BJD, Cong shedding crocodile tears over quota: Samal

Bhubaneswar: The BJP in Odisha on Tuesday said it is in favour of quota for students of the Socially and Economically Backward Class (SEBC) in medical, engineering and other technical institutions in the State and 11.25 per cent of seats would soon be reserved for them. The BJP's statement came a day before the Opposition BJD is scheduled to organise a dharna demanding 27 per cent reservation of seats for the SEBC students.
Odisha BJP president Manmohan Samal accused the BJD and the Congress of shedding crocodile tears over the demand for reservations for SEBC. Samal said although the BJD had ruled the State for 24 years and the Congress had also been in power for a significant period, neither party took concrete steps to provide reservations to the backward classes in Odisha.
Recently, the BJP government had decided to reserve 11.25 per cent reservation for students belonging to the SEBCs in higher education.

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Learn with AIFact CheckingText to SpeechAI Summary

Related Articles

The Hindu

37 minutes ago

• The Hindu

Bhovi community seeks nomination to Legislative Council

Members of the Bhovi community have urged Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar, who is also the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) chief, to nominate a member of their community to the Legislative Council. Addressing a press conference in Mysuru on Sunday, former Chairman of the Karnataka Bhovi Development Corporation G.V. Seetharamu said it was only in 1980 when a member of their community was nominated to the Legislative Council by the Congress party. Since the nomination of R. Peeranna, former MLA for H.D. Kote, in 1980 by the then Chief Minister R. Gundu Rao, not a single member of the community has been nominated to the Council, he said. The Bhovi community comes under the Scheduled Caste (SC), and is the third largest in the 1.8 crore SC population in the State, said Mr. Seetharamu, claiming that the Bhovi community's population in Karnataka is estimated to be around 18 lakh. Even though Congress has 33 MLCs in the State Legislative Council that has a total strength of 75 seats, not a single one of them belongs to the Bhovi community, he said. Mr. Seetharamu said that from his travel across the State between the 2013 assembly elections and the 2023 elections, he had seen how the Bhovi community has stood behind the Congress party. He urged Mr. Siddaramaiah and Mr. Shivakumar to recognise the dedication of the Bhovi community to the party and nominate their member to the Council. Out of the 75 members in the Legislative Council, 25 are elected by local bodies and another 25 by the members of the Legislative Assembly. While seven others are elected from graduates' constituencies, another seven are elected from the teachers' constituencies. Another 11 members are nominated by the Governor based on the recommendation of the government.

The Hindu

an hour ago

• The Hindu

CPI demands action against Adoni MLA for making ‘casteist remarks' against Dalit sarpanch

The Communist Party of India (CPI) has strongly condemned Adoni MLA P.V. Parthasarathi for allegedly making casteist and religious remarks against a Dalit sarpanch during a public meeting at Dhanapuram village of Adoni constituency in Kurnool district. CPI State secretary K. Ramakrishna issued a statement on Saturday, demanding immediate action against the legislator. According to Mr. Ramakrishna, the incident took place during a recent event at Dhanapuram, where the village sarpanch, a member of the Dalit community, was deliberately denied the opportunity to come onto the stage. The CPI leader described the act as 'outrageous and disgraceful,' accusing the MLA of insulting the sarpanch based on caste. 'Even while tendering an apology, the MLA mentioned the sarpanch's religion, which is absolutely unacceptable,' Mr. Ramakrishna stated, adding that such behaviour was unbecoming of an elected representative in a democratic and civil society. He said that public officials must act with a sense of responsibility and avoid any reference to caste or religion in their public conduct. 'We demand strict action against MLA Parthasarathi. The government must ensure such incidents are not repeated in future,' he said. It may be recalled that a video from Adoni in Andhra Pradesh's Kurnool district has gone viral, showing the BJP MLA allegedly humiliating a Dalit sarpanch during a public event on June 16. The MLA is seen denying the sarpanch access to the stage and questioning, 'Is he a Christian?' after learning about his caste.

First Post

an hour ago

• First Post

Netanyahu often gets what he wants despite clashes with US presidents

A little over a month ago, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appeared to have been shunted to the shadows by U.S. President Donald Trump, who hopscotched the Middle East without visiting Israel, traditionally Washington's closest regional ally. read more Just over a month ago, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appeared increasingly sidelined by US President Donald Trump, who toured the West Asia without stopping in Israel, long considered Washington's closest ally in the region. To Netanyahu's dismay, Trump lifted sanctions on neighbouring Syria and expressed interest in reviving nuclear negotiations with Iran, moves the Israeli leader has consistently opposed. But five weeks later, the narrative has flipped: U.S. bombers have struck Iran's nuclear sites—realising a decades-long goal of Netanyahu, who has long urged Washington to take military action against Tehran's atomic programme. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The episode underscores a defining trait of Netanyahu's political career: despite strained ties with successive US presidents, he often prevails in shaping U.S. policy to align with his own objectives. Over more than 30 years, Netanyahu has locked horns with American leaders—publicly challenging, defying, and sometimes even embarrassing them. Yet through both Republican and Democratic administrations, US military and diplomatic support for Israel has remained steadfast. Washington continues to be Israel's primary arms supplier and diplomatic protector. 'He probably has concluded that he always gets away with it,' said a senior UN official in Jerusalem, speaking anonymously. 'It's hard to argue otherwise.' Just weeks ago, opposition leader Yair Lapid accused Netanyahu of wrecking U.S.-Israel relations. Now, the recent strikes represent perhaps the closest military coordination yet between the two countries against a shared adversary. Clashes with US presidents Netanyahu's resistance to U.S. pressure has deep roots. Just a month into his first term in 1996, his blunt manner irked then-President Bill Clinton. 'Who the f— does he think he is? Who's the f—ing superpower here?' Clinton reportedly asked aides after their meeting. Nevertheless, vital U.S. military aid continued to flow. When Netanyahu returned to power in 2009, relations with President Barack Obama turned frosty, particularly over Israeli settlement expansion and the Obama administration's pursuit of a nuclear deal with Iran. In 2015, Netanyahu addressed the U.S. Congress—without informing the White House—warning that the Iran nuclear accord would pave the way for an atomic bomb. Though Obama was reportedly furious, Washington still finalised the largest-ever U.S. military aid package to Israel the following year: $38 billion over a decade. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Many analysts believe Netanyahu relies on the enduring support of US evangelical Christians and Jewish Americans to ensure continued aid—regardless of political turbulence. Trump, Gaza and Iran When Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israel in October 2023, then-President Joe Biden rushed to Israel to express solidarity and authorised large-scale arms transfers. But tensions between Biden and Netanyahu mounted as the humanitarian crisis in Gaza worsened. Biden eventually paused some weapons shipments and imposed sanctions on Israeli settlers accused of violence. Netanyahu welcomed Trump's return to the presidency following last November's election. But Trump, too, initially showed frustration with the prolonged Gaza war and even initiated diplomatic outreach to Iran during a meeting with Netanyahu in early April. Although Trump never publicly endorsed Israel's military strategy, he also didn't oppose it. According to US and Israeli sources, Netanyahu used the window of ambiguity to press ahead. On June 13, Israel launched a major air assault on Iran. Behind the scenes, Israeli officials pushed Trump to join, urging him to 'finish the job.' 'Mr President, Finish the job!' read large billboards across Tel Aviv. On Sunday, when U.S. bombers struck Iran's heavily fortified nuclear facilities, the moment marked a dramatic turn in the conflict—and a personal victory for Netanyahu. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD 'Congratulations, President Trump,' Netanyahu said in a video statement. 'Your bold decision to target Iran's nuclear facilities with the awesome and righteous might of the United States will change history.' 'May God bless our unshakeable alliance, our unbreakable faith,' he concluded. Trump's intervention – despite his past pledges to avoid another 'forever war' – threatens to dramatically widen the conflict, after Israel launched an unprecedented bombing campaign on Iran last week, with Tehran vowing to retaliate if Washington joined in. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi accused the United States of sabotaging diplomacy after talks with European powers. 'This week, we held talks with the E3/EU when the US decided to blow up that diplomacy,' he wrote on X. Aragchi later told reporters in Istanbul the United States and Israel had 'crossed a very big red line', asserting Iran would continue to defend itself 'by all means necessary'. However, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hailed the US strikes, saying Trump's decision to 'target Iran's nuclear facilities with the awesome and righteous might of the United States will change history'. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD In response to the US attack, Iran's armed forces said they targeted multiple sites in Israel including Ben Gurion airport, the country's main international gateway near Tel Aviv. With inputs from agencies