Naming an airport after Guru Ravidas is not just about a name, it shows that Dalit communities want respect, equal treatment, and freedom from unfair caste rules in religion and society.
Officials said the government is keen to conform to the convention of the Union Budget for 2026-2027 being presented on February 1 despite it falling on a Sunday in 2026.
Several political parties had approached the EC to postpone the polls in the state in view of Ravidas Jayanti on February 16.
The Election Commission on Saturday deferred the Haryana assembly poll date to October 5 from October 1, saying the decision was taken keeping in mind a centuries-old festival of the Bishnoi community.
The Sirsa-headquartered sect chief, who is serving a 20-year jail term for raping two of his disciples, walked out of the Sunaria prison in Haryana's Rohtak on Saturday after being granted a 40-day parole and reached Barnawa Ashram in Uttar Pradesh's Baghpat.
Greeting people, the prime minister tweeted a media report about ongoing work at the expansion and beautification of the temple at the saint's birthplace in Varanasi, also his parliamentary constituency.
Speaking at a function in Varanasi on the occasion of Ravidas Jayanti, she urged the audience to take the teachings of the saint to the masses. "He (Sant Ravidas) had dreamt of a society, where there is no discrimination and where every person is respected. You all should take forward his teachings to the masses, especially at a time, when there is so much violence and hatred in the society. His teachings are need of the hour," Priyanka Gandhi said.
Kejriwal then said that though he had wanted party MP Bhagwant Mann's name to be declared as the chief ministerial candidate, the latter insisted that the people of Punjab should make this decision.
At least nine policemen including officer in charge of a police station were killed on Monday when suspected Naxalites attacked them in Bihar's Nawada district, police sources said.
To ensure free, fair and transparent assembly elections next month in Punjab, the police have intensified search operations, especially in the border districts, to keep a vigil on illegal activities in vulnerable areas.
Both of them had contested the Lok Sabha polls from the constituency where PM Modi emerged as the winner.
At a time when rallies and large gatherings are banned by the Election Commission in view of a spike in the number of COVID-19 cases, political parties in Punjab are battling it out on social media platforms as they promote their agendas for people and also counter any negative propaganda by their opponents.
The panchayat polls will be seen as a kind of verdict from the hinterland for Yogi Adityanath ahead of the crucial 2022 Uttar Pradesh elections.
"For any reason, if one is not able to vote, it should pain one," he said.
The Railway Budget will be presented on February 25 while the Union Budget will be presented on February 29.
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