday, amidst a threat to the stability of his coalition government ahead of the presidential election.

    “Prachanda” was scheduled to leave for Doha on March 3 to participate in the Fifth Conference of the Least Developed Countries (LDCs) taking place there, his first official foreign trip since assuming office two months ago.

    “The Prime Minister’s visit to Qatar to attend the Fifth Conference of the Least Developed Countries (LDCs) has been cancelled due to his important political engagements at home,” Prachanda’s Media Coordinator Surya Kiran Sharma told PTI on Monday.

    Earlier, on Sunday the Foreign Ministry announced that Prime Minister Prachanda would visit Qatar, in connection with participating in LDCs meeting, as his first foreign trip after assuming the top executive position.

    However, the Prime Minister decided not to leave the country in view of the presidential election scheduled to take place on March 9, the Prime Minister’s aide confirmed.

    Meanwhile, just hours before Foreign Minister Bimala Rai Paudyal was scheduled to fly to Geneva to attend a high-level session of the UN Human Rights Council, Prime Minister Prachanda asked her to cancel the visit.

    The development comes as a new ruling coalition minus the CPN-UML is in the making in Kathmandu just ahead of the presidential election on March 9, Nepalease media reported on Monday.

    Eight political parties, including CPN-Maoist Centre led by Prachanda, have decided to support senior Nepali Congress leader Ramchandra Poudyal for the post of head of the state during the election.

    Prachanda, the 68-year-old Maoist leader was sworn in as the Prime Minister for the third time on December 26 last year after he dramatically walked out of the pre-poll alliance led by the Nepali Congress and joined hands with opposition leader Oli.

    The Rashtriya Prajatantra Party (PPP), a key partner in the seven parties ruling alliance in Nepal, has decided to withdraw its support to ‘Prachanda’-led government, citing changes in the political equation.

    Maoist Center Chairman and Prime Minister ‘Prachanda’ has dealt a blow to the ruling alliance by selecting a presidential candidate from outside the ruling alliance.

    The presidential election scheduled for early next month has put a serious question mark on the future of the seven-party ruling alliance.

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    ( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

  • Bomb threat on Secundrabad-Belagavi train proved hoax

    Bomb threat on Secundrabad-Belagavi train proved hoax

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    Bomb threat on Secundrabad-Belagavi train proved hoax

    Hyderabad: A phone call about a bomb planted on the Secunderabad-Belagavi special train proved to be a hoax, officials said on Thursday.

    After receiving the call at Secunderabad railway station here Wednesday night, railway authorities swung into action.

    Personnel of the Railway Police checked the entire train but found nothing suspicious.

    The phone call was received at around 9.30 p.m. from one Balaraju, a resident of Devarampalli village in Rangareddy district.

    He told police that he heard three men talking about the bomb being planted on the train.

    The checking continued till 11.15 p.m.

    The train number 07336 was scheduled to depart Secunderabad railway station at 10.20 p.m. for Belagavi in Karnataka but the bomb threat delayed the departure by about one-and-half hour.

    The police would question Balaraju to check the veracity of his statement and the identify the three men.

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    #Bomb #threat #SecundrabadBelagavi #train #proved #hoax

    ( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

  • Passenger makes bomb threat call after reporting late for Hyderabad-Chennai flight

    Passenger makes bomb threat call after reporting late for Hyderabad-Chennai flight

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    Saudi Arabia: Air Traffic rises by 43 percent; marine by 7 percent

    Hyderabad: A passenger, who wanted to catch a flight to Chennai on Monday but crossed the boarding time, made a bomb threat call to the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGIA), forcing the authorities to halt the plane and evacuate it for checking.

    The call proved to be a hoax and meanwhile acting swiftly, the airport intelligence officials nabbed the passenger after they found that the bomb threat call was made from within RGIA premises.

    The passenger identified as Ajmira Bhadraiah, a Chief Engineer in the Military Engineer Services (MES) in Chennai, was late for Hyderabad-Chennai IndiGo flight. As he was stopped from entering the airport, he made a call that a bomb had been planted in the flight.

    The security officials immediately halted the flight and evacuated it. They pressed into service dog squad, bomb squad and other teams but found nothing suspicious.

    Meanwhile, airport intelligence officials found that the call was made from within the airport premises. They immediately nabbed the passenger, who admitted that he made the call as he wanted to catch the flight.

    The officials took him into custody and questioned him. A case has been booked against him at RGIA police station.

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    #Passenger #bomb #threat #call #reporting #late #HyderabadChennai #flight

    ( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

  • DeSantis downplays Russia threat after Biden visit

    DeSantis downplays Russia threat after Biden visit

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    florida desantis 08208

    Russia tried to freeze Europe by curtailing gas supplies this winter, though the continent has so far managed to get through the season with a combination of planning and luck, POLITICO previously reported.

    The war also prompted Finland and Sweden to apply to join NATO, the Western military alliance. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Monday urged the expansion to be accepted, speaking in Turkey — one of the holdout states for ratification. Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin said last month she believed that Ukraine would not have been invaded if her country had been a member of NATO.

    DeSantis, who is considered a likely candidate for the Republican presidential nomination next year, criticized Biden and his administration for visiting Ukraine instead of focusing on other priorities.

    “He’s very concerned about those borders halfway around the world. He’s not done anything to secure our own border here at home,” DeSantis said, referring to the southern border.

    Rep. David Kustoff (R-Tenn.), while giving “kudos” to Biden for visiting Ukraine, suggested the president should have instead visited the site of this month’s toxic train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio.

    “There are a lot of people here in the U.S. that would say he probably should have gone to Ohio and visited with the people who have been afflicted by the derailment first,” Kustoff said on Fox Business, also criticizing the amount of spending on aid to Ukraine.

    Russia’s incursion into Ukraine, led by President Vladimir Putin, has prompted fears within the Baltic states — Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania — about further invasion if Ukraine falls. Russia has already threatened Moldova, a neighboring country to Ukraine.

    Moldova’s pro-European Union government resigned this month following pressure from Russia, though its Parliament soon approved another pro-Western prime minister. Moldovan President Maia Sandu said earlier this month that Russia wanted to stage a coup in her country; Zelenskyy said days earlier that Russia planned to “destroy” Moldova.

    Biden visited Kyiv on Monday morning to show solidarity, a surprise appearance marking the anniversary since Russia invaded on Feb. 24, 2022. In an address with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Biden also announced a new half-billion-dollar weapons package to Ukraine.

    The administration has “no clear strategic objective identified” as it provides aid, DeSantis said.

    “And I don’t think it’s in our interest to be getting into proxy war with China, getting involved over things like the borderlands or over Crimea,” he said. While Russia is “hostile,” he said, China poses a bigger threat.

    The Biden administration has repeatedly disputed the idea that it is providing blank checks to Ukraine.

    “There’s been no blank checks,” National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said this week on Fox’s “Fox News Sunday.” “Every single item that we have sent in to Ukraine has been done in full consultation with the Congress.”

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    #DeSantis #downplays #Russia #threat #Biden #visit
    ( With inputs from : www.politico.com )

  • Hindu temple in Australia gets threat calls; asked to raise Khalistani slogans

    Hindu temple in Australia gets threat calls; asked to raise Khalistani slogans

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    Melbourne: A prominent Hindu temple in Australia has received threatening calls in which it was asked to raise pro-Khalistani slogans if it wanted to observe Maha Shivratri peacefully which falls on February 18, a media report said on Friday.

    The threatening call to Gayatri mandir in Brisbane came after three Hindu temples were vandalised in Australia’s Victoria state allegedly by “Khalistani supporters” with anti-India graffiti.

    Jai Ram, the president and Dharmesh Prasad, the vice president of Gayatri Mandir received separate calls on Friday from a man who identified himself as ‘Guruawadesh Singh’ seeking the Hindu community to support the “Khalistan Referendum”, The Australia Today reported.

    Claiming that he was calling from Nankana Sahib in Pakistan, the anti-India supporter asked temple officials to ask the Hindu community to support the ‘Khalistan Referendum’.

    “I have a message in relation to Khalistan… if you plan to celebrate Maha Shivratri …. then ask the priest to support Khalistan and raise ‘Khalistan Zindabad’ slogans five times during your event… now show me how you will raise this slogan,” the report said, quoting Singh’s warning message to the president of the temple.

    Talking about the threat call, Prasad said that violence towards religious places is the biggest crime and “we as Hindus should be able to practice our religion without fear”, the report said.

    Later on, Temple’s Public relation officer Neelima also said that received several calls from an American number.

    The threatening call to Gayatri mandir came after recent attacks on three Hindu temples that were vandalised in Australia’s Victoria state allegedly by “Khalistani supporters” with anti-India graffiti.

    Earlier, a Kali Mata Mandir in Melbourne’s northern suburb of Craigieburn also received a threatening call to cancel a bhajan and puja event or face consequences.

    The Indian-Australian community is still recovering from the vandalism of three temples by Khalistani extremists.

    On Jan 23, the management of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) temple also known as the Hare Krishna Temple in Melbourne’s Albert Park found the walls of the revered temple vandalised with graffiti “Hindustan Murdabad”.

    On January 16, the historic Shri Shiva Vishnu Temple in Carrum Downs, Victoria, was vandalised in a similar manner.

    On January 12, the Swaminarayan temple in Melbourne was defaced by ‘anti-social elements’ with anti-India graffiti.

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    #Hindu #temple #Australia #threat #calls #asked #raise #Khalistani #slogans

    ( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

  • WRU says ‘no room for manoeuvre’ on contracts despite players’ strike threat

    WRU says ‘no room for manoeuvre’ on contracts despite players’ strike threat

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    The Welsh Rugby Union and the Welsh regions have said there is “no room for manoeuvre” on the budget for player contracts in Wales despite the threat of strike action putting next week’s Six Nations fixture against England in jeopardy.

    Nigel Walker, the WRU’s interim chief executive, met with senior Wales players on Wednesday in an attempt to soothe relations after it emerged strike action was being considered over the contract renewals, with a meeting soon to take place between the Welsh Rugby Players Association and players.

    Having accepted pay cuts of 20% during the Covid period, players in Wales are now faced with further cuts under the proposed six-year deal between the WRU and the regions. The take-or-leave-it deal which has to be signed by 28 February – three days after the England game – would see lower wages all round and bonuses introduced into contracts for the first time.

    However, the Professional Rugby Board, the body which consists of representatives of the four regions plus the WRU, said the new deal was necessary to bring sustainability to the sport.

    “The new agreement offers a complete funding package to the professional game in Wales, but it does come with financial limitations which will directly affect salary negotiations,” said the PRB chair, Malcolm Wall, in a statement on Wednesday evening. “The cold facts are that the WRU and clubs have been paying salaries that their businesses cannot afford, so the new agreement establishes a new framework for contract negotiations.

    “There is a stipulation that all current contracts will be honoured, but these businesses must return to a sustainable footing in order for the success we all crave to follow.

    “The average salary of a Welsh professional rugby player under the new framework will be around £100k per year. We are confident that our salary packages are in line with the UK market. The PRB accepts that some better-funded English and French clubs are paying more, but this is where we must set the mark of sustainability in Wales.”

    The PRB’s statement added that there was “no room for manoeuvre when it comes to the overall budget available for player contracts”. Walker said: “We know we are not in an ideal situation, but it is incredibly important for the whole game in Wales for us to get this next step right.”

    Meanwhile, the Ospreys lock and former Wales international Bradley Davies has urged the PRB to listen to players’ concerns over the future of rugby in the country and to make the changes necessary to avoid a strike.

    Davies, a second-row capped 66 times by his country and still in action for the Ospreys at the age of 36, said strike action is the “last option” for players and that a lack of representation at the top of the game in Wales is as big a frustration for players across the four regional teams as proposals for another pay cut.

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    Bradley Davies in action for Ospreys against Montpellier last month
    Bradley Davies in action for Ospreys against Montpellier last month. Photograph: Chris Fairweather/Huw Evans/Shutterstock

    “We choose to be rugby players. We aren’t asking for more money, we are just asking for a voice in the way things are run – player welfare, how many games you play, head injury stuff, mental health,” he said. “As players we have zero input into all that at the moment. All the boys want is a bit of communication.

    “Let’s all get around a table, let’s speak, let’s make Welsh rugby good again. We are not far off it. If we had to strike, and that was the decision everyone made, then fair enough – but it’s the last, last option.”

    While players have been offered verbal commitments from their regions, nothing can be firmed up until the new deal is signed. Some players have already left, many others are considering moves to England and abroad and, at a more basic level, many others are concerned for their financial futures.

    “The WRPA has improved 10-fold since I first became a member and the people involved now are outstanding,” said Davies. “But we’re still not where we need to be. We haven’t got representation on the PRB and can’t put the players’ point of view across.

    “During Covid, we accepted all the pay cuts, we didn’t argue one bit. We just accepted everything that was chucked at us. All we wanted was a voice and a seat on the board, and that was stopped. Yet we’re expected to rock up for work, run into a brick wall, take our money and then get up Monday and go again. All the boys are asking for is a bit of a say in their own destiny.”

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    ( With inputs from : www.theguardian.com )

  • Telangana BJP leader sets campaign tone with threat to demolish Sectt domes

    Telangana BJP leader sets campaign tone with threat to demolish Sectt domes

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    Hyderabad: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Telangana is looking for emotive issues for polarisation as it embarked on a major state-wide exercise to bolster its prospects in the Assembly elections scheduled later this year.

    State BJP chief Bandi Sanjay launched 15-day-long campaign on February 10 with a threat to demolish domes of new Secretariat building if his party was voted to power in the next elections. He says the domes of the new Secretariat reflect the culture of Nizam and hence they will be demolished if BJP was voted to power.

    BJP will be conducting 11,000 street corner meetings across the state till February 25. With the slogan “People’s issues BJP’s assurance (Praja Gosa, BJP Bharosa)” the meetings will be held in all 118 Assembly constituencies in the state.

    The campaign is aimed at exposing the failures of the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) government and highlighting achievements of the BJP-led government at the Centre.

    Senior party leaders have been made in-charges of the Assembly constituencies to oversee the campaign. Speakers at the street corner meetings are speaking about the alleged irregularities and failures of the BRS government.

    This is the first state-wide campaign undertaken by the BJP as part of its Mission 2023 to come to power in the state.

    Sanjay set the tone for the street meetings and perhaps for the poll campaign by raking up a controversy. Known as a rabble-rouser, the MP from Karimnagar is apparently trying to build a narrative which suits the party’s game plan to capture power.

    Political observers say the BJP leader deliberately chooses an issue to polarise voters. Addressing a street corner meeting in Kukatpally constituency in Hyderabad, he trained guns at BRS and its friendly party All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM).

    BJP leaders have been targeting BRS over alleged policy of minority appeasement and its friendly ties with AIMIM.

    It’s in this context that Sanjay faulted with the design of new Secretariat building to train guns on BRS and Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao.

    He went on to the extent of threatening that if voted to power, BJP would demolish the domes of the new state Secretariat building as they reflect the culture of Nizams.

    Sanjay alleged that Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao turned the secretariat into a tomb like the Taj Mahal to please AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi.

    “If BJP comes to power, it will destroy the symbols of Nizam’s culture in the state. We will make changes in the state secretariat so that it reflects the Indian and Telangana culture,” he said.

    The seven-storey structure with a built-up area of 7 lakh square feet built at a cost of nearly Rs 650 crore is ready for the inauguration.

    The state government has named the new Secretariat complex after Dr B.R. Ambedkar. Chief Minister KCR already stated that it reflects the pride of Telangana and would stand as a role model for other states.

    Sanjay alleged that BRS and AIMIM are one and the same. He said the two parties, which were sharing power in Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC), were enacting a drama for the Assembly elections.

    He was apparently referring to AIMIM floor leader in Telangana Assembly Akbaruddin Owaisi’s statement that his party would contest 50 seats in the coming Assembly elections. Owaisi had also exuded confidence that AIMIM would win 15 seats, up from the current seven seats.

    The BJP leader dared AIMIM to contest all Assembly seats if it was sincere in taking on BRS.

    Going a step ahead, Sanjay challenged municipal administration and urban development minister K.T. Rama Rao to demolish mosques on roads in the old city of Hyderabad, considered a stronghold of AIMIM.

    This is not the first time that the state BJP chief has sparked a controversy with his remarks.

    Sanjay had allegedly delivered a hate speech in May. Complaints were filed against him at various police stations in the state for making provocative remarks against mosques and madarsas.

    The BJP leader demanded digging under all mosques. Alleging that Muslim rulers in Telangana demolished several temples and built mosques over them, he demanded digging work at all mosques, saying there was a possibility of finding Shiva Lingams underneath.

    The BJP MP also stated that if BJP comes to power in Telangana, it will abolish all madrasas, do away with reservation for Muslims, and remove Urdu as the second official language.

    The saffron party has been trying to exploit sensitive issues for political mileage. Be it KCR’s friendship with Owaisi, four per cent reservation for Muslims, the state government not officially celebrating September 17, second official language to the state or the demand to rename Hyderabad as Bhagynagar, the BJP leaders always tried to look for issues which lead to communal polarisation.

    The BJP has been on the offensive ever since it bagged four Lok Sabha seats in the state in 2019 and scored victories in two Assembly by-elections and significantly increased its tally in Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC).

    Projecting BJP as the only viable alternative, the party leaders see a realistic chance of coming to power in the state in 2023.

    Political analysts say historically BJP has been raking up emotive issues which could help in garnering votes of the majority community, especially in constituencies in and around Hyderabad and other urban pockets of the state.

    They say Muslim rule in erstwhile Hyderabad State, the tumultuous developments of post-Independence leading to Hyderabad’s accession with Indian Union, the political domination of AIMIM in parts of Hyderabad and the alleged appeasement policies of successive governments- all provide ammunition to the BJP’s polarisation politics.

    After Bandi Sanjay became the BJP state president in 2020, the party has gone into an overdrive to draw political mileage from sensitive issues. In what is seen as an attempt to challenge AIMIM on its home turf, he launched his state-wide Praja Sangram Yatra from Bhagyalaxmi temple abutting historic Charminar.

    In fact this temple, whose legality was questioned several times in the past sparking communal tensions, has become the focal point of BJP’s politics over last couple of years.

    BJP launched its poll campaign in GHMC elections in 2020 from the same temple. It was also visited by Union Home Minister Amit Shah during GHMC polls and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath in July during BJP’s national executive committee meeting here.

    BJP MLA Raja Singh’s suspension by the party after he uploaded a video containing derogatory remarks about Prophet Mohammad last year was seen as an attempt by the saffron party’s central leadership to avoid another embarrassment at the international level after Nupur Sharma’s offensive remarks.

    As his derogatory video sparked massive protests and even led to disturbances, the BRS government cracked the whip by sending him to jail after invoking Preventive Detention (PD) Act.

    The MLA from Goshamahal constituency in Hyderabad has 101 criminal cases registered against him since 2004. According to police, he was involved in 18 communal offences.

    The tone and tenor of BJP leaders at public meetings in recent months show that Raja Singh was not just a flash in the pan. Bandi Sanjay and other state BJP leaders too have been making provocative statements.

    With Assembly elections a few months away, political observers believe that the saffron party will raise the pitch of its divisive politics to capture power.

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    ( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

  • Mumbai airport gets threat call from Indian Mujahideen terrorist

    Mumbai airport gets threat call from Indian Mujahideen terrorist

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    Mumbai airport gets threat call, caller identifies himself Indian Mujahideen terrorist

    Mumbai: Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport received a threat call on Monday night where the caller introduced himself as an Indian Mujahideen terrorist and threatened to blow up the airport.

    According to Mumbai Police, the call was received at around 10 pm at Mumbai airport on Monday.

    The caller introduced himself as Irfan Ahmed Sheikh and described himself as a member of the terrorist organization Indian Mujahideen.

    After giving his introduction, the caller spoke about suspicious things using some code words.

    The airport authority immediately informed Mumbai Police about the call. Police registered a case against the unknown person under section 505 (1) of the IPC.

    The investigation is underway.
    Meanwhile, Mumbai Police and other agencies are on alert and security has been beefed up.

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    #Mumbai #airport #threat #call #Indian #Mujahideen #terrorist

    ( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

  • AP: YSRCP rebel MLA Kotamreddy Sridhar Reddy alleges threat to life

    AP: YSRCP rebel MLA Kotamreddy Sridhar Reddy alleges threat to life

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    Amaravati: Nellore rural MLA Kotamreddy Sridhar Reddy, who has raised the banner of revolt against the ruling YSR Congress Party (YSRCP), alleged on Sunday that though he has been receiving threatening phone calls, the government has scaled down his security.

    The MLA, who created a sensation recently by alleging that his phones were being tapped, said his security was scaled with orders from the top.

    Sridhar Reddy said the government had given him four gunmen (security guards) and on Saturday it issued orders to take back two of them.

    He said the gunmen were taken back to mentally harass him. He said ever since he spoke about phone tapping he had been receiving threatening phone calls.

    “In this situation, I need additional security but even the existing security was withdrawn. This would not have been done without orders from the top,” he said

    “The government took back two gunmen but I am surrendering the remaining two as a gift to it. I am not afraid of anybody. I will go around alone,” he said.

    Sridhar Reddy said he was not afraid of threats or false cases being booked against him.

    The police had Saturday booked Sridhar Reddy and two others with the alleged kidnapping of a ruling YSRC corporator and attempting to compel him into resigning from the party.

    A case was registered against them for trespassing into the home and kidnapping M. Vijayabhaskar Reddy, a corporator of Nellore city, with criminal intent.

    The ruling party corporator, in his complaint, said Kotamreddy tried to persuade him to leave YSRCP and join him. When he refused, the corporator alleged, one of the MLA’s followers, along with driver Ankaiah, intimidated and abducted him from the Padarupalli area on Friday between 2.30 p.m. and 3 p.m. and took him to the MLA. The corporator stated that he, however, managed to flee and filed a case against the MLA at Vedayapalem police station.

    However, Sridhar Reddy clarified that he went to corporator Vijayabhaskar’s house to talk to him. For that, a kidnapping case has been filed against him.

    On Saturday, an audio tape of a phone call between Sridhar Reddy and one Borugadda Anil went viral on social media. In the audio, Anil warns the MLA to be careful in his public speeches regarding the YSRCP chief. Anil is heard threatening the MLA that he (Sridhar Reddy) and his brother would be chained to a vehicle and dragged through the streets of Nellore if they continue to criticise Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy and YSRCP party leaders.

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    #YSRCP #rebel #MLA #Kotamreddy #Sridhar #Reddy #alleges #threat #life

    ( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

  • P T Usha alleges security threat in her academy; breaks down before media

    P T Usha alleges security threat in her academy; breaks down before media

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    Thiruvananthapuram/New Delhi: Legendary athlete and Indian Olympic Association (IOA) president P T Usha on Saturday broke down before the media alleging that illegal constructions were being carried out at her academy campus in Kozhikode district and strangers were trespassing into the property posing a security threat to the inmates.

    Addressing a press conference in New Delhi, she said those at the Usha School of Athletics had been facing such harassment and security issues for some time and it has intensified after she became the Rajya Sabha Member.
    Usha had been nominated to the Upper House by the BJP in July 2022.

    The “sprint queen” appealed to the Left government in Kerala and Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan to intervene into the issue and take immediate steps to stop the alleged encroachment and trespassing into the campus and ensure the safety of women athletes there.”Of the 25 women athletes in the Usha schools, 11 were from north India. It is our responsibility to ensure their safety. I submitted a written complaint to the Chief Minister in this regard,” she said.

    A teary-eyed Usha also said waste is being dumped on a large scale on the campus, which is also facing threat from the drug mafia but the local panchayat was not letting the academy management to construct a compound wall.

    “An illegal construction was made just in the middle of the campus by someone and when we asked, they said they had the approval of the panchayat authorities for it. The school management also had to suffer rude behaviour when they questioned this encroachment,” she said.

    Usha said the 30-acre land, where the Usha School of Athletics is located, was handed over to them by the previous Oommen Chandy led-Congress government in the state for 30 years on lease.

    Asked whether those at her academy were facing harassment and ill-treatment after she was nominated to the Rajya Sabha by the BJP, she said each political party had the habit of considering her as a member of its political rival.

    “The Congress would say I am a CPI(M) sympathiser while the Marxist party would say I have an affiliation to the BJP.
    “I have no politics and I used to help everyone in all possible ways,” she added.

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    #Usha #alleges #security #threat #academy #breaks #media

    ( With inputs from www.siasat.com )