After 6 days in Punjab, Bharat Jodo Yatra enters Himachal
Darpan News Desk IANS, 18 Jan, 2023 12:38 PM
Shimla, Jan 18 (IANS) After six days in Punjab, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's Bharat Jodo Yatra on Wednesday entered Himachal Pradesh where Chief Minister Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu and state party President Pratibha Singh, among other party leaders, welcomed the day-long leg of the march in the state.
The flag handover ceremony was held on the border village of Ghatota in the hill state.
On entering the state, Rahul Gandhi said: "You had asked that yatra should pass through Himachal Pradesh. We changed the entire route.
"We gave little time to Himachal Pradesh, only one day, more time should have been given."
He added the yatra has to reach Srinagar on January 30, the death anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi.
Pratibha Singh told the senior Congress leader that she had assured during a meeting in Delhi before the Assembly elections that "Himachal Pradesh aapki jholi mein aayega (Congress will win Himachal Pradesh elections)".
"The beginning has been made in Dev Bhoomi and similarly we will hoist the Congress flag in every state," she added.
According to media reports, Mann, who was on a eigh-day trip to Germany till September 18, delayed his departure as he was reportedly in 'an inebriated state'. However, AAP has strongly denied the charge, saying Mann was not deplaned at the Frankfurt airport. The party termed it as false and frivolous propaganda by political rivals.
The official added that a case was registered against Shailendra Sharma, the Superintendent and Tax Clerk Raman Agarwal on a complaint alleging that they were demanding a bribe of Rs 50,000 which was reduced to Rs 25,000 from the complainant for getting his mutation file processed. The CBI laid a trap and caught the accused red-handed while demanding and accepting the bribe of Rs 25,000 from the complainant.
Both -- Mandeep, alias Manna Tuffan, and Manpreet, alias Mani Rayia -- were allegedly involved in the murder of gangster Ranbir Singh, alias Rana Kandowalia. Kandowalia, who was facing dozens of cases of murder and attempt to murder, was gunned down outside a private hospital in Amritsar in August last year. The Bhagwanpuria group had taken the responsibility for the murder.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah had ordered a CBI probe into the death of Phogat. The move came after Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant recommended a CBI probe into the case as per demand of Phogat's daughter and people of Haryana.
The two-time chief minister of Punjab had fought the assembly elections in the state earlier this year in alliance with the BJP as well as Akali Dal (Sanyukt). His party - Punjab Lok Congress - though had failed to get even a single seat during the assembly elections.
During deliberations, the Chief Minister envisaged opportunities for mutual collaboration in business and solutions. He said that the alliance could provide on-field handholding to Punjab farmers in best practices of crop management.