National Anthem Plays, Nitish Kumar Talks, Laughs, Fidgets At Sports Meet

by Hansraj Agrawal | Mar 20, 2025 | top-stories

Patna:

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar came under opposition attack again after he was caught on camera laughing and talking during the national anthem at a sports event in Patna today. His former deputy Tejashwi Yadav, who has pulled no punches after the Chief Minister ditched his Rashtriya Janata Dal twice, accused him of insulting the state and the nation.

At the inauguration of the Sepaktakraw World Cup in Patna’s Pataliputra Sports Complex today, Nitish Kumar was caught on camera laughing and talking to IAS officer and Chief Minister’s Principal Secretary Deepak Kumar, who stood ramrod straight next to him on the dais.

He was seen tapping the officer on his shoulder and trying to get his attention. At one point, all smiles, he folded his palms in a namaskar at someone in the audience.

Deepak Kumar was seen pulling at the Chief Minister’s sleeves to get him to stay still.

Earlier, Mr Kumar had walked off the dais when the national anthem was announced and went to shale hands with the participants.

As the video of the anthem went viral, the opposition lost no time to flood social media with criticism.

कम से कम कृपया राष्ट्र गान का तो अपमान मत करिए मा॰ मुख्यमंत्री जी।

युवा, छात्र, महिला और बुजुर्गों को तो आप प्रतिदिन अपमानित करते ही है।

कभी महात्मा गांधी जी के शहादत दिवस पर ताली बजा उनकी शहादत का मखौल उड़ाते है तो कभी राष्ट्रगान का!

PS: आपको याद दिला दें कि आप एक बड़े प्रदेश… pic.twitter.com/rFDXcGxRdV

— Tejashwi Yadav (@yadavtejashwi) March 20, 2025

“At least please do not insult the national anthem, Hon’ble Chief Minister. You insult youth, students, women and elderly people every day. Sometimes you clap on Mahatma Gandhi’s martyrdom day and mock his martyrdom, and sometimes you clap on the national anthem!” read a post by Mr Yadav on X, formerly Twitter.

“PS: Let me remind you that you are the Chief Minister of a big state. You are not mentally and physically stable even for a few seconds and your being in this position in such an unconscious state is a matter of great concern for the state. Do not insult Bihar like this again and again,” he added.

Mr Yadav’s father Lalu Yadav also posted the video on X. The caption read, “India will not tolerate insult to the national anthem. People of Bihar, is there anything left now?”

राष्ट्रगान का अपमान
नहीं सहेगा हिंदुस्तान।

बिहारवासियों, अब भी कुछ बचा है? pic.twitter.com/tz3MMgIOAl

— Lalu Prasad Yadav (@laluprasadrjd) March 20, 2025

Mr Kumar and his party are yet to respond on the matter. Sources in Mr Kumar’s Janata Dal United indicated that to avert a possible row in the state assembly over this, the Chief Minister can tender an unconditional apology tomorrow.

Union minister Jitan Ram Manjhi, Nitish Kumar’s ally in the NDA, has hit back.

बिहार सहित देश का अपमान करने वाले लोग बिहार के माननीय मुख्यमंत्री नीतीश कुमार जी पर सवाल उठा रहें हैं।
वैसे लोगों को मैं बता दूँ कि लालू जी एंड कंपनी ने हमारे “बिहार” राज्य के नाम को गाली बना दिया था पर नीतीश कुमार जी ही हैं जिन्होंने बिहार को अंतरराष्ट्रीय मंच पर सम्मान दिलाया।…

— Jitan Ram Manjhi (@jitanrmanjhi) March 20, 2025

“People who are insulting the country including Bihar are raising questions on the Honorable Chief Minister of Bihar, Nitish Kumar,” read his post on X.

“I would like to tell such people that Lalu Ji and Company had made the name of our state “Bihar” an abuse but it is Nitish Kumar Ji who gave respect to Bihar on the international platform. On one hand, people of Bihar shudder at the memory of Laluji’s rule, on the other hand, Nitish Kumar was Bihar’s favourite yesterday, is so today and will remain so in the future too. Nitish Kumar is the honour of Bihar,” he added.

This is not the first faux pas by the Chief Minister on a solemn occasion. On January 30 this year, he was caught clapping after paying floral tributes to Mahatma Gandhi on his death anniversary.

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“Regret Moving Out Of Noida”: Corporate Worker Lists Issues With Bengaluru

by Hansraj Agrawal | Mar 20, 2025 | top-stories

The water quality is poor, and there’s “less private space per individual,” they added. The noticeable divide between North and South Indians “can be seen every day.”

They found Bengaluru’s high population density overwhelming compared to the wider, more open spaces in Noida. “I really regret moving out of Noida,” they said.

The post ends with a word of caution for others considering a similar move: “Give yourselves some time and think” is it worth moving.”

The worker also firmly believed that Noida was the “best Tier-1 city to work in,” despite its pollution.

Posts from the noida
community on Reddit

The Reddit post has sparked debate among users.

One user said that they moved from Bengaluru to Noida to be closer to their parents and believed it was the best decision. “I think the only thing I miss are my friends in Bengaluru. Else, I feel moving to Noida was the best decision I took. Saved a lot of money and stress. People say Noida is unsafe but I feel much safer in Noida as compared to Bengaluru,” wrote the user.

Another user shared their struggles with feeling unwelcome in Bengaluru due to regional biases. “Racist remarks made it very tough for me to feel accepted within my own country. It felt like a constant reminder of how I’m from the ‘inferior’ cow belt part of the country and felt people looked down on me. I only speak English, so I’m sure it’s not a language problem. It felt like I could buy a house in Bengaluru but I could never call it home,” commented the user.

Describing Bengaluru as the “most unplanned city” in this country, one user said, “There is nothing that works right there, roads, flyovers, metros all in a chaotic loop. Obviously, the only upside of living in Bengaluru is the weather.”

There was also a comment from a local resident, who agreed with the city’s infrastructure struggles, attributing them to rapid but unplanned growth. “As a Bangalorean, agree with your decision to leave. It’s a smaller city and yes rapidly developing hence unplanned, sorry you felt discriminated.” The user also added that it’s just a few people whose actions tarnish the reputation of the entire community.

Overall, the worker’s experience highlights the importance of considering a number of factors before relocating for a job. While many cities have great career opportunities, they may not suit everyone’s preferences, reinforcing the need to weigh salary hikes against quality of life.

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UP Woman's 2 Boyfriends, A Love Triangle And A Murder On Camera

by Hansraj Agrawal | Mar 19, 2025 | top-stories

She called her boyfriend to meet on the night of Holi last week. The woman promised to marry him but little did he know that his girlfriend had planned his murder with her new lover.

In the love triangle, the man was allegedly shot dead by his girlfriend’s new lover in Uttar Pradesh’s Varanasi and the accused have been arrested. The police said the woman and her new boyfriend planned the murder a month before Holi and on the night of the festival on March 14, they called the victim, Diljeet, outside a house and shot him in the chest.

In a CCTV, the accused on a TVS Splendor with a black helmet is seen chasing the victim who is on a scooty around 11:05 pm. The accused is pointing a gun towards Diljeet while chasing him on a bike. He later shot him in the chest, the police said.

Almost 50 minutes later around midnight, the accused, with a bag, was spotted on his bike parked behind a tempo. He later fled from the spot.

The accused were on the run for several days, which led to an uproar. The police formed a special team and identified the accused using technical evidence and informers. After questioning the victim’s girlfriend, the police caught the accused and another woman who was also involved in the murder.

The cops are yet to recover the weapon used in the murder.

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Sunita Williams Homecoming Live Updates: SpaceX Dragon To Soon Perform Key Deorbit Burn Manoeuvre Before Splashdown

by Hansraj Agrawal | Mar 18, 2025 | top-stories

Astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore, who were stuck at the International Space Station (ISS) for more than nine months, are set to return to Earth and splash down off the coast of the American state of Florida early on Wednesday.

According to NASA, Williams and Wilmore undocked from the ISS at 10:35 am IST Tuesday and set on a 17-hour trip back to Earth. The spacecraft, Elon Musk-led SpaceX’s Dragon, will splash down at around 3:27 am IST Wednesday. The spacecraft would perform a deorbit burn at 2:41 am IST.

The two astronauts flew to the orbital lab in June last year, on what was supposed to be a days-long roundtrip to test Boeing’s Starliner on its first crewed flight. The spaceship, however, developed propulsion problems and was deemed unfit to fly back and later returned empty.

Here Are Live Updates On Sunita Williams, Butch Wilmore’s Homecoming:

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Over 200 Killed In Israel's Biggest Strike On Gaza Since Ceasefire

by Hansraj Agrawal | Mar 18, 2025 | top-stories

New Delhi:

At least 220 people were killed in Gaza on Tuesday as the Israeli military conducted “extensive strikes” on Hamas targets after weeks of truce talks stalled, the biggest attack in the war-torn territory since the ceasefire began on January 19.

Gaza’s civil defence agency said the air strikes, which took place during the month of Ramadan, killed “mostly children, women, and the elderly” and injured about 150 others. The explosions were heard in multiple locations, including northern Gaza, Gaza City and the Deir al-Balah, Khan Younis and Rafah in central and southern Gaza Strip.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF), in a post on X this morning, said it was “conducting extensive strikes on terror targets belonging to the Hamas terrorist organisation in the Gaza Strip” in accordance with the “political echelon”.

In accordance with the political echelon, the IDF and ISA are currently conducting extensive strikes on terror targets belonging to the Hamas terrorist organization in the Gaza Strip. pic.twitter.com/mYZ1WBPVPG

— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) March 18, 2025

Israel also ordered all schools close to the regions neighbouring Gaza shut.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office later said the strikes were ordered after “Hamas’s repeated refusal to release our hostages, as well as its rejection of all of the proposals it has received from US Presidential Envoy Steve Witkoff and from the mediators.”

“The IDF is, at this time, attacking targets of the Hamas terrorist organization throughout the Gaza Strip in order to achieve the objectives of the war as they have been determined by the political echelon including the release of all of our hostages, the living and the deceased,” it posted on X.

Israel would now act with “increased military strength” against Hamas, it said.

This follows Hamas’s repeated refusal to release our hostages, as well as its rejection of all of the proposals it has received from US Presidential Envoy Steve Witkoff and from the mediators.

— Prime Minister of Israel (@IsraeliPM) March 18, 2025

Hamas, however, held Mr Netanyahu “fully responsible for violating and overturning the agreement” and said he had decided to “sacrifice” hostages by resuming war.

“Netanyahu’s decision to resume war is a decision to sacrifice the occupation’s prisoners and impose a death sentence on them,” a Hamas official said in a statement, adding that the Israeli leader was using the fighting as a political “lifeboat” to distract from internal crises.

The ceasefire breach “exposes the prisoners in Gaza to an unknown fate”, the group said in a separate statement.

A White House spokesperson said Israel had consulted President Donald Trump’s administration before it carried out the strikes.

Israel-Hamas Ceasefire Talks Stall

The truce talks stalled as Israel wanted to extend the first phase of the three-stage ceasefire agreement, while Hamas said it would resume freeing hostages only under the second phase that was due to begin on March 2.

Israel wanted to extend the first phase until mid-April, saying that any transition to the second phase must include “the total demilitarisation” of Gaza and the removal of Hamas, which has controlled the territory since 2007.

Last week, Hamas said it would release American-Israeli soldier Edan Alexander and four bodies of the hostages if Israel agreed to begin talks immediately on implementing the second phase of the agreement. Israel, however, accused the group of waging “psychological warfare” on the families of hostages.

The initial phase of the Gaza ceasefire witnessed 33 Israeli hostages, including five bodies, and five Thais freed by Hamas in exchange for around 1,800 Palestinian prisoners. The group has still held about 59 hostages.

The war’s only previous truce took place in November 2023 for a week when Hamas released hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners.

The Gaza war began when Hamas led a cross-border raid into southern Israel on October 7, 2023, and killed about 1,200 people, mostly civilians. They also captured 251 hostages.

Israel’s retaliatory strikes since then have killed more than 48,000 Palestinians and injured over 1.12 lakh, according to reports.

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“Hindi Useful For Communication In Delhi”: Chandrababu Naidu Amid Row

by Hansraj Agrawal | Mar 17, 2025 | top-stories

Hyderabad:

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu today struck a conciliatory note amid the raging language row, saying Hindi and English both have their uses and should be learnt.

“One should give importance to the mother tongue, but at the same time, one needs to learn Hindi as it is useful for communication in Delhi. Other languages we learn for livelihood… Hindi is the national language…English is international language,” he said, pointing out that Indians are now travelling abroad extensively for work.

India, though, does not have a national language. Both Hindi and English are official languages

“For livelihood, we will learn any number of languages. We won’t forget mother tongue. Language is only for communication. It is best to learn maximum languages, let us remember,” Mr Naidu said,

“Some people seem to think English is equivalent to knowledge. Language is only for communication. It does not bring knowledge. Knowledge is learnt best when studied in mother tongue… mother tongue is easiest to learn/ That is the experience anywhere in the world,” he added.

The DMK government’s opposition to the introduction of the Centre’s three-language policy and delimitation have been having ripple effect in the southern states.

In an election year, the DMK has pitched them as ruses to establish the domination of the north – through language and culture and politics. This has acquired resonance across the southern states, cutting across political boundaries.

A leader of Mr Naidu’s Telugu Desam Party, which is an ally of the BJP, has offered cash rewards and livestock as incentive for having children.

The Centre has been countering the charges on both fronts. It has pointed out that Hindi is just one in the 22-language bouquet of the Education Policy and is not mandatory in a three-language set-up.
It has also doubled down, insisting that Opposition-ruled Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Bengal switch to the three-language policy immediately.

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