National
Congress MLA disqualified from Tripura assembly under anti-defection law
Agartala, Jan 12 (IANS) Five-time Congress legislator in Tripura Ratan Lal Nath, who last month joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), lost his assembly membership under the anti-defection law, Speaker Ramendra Chandra Debnath said here on Friday.
“As Ratan Lal Nath left Congress and joined BJP on December 22, his assembly membership would be disqualified from that date under the Schedule 10 of the Constitution (which deals with the anti-defection law),” Debnath told IANS after issuing an order on Friday.
“State Congress President Birajit Sinha, in a letter, informed MER that Nath had joined BJP and also demanded he be disqualified him from the assembly membership. I have served two notices to him (Nath) to attend the hearings of his case. But Nath informed that he was unwell.
“With prior notice, I have taken ex-parte decision on Nath’s disqualification. This is for the first time in the history of Tripura a sitting member was disqualified under the anti-defection law,” he said.
Welcoming the Speaker’s decision, Congress state Vice President Tapas Dey said: “Opportunistic politics must be curbed and value-based politics must be upheld.”
After months of hobnobbing, Nath, former Opposition Leader of Tripura assembly, joined the Bharatiya Janata Party on December 22 last year in the presence of the BJP’s General Secretary Ram Madhav, Assam Ministers Himanta Biswa Sarma and Parimal Sukla Baidya, Tripura BJP President Biplab Kumar Deb and a host of party leaders.
The 71-year-old Nath held various posts in Congress and since 1993, was elected five times as Congress candidate from the Mohanpur assembly constituency in western Tripura.
With this, the Congress strength in the outgoing assembly has been reduced to just two from the original ten.
The Communist Party of India-Marxist led Left Front has 51 members with the CPI-M alone having 50 legislators.
Nath along with six other MLAs, who deserted the Congress to join Trinamool Congress and then moved to the BJP, voted for the National Democratic Alliance’s nominee Ram Nath Kovind in the presidential election on July 17 last year.
–IANS
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National
Foodman Vishal Singh Honored for Hunger Free World Mission in Bangkok
Lucknow: Vishal Singh, a renowned social worker from Lucknow, also known as Foodman, has once again made India proud. He was honored by the Happy Hands Gloves Cooperative Limited Company in Korathai, Thailand, for his work with the Hunger Free World Mission.
The Hunger Free World Mission’s meeting was held in Korathai, Thailand, under Vishal Singh’s leadership. Representatives from several countries, including Mr. Raja Dwivedi (Managing Director of Happy Hands Gloves Limited), Thailand Coordinator Mr. Raja Mishra, and member Mr. Varun Singh, attended the event.
Under Vishal Singh’s leadership, the attendees took a pledge to work together toward creating a hunger-free world.
Speaking on the occasion, Vishal Singh explained that the main goal of the Hunger Free World Mission is social participation. He said the mission is not just about feeding people but also about meeting other basic needs of those who are struggling. The mission focuses on helping families of terminally ill patients in hospitals by providing food and shelter. It also works to fulfill essential needs like education, jobs, and care for the elderly.
For the last 16 years, the Vijay Sri Foundation has been providing free services, benefiting thousands of people. Vishal Singh highlighted that the mission aims to gain global recognition like other organizations such as WHO, WWF, and Red Cross, which work for social causes.
During this meeting, Vishal Singh was appointed as the Chairman of the Hunger Free World Mission by representatives from various countries. They also discussed holding regular meetings in different countries to push the mission forward.
Business tycoon Dr. Abhishek Verma has also supported this humanitarian mission, vowing to promote the idea of “Seva Parmo Dharma” (Service is the highest duty) worldwide. Vishal Singh praised him, stating that people like Dr .Abhishek Verma inspire others to work for the betterment of society.
Recently, Romania’s Ambassador, Mr . Daniela Sezonov Ţane, invited Vishal Singh to the Romanian Embassy in Delhi, where they discussed the mission in detail. Impressed by his humanitarian work, she honored Vishal Singh and invited him to Romania to take the mission forward .
Food man Vishal Singh has been serving the people of India for the past 16 years. Through the Vijay Sri Foundation, he provides free meals to cancer patients & their families ,shelter, and education for women & children along with running free old-age homes in Lucknow.
In addition to his humanitarian work, Vishal Singh also addresses issues like crime and corruption through his role as Chairman of Seva Path Media and Managing Director of Vijay Sri Foundation.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Vishal Singh and his team worked tirelessly to provide food and help to the needy, including starving children, elderly citizens, and pregnant women. Despite contracting the virus himself, he continued to assist others after his recovery. He even created a life-saving oxygen regulator using household items, which was praised by doctors both in India and abroad.
In his address at the meeting, Vishal Singh spoke about his mission to create a hunger-free world. He pointed out that India’s large population, along with issues like unemployment and poverty, has caused the country to fall on the Hunger Index. He urged people to contribute just one handful of grains daily to help create a hunger-free world.
He concluded by saying that through social participation, we can empower the people around us, meet their basic needs, and work together to build a stronger, more prosperous, and developed society.