Nation bearing brunt of ‘differences’ between Modi-shah: Chhattisgarh CM Bhupesh Baghel Had detailed discussions with Shah on cabinet expansion: BSY U’khand: Sanskrit to replace Urdu on railway signboards

RAIPUR: Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel has said the country is bearing the brunt of “differences” between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah over the issue of the proposed nationwide National Register of Citizens (NRC).

Speaking at a function here on Friday, the Congress leader alleged that the BJP was “misleading” the country, and asked people to remain alert.

“While Amit Shah says NRC will be implemented, Prime Minister contradicts his statement. Who is speaking the truth and who is lying? Who is right, the PM or the Home

Minister?.

It seems that there are some differences between the two and the entire country is bearing its brunt. You need to remain alert...,” Baghel said.

He accused the BJP was “misleading” and “dividing” the country.

Hitting out at the Centre over the Citizenship Amendment Act and NRC, Baghel said, “There is no discussion in this government (at the Centre) over problems of price rise, economic crisis and unemployment being faced by the country, rather the focus is only on citizenship.” He said questioning people about their citizenship was an “insult to them.

“A huge chunk of Chhattisgarh’s

population is below poverty line. Neither they have land nor their parents were literate. Due to lack of certain documents, how they will prove their citizenship?” he asked. During the previous five years of NDA government, Modi gave “nothing except pain” to people and now, since last seven to eight months, Amit Shah has been doing the same and has brought people out on the streets, he alleged.

Baghel also raised questions over the probe into the February 2019 Pulwama terror attack, saying startling revelations were coming out about a Jammu and Kashmir police officer in connection with the incident.

J&K Deputy Superintendent of Police Davinder Singh, who he had been posted in Pulwama as DSP at that time, was arrested last weekend with Hizbul terrorists in south Kashmir.

Baghel said the Pulwama terror attack, in which 40 security personnel were killed, took place before last year’s Lok Sabha polls. “So far, no investigation has been conducted into the incident. Who was responsible for the ghastly attack?” the chief minister asked.

Without taking any name, he said, “One DSP was arrested in Jammu and Kashmir and it is being said he was posted there during the Pulwama attack. Startling revelations are coming up about the officer.”

BENGALURU: Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa on Sunday said he has had detailed discussions with BJP national President Amit Shah on the cabinet expansion and that the exercise would be carried out after his return from Davos.

The Chief Minister told reporters before leaving for Davos to attend the World Economic Forum meet that he hoped his visit would help bring in large-scale investments to the state.

“On cabinet expansion, I had detailed discussions for about half-an-hour (with Amit Shah on Saturday), got a good response... one or two days after I come from Davos, I will expand the cabinet. There are no stumbling blocks for it, Yediyurappa said.

He also rubbished media reports about lack of clarity on the Ministry expansion.

“It is not right... there are no issues, he said. Asked whether he would travel to Delhi to meet Shah after returning from Davos, Yediyurappa merely said, “It is natural for me to meet Amit Shah.”

According to the Chief Ministers tour programme, he will be back in the city on January 24.

DEHRADUN: Names of railway stations written in Urdu on platform signboards in Uttarakhand will now be written in Sanskrit, the second official language of the hill state.

The move is in keeping with the Railway Manual which says the name of a railway station on platform signboards should be written in the second official

language of the state concerned after Hindi and English, Chief Public Relations Officer, Northern Railway, Deepak Kumar said.

“Instead of Hindi, English and Urdu, the names of railway stations on platform signboards across Uttarakhand will now be written in Hindi, English and Sanskrit,” he said.

“Since Sanskrit is the second official language of Uttarakhand, the names of railway stations written in Urdu on platform signboards in the state will be replaced with those in Sanskrit,” the official said.

The names of railway stations in Uttarakhand on platform signboards still appear in Urdu as most of them belong to the period when the state was part of Uttar Pradesh where Urdu is the second official

language.

However, as per rules of the Railway Manual appropriate change should have been made on these signboards in 2010 after Sanskrit was made the second official language of the state, he said.

Sanskrit was made the second official language of Uttarakhand in 2010 during the chief ministership of Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank, who is now Union HRD Minister.