Aditi Raja

Three-day vacation announced by state chief was a welcome break, say party workers, even if some activities could not be put off

Where Srilamanthula Chandramohan, 41, had found support from faculty and fellow students, no one has spoken up for Kundan Yadav, whose artwork led to protests and hence suspension of the exhibition by students, the first being held offline in two years due to the pandemic.

It started with three metal balls that fell on Bhalej, Khambholaj and Rampura villages on Thursday evening. They were followed by fragments of metal, one of which apparently fell on a sheep pen in a farm, killing a lamb.

In Thursday's meeting, held at the Mediation Centre of the Gujarat High Court, the two groups—one led by Prabodh Swami and the other by Premswaroop Swami—have agreed to go ahead with a mediation to arrive at a compromise regarding the legacy of the trust.

What began as a conflict for the control over the administration and presidentship of the trust, following the demise of 87-year-old Swami in July 2021, has now turned into a contention regarding the right to spiritual life and access to the assets of the trust between the two groups.

Rahul didn't just have Mevani, the Independent MLA from Vadgam in North Gujarat, by his side on the dais, with the two in frequent conversation, but also launched a 'Satyagraha letter', to be distributed among party leaders, jointly with him.

Gandhi, who arrived in Dahod for the launch of the Adivasi Satyagraha, also met with Congress MLAs of the tribal seats of Gujarat along with other tribal leaders to discuss the upcoming strategy of the party.

Speaking at the Congress party’s Adivasi Satyagraha in Dahod, where Rahul Gandhi is scheduled to address the audience, Mevani also criticised the BJP for refusing to recognise Adivasis’ identity.

Saffron party leader Hasmukh Vaghela, who is a member of MS University's highest body, led the demonstrators.

Jain had, in 2007, protested against the art installations of Masters' student Chandramohan depicting Jesus Christ and Goddess Durga at an annual evaluation exhibition.

Dean denies that the artwork was part of the exhibition, says they were planted.

However, one government official said the fair was called off due to “heat wave conditions” across the state.

In both Bharuch and Narmada districts, where AAP's new ally BTP has a big presence, lack of quality schools and healthcare facilities a concern

Joining hands with Chhotubhai Vasava's Bharatiya Tribal Party (BTP), AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal slammed the ruling BJP in Gujarat over paper leaks and the derelict condition of schools. He urged the people of Gujarat to "break the arrogance of the BJP" by voting the AAP into power.

On Wednesday, the three-member team went through 350 files of applications received at the Vadodara district collectorate from individuals seeking the Rs 5,0000 ex gratia compensation directed by the Supreme Court in November last year.

Comparing the Congress regime to the leadership of Narendra Modi as PM, the BJP leader said: "Your state leader, who ruled your state for 20 years, is now running this country for seven-and-a-half years but not a single blemish of corruption on him.

In an exclusive conversation with The Indian Express, Gogoi expressed his views on action against individuals over social media posts in wake of the arrest of Vadgam MLA Jignesh Mevani by the Assam police.

To many youths in the gathering, the PM’s announcement of the upgraded locomotive project in the tribal-dominated Dahod district came as a glimmer of hope.

Experts from across the globe joined the conference to discuss the challenges faced by the industry in various countries and the lessons learnt from the pandemic.

Addressing a gathering of about two lakh from five tribal districts in Kharod, Dahod, where he also inaugurated development projects worth Rs 21,969 crore, PM Modi recalled tribal leaders such as Birsa Munda and Govind Guru, while expressing disappointment that “history has forgotten the massacre of tribals”.

Meanwhile party leaders said on Saturday that Congress MP Rahul Gandhi is likely to visit Dahod on Gujarat Foundation Day on May 1 to kickstart the party's Adivasi Adhikar Yatra (Tribal Rights Rally) that will pass through the tribal belt.

The Vadodara Municipal Corporation (VMC) received an intimation of disruption of supply of 75 Million Litres per Day (MLD) from SSNNL due to the ongoing work on the Narmada main canal, following which, the civic body has decided to judiciously release water from the branch canal.

For Chhotubhai Vasava, father of Mahesh, who founded the Bharatiya Tribal Party, the alliance with the AAP is a final attempt at establishing itself as a prominent tribal party.

In the Gujarat state board-affiliated Kameshwar School at Jodhpur in Ahmedabad, where around 200 doses of Corbevax were administered, 185 doses were recorded online on CoWIN with others eligible beneficiaries awaiting official entries owing to lack of ID proof documents.