National
Pressure politics delays NDA seat-sharing in Bihar
Patna: Last-minute hurdles have been created in finalising the much-awaited sharing of seats among the National Democratic Alliance parties for the Bihar assembly polls as the BJP’s major ally – Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) – is still reluctant to accept less than 50 seats.
This development comes after BJP’s top leaders forced two of its allies – union Minister of State for Human Resource Development and Rashtriya Lok Samata Party (RLSP) chief Upendra Kushwaha and former Chief Minister and Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM) president Jitan Ram Manjhi – to issue statements that both would accept any decision on seat-sharing.
Incidentally, this stand was a significant departure from both leaders’ earlier ones whereby they wanted to dictate terms to the BJP. But once the poll bugle was sounded, they surrendered to the BJP.
However, union minister Ram Vilas Paswan of the LJP has been allegedly using arm-twisting tactics to get more seats than offered by the BJP.
“Paswan-ji has made it clear to the BJP that the LJP will not contest less than 50 seats. In the last 24 hours, top BJP leaders have visited him thrice but he is adamant. We want respectful seat-sharing arrangement,” a senior LJP leader, who is in Delhi, told IANS over phone.
On the other hand, BJP sources here said that the LJP might be given 40 or 40 plus seats to contest. “The seat-sharing has already been delayed; it is not good for us. It will send out a bad message to the people,” a BJP leader said.
According to BJP leaders, the BJP would contest 160 to 165 of the 243 assembly seats and leave the remaining 83 seats to its three allies. The BJP is not ready to give more than 83 seats to the LJP, RLSP and HAM.
The BJP-led NDA was likely to formally announce the seat-sharing arrangement on Friday or Saturday following marathon meetings in Delhi since Wednesday among top leaders of the BJP and its allies.
“We are near to clinching a seat-sharing deal and it would be formally announced either on Friday or Saturday,” a senior BJP leader camping in Delhi said.
“Manjhi has put full faith in Modi and Shah after he was assured that 13 JD-U rebel MLAs, who are now with his HAM, will be allowed to contest as its nominees, ignoring strong reservation from the LJP,” the BJP leader said.
As per the understanding in the grand alliance, JD-U and RJD would contest 100 seats each and the Congress 40 seats. Three seats were left for the Nationalist Congress Party of Sharad Pawar, but the NCP walked away from the alliance on the issue. The grand alliance is yet to identify which seats each party would contest.
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.