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Biplab Deb delivers yet another gem: Buddha walked on foot across India, Tibet, Japan etc

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8 years ago

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Biplab Deb delivers yet another gem: Buddha walked on foot across India, Tibet, Japan etc

Tripura chief minister Biplab Deb has displayed a knack to make news, with his capacity for being unerringly incorrect.

On Monday, April 30, on the occasion of Buddha Jayanti, he did it once again. Speaking about Buddha’s life and preachings, he said: “We are celebrating Buddha Jayanti here. Gautam Buddha preached the message of peace, unity and solidarity, walking on foot across India, Burma, Japan, Tibet and other countries.”

Fortunately, the rest of what he said was unobjectionable: “India is a land where a king becomes a monk and preaches peace across the world. It speaks about the great Indian tradition and culture. I respect that tradition. I pray that everyone can live together in peace, harmony and embrace the lessons of Gautam Buddha,” Deb said.

While Buddha’s message did reach the Far East, it was much after the time of Buddha and was taken to these far off lands by his followers.

“Buddha didn’t travel to either of these countries during his lifetime. Buddhism spread to these places much later through other people,” said Subhas Ranjan Chakraborty, a former professor of history at the erstwhile Presidency College in Calcutta, reported The Telegraph (TT).

Tripura additional secretary Milind Ramteke, sought to set matters right. According to him, reported TT, the chief minister had said, “Lord Buddha gave his message of peace and prosperity on foot in the then Bharat Varsha which (message of peace and prosperity) has reached today’s Burma, Japan, Tibet.”

Be that as it may, Deb has, in the brief time since he was sworn in as Tripura CM on March 9, put Tripura on the world map and people who had not heard of this north-eastern state of India were forced to look it up on the atlas.

This started with his first bombshell of a ‘revelation’ that the Internet and sophisticated satellite communication system existed in the days of Mahabharata and Sanjay had used these technological means to narrate to Dhritarashtra ‘live’ the entire details of Mahabharata war as it happened.

While this made international headlines by itself, he followed it up with a comment that the 1997 Miss World, Diana Hayden, was not worthy of being crowned a beauty queen. Although Deb later regretted the comment on Hayden, he had already made a reputation.

He has lived up to it. Effortlessly.

He went on to claim that civil engineers should join the civil services but not mechanical engineers because civil engineers would be better suited for the job of a civil servant.

He followed it up with his advice to unemployed youths to open ‘paan’ shops or earn money by milking cows and rearing pigs and poultry instead of running after government jobs or depending on government for providing jobs or creating employment opportunities.

There were reports that the BJP central leadership had got rattled by his salvos and Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP chief Amit Shah had summoned him to Delhi.

However, additional secretary Ramteke said on Monday that Deb’s meeting in New Delhi on May 2 was a “pre-scheduled” one. “The trip has yet to be finalised,” he said.

Deb, whom PM Modi has presented as the “heera” (diamond) that Tripura should replace its former chief minister Manik (gem) Sarkar with, is not the only one. Gujarat CM Vijay Rupani, on Sunday likened mythological character Narada with Google saying the sage knew everything that was happening in the world.

“Narada had information of the whole world and can be compared with Google in today’s time. However, he only shared the information which was beneficial, and not harmful, to mankind,” Rupani said, according to media reports.

But the lead was taken earlier by PM Modi himself, when he talked about advanced plastic surgery and organ transplant being practised in ancient India and cited the example of Lord Ganesha. Besides, his gaffes relating to history and geography have been numerous – such as repeated mistake in name of the Father of the Nation whom he called ‘Mohanlal’ Karamchand Gandhi, locating Taxila in Bihar, crediting Bihar with defeating and sending back Alexander, blaming India’s first PM Jawaharlal Nehru for not going for Sardar Patel’s funeral (which Modi claimed he was misquoted and the daily that reported it withdrew the quote and issued an apology, though Ravi Shankar Prasad repeated it two days later), blaming Nehru for the partition of India and Pakistan, saying, “all of Kashmir would have been India’s if Patel had been allowed to become the first prime minister” (it absolved the two-nation theory campaigners Muslim League and Hindu Mahasabha of all responsibility and Patel was actually ready to give Kashmir to Pakistan).

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Women’s quota bill fails in Lok Sabha as it falls short of two-thirds majority

Women’s reservation proposal failed in Lok Sabha after securing 298 votes, below the required two-thirds majority

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10 hours ago

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April 17, 2026

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Parliament

Government secures 298 votes in favour, 230 against; proposal does not pass constitutional threshold

The proposed amendment related to women’s reservation failed to pass in the Lok Sabha on Friday after the government could not secure the required two-thirds majority.

The bill received 298 votes in favour and 230 against, falling short of the constitutional threshold needed for passage. As a constitutional amendment, it required the support of at least two-thirds of members present and voting.

Despite securing a simple majority, the government was unable to gather sufficient support to meet this requirement.

Debate continues over two days

The discussion on the bill extended late into Thursday and continued on Friday, with members from both sides participating in the debate on women’s representation in legislative bodies.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged members to support the proposal, calling for wider consensus on the issue.

Implications of the outcome

The failure of the bill underscores the challenges in securing broad political agreement on constitutional amendments, especially those related to representation and electoral reforms.

The proposal was aimed at advancing women’s representation in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies, an issue that has remained under discussion for several years.

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Rahul Gandhi faces FIR order as Allahabad High Court acts on dual citizenship plea

High Court allows plea in Rahul Gandhi citizenship case, paving the way for further legal process.

Published

14 hours ago

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April 17, 2026

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Rahul Gandhi

The Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court has allowed a petition seeking legal action in connection with allegations related to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s citizenship status, marking a fresh development in the case.

The petition was filed by a political worker, who had approached the court seeking directions for registration of a case over claims that Gandhi may have held foreign citizenship. The High Court, while hearing the matter, passed directions for further proceedings in accordance with law.

The development comes after a special MP/MLA court in Lucknow had earlier declined to order registration of an FIR, reportedly observing that it lacked jurisdiction in matters concerning citizenship.

Background

The case is linked to allegations that Rahul Gandhi may have held British citizenship. Under Indian law, dual citizenship is not permitted. However, these claims remain part of the petitioner’s submissions and have not been established by any court.

During earlier hearings, the High Court had sought records and considered material presented by the parties involved.

What happens next

With the High Court allowing the plea, the matter is expected to proceed as per due legal process. This may involve examination by the appropriate authority and further judicial review at subsequent stages.

The case carries both legal and political significance given Rahul Gandhi’s role as Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha.

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Pawan Khera faces fresh setback as Supreme Court refuses relief in passport row case

Congress leader Pawan Khera faces fresh setback as Supreme Court refuses interim relief and directs him to seek bail from Guwahati High Court.

Published

17 hours ago

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April 17, 2026

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Pawan Khera

Congress leader Pawan Khera suffered another legal setback on Friday after the Supreme Court of India declined to extend protection in a case linked to his remarks about Himanta Biswa Sarma’s wife.

A bench of the apex court refused to interfere with an earlier order that had stayed the transit anticipatory bail granted to Khera by the Telangana High Court. This decision leaves the Congress leader open to possible arrest by Assam Police in connection with the case.

During the hearing, Khera’s counsel sought interim protection, but the court declined the request and advised him to approach the appropriate court in Assam for relief. The bench clarified that the Guwahati High Court should decide any bail plea independently and on its merits.

“Am I a terrorist?” remark during hearing

While seeking protection, Khera’s legal team expressed concern over the urgency of the situation. In court, his counsel remarked, “Am I a terrorist?” highlighting the plea for temporary relief until a fresh bail application could be filed.

The Supreme Court also raised concerns over the submission of incorrect documents during the proceedings, adding another layer to the legal complications faced by the Congress leader.

Case linked to remarks on CM’s wife

The case stems from a press conference held earlier this month, where Khera made allegations regarding the citizenship status and financial assets of the Assam Chief Minister’s wife, Riniki Bhuyan Sharma.

He had claimed that she possessed multiple passports and owned undisclosed overseas properties. These allegations were strongly denied by the Chief Minister’s family, who termed them fabricated and misleading.

Legal battle intensifies

Earlier, the Telangana High Court had granted Khera temporary transit anticipatory bail, allowing him time to seek relief from a competent court in Assam. However, the Supreme Court stayed that order following a challenge by Assam authorities, escalating the legal battle.

With the latest ruling, Khera is now expected to move the Guwahati High Court for anticipatory bail as the case continues to unfold.

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