Groom Walks All Night To Reach Bride's Home Due To Drivers' Strike In Odisha

The marriage was solemnised on Friday morning. But the groom and his family members stayed at the bride's house, waiting for the drivers' association to withdraw the strike.

They walked all night on Thursday. (Representational)

Bhubaneswar: A groom and his family members had to walk 28 kilometres to reach the bride's village in Odisha's Rayagada district for the wedding, as they could not arrange a vehicle due to the drivers' strike.

They walked all night on Thursday from Sunakhandi panchayat under Kalyansinghpur block to reach Dibalapadu village where they tied the knot on Friday.

A video showing the groom and his family members including a few women walking at night went viral on social media.

"No transport was available due to the drivers' strike. We walked all night to reach the village. We had no other option," one of the family members of groom said.

The marriage was solemnised on Friday morning. But the groom and his family members stayed at the bride's house, waiting for the drivers' association to withdraw the strike so that they can return home.

The Driver Ekta Mahasangh has launched an indefinite strike across the state from Wednesday demanding social welfare measures like insurance, pension, formation of a welfare board and others.

The strike by the drivers of commercial vehicles in Odisha was on Friday put on hold for 90 days following an assurance by the state government that all their demands would be fulfilled.

The announcement by the Drivers' Ekta Mahasangh came barely a few hours after Chief Secretary P K Jena and DGP S K Bansak appealed to the striking drivers to withdraw the stir.

The strike by over two lakh drivers has hit the normal life for which people including office goers and tourists remained standard at different places. This has also resulted in price rise of essential commodities.

E Palaniswami Files Nomination For AIADMK General Secretary, OPS Bristles

EPS, as Mr Palaniswami is addressed, filed his nomination at the party headquarters, nearly a month after the Supreme Court greenflagged his continuance as the AIADMK interim chief.

Chennai: AIADMK interim chief Edappadi K Palaniswami (EPS) on Saturday filed nomination for election to the party's powerful General Secretary post, setting the ball rolling for his ultimate elevation, as rival leader O Panneerselvan slammed the "pickpocket-like" approach of the EPS camp in holding the polls, alleging due party process was not followed.

EPS, as Mr Palaniswami is addressed, filed his nomination at the party headquarters, nearly a month after the Supreme Court greenflagged his continuance as the AIADMK interim chief, dealing a blow to Mr Pannerselvam (OPS) in his running feud with his rival over the leadership issue.

The OPS camp decried the election process and senior party leader Panruti S Ramachandran said they will move the court over the issue, even as Mr Panneerselvam indicated he will meet the people on the matter. A large conference will be held in Tiruchirappalli early April as part of the next course of action, he added.

Within hours of Mr Palaniswami filing the nomination, Mr Panneerselvam addressed a press conference, alleging the election process was not in conformity with party laws.

The organisational polls have to be held once in five years and the highest office is elected by primary members. Only the elected General Secretary can later conduct organisational polls and appoint functionaries. Further, membership forms have to be given during this period to include new members and renew membership for existing ones, following which identity cards have to be given for both, he said.

"The election to the top post will be held only after completion of these processes. There is no due process and they want to hold the election for the general secretary post like a pickpocket doing away (with one's purse)..is this acceptable," he asked.

The Palaniswami-led AIADMK had earlier announced the schedule for the election for the General Secretary post, announcing the election will be held on March 23.

Mr Palaniswami's election is expected to be unanimous as the party has been rallying behind him, as manifested in the July 11, 2022 General Council where OPS and some of his aides were expelled. The GC resolutions have been challenged in the Madras High Court by OPS' camp.

OPS also took on his rival over his leadership abilities, pointing out the various electoral losses since the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, including the recent Erode (East) byelection where the DMK-led ruling coalition candidate, EVKS Elangovan of the Congress trumped Mr Palaniswami's pick K S Thennarasu by more than 66,000 votes.

Pak Police Break Into Imran Khan's Home Hours After He Leaves For Court

"Meanwhile Punjab police have led an assault on my house in Zaman Park where Bushra Begum is alone," Imran Khan said.

Pak Police Break Into Imran Khan's Home Hours After He Leaves For Court

Lahore/New Delhi: Pakistan police entered the home of former Prime Minister Imran Khan in Lahore on Saturday while he was on his way to Islamabad for a court hearing in a corruption case, officials from his party said.

Bushra Begum, Mr Khan's wife, was at home when police removed the barricades and broke into his house, they said.

During the operation, at least 10 Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf workers were injured and over 30 arrested, news agency PTI reported.

His party shared a video on its official Twitter account that showed Mr Khan's supporters at his home being lathicharged by the policemen.

"Meanwhile Punjab police have led an assault on my house in Zaman Park where Bushra Begum is alone. Under what law are they doing this? This is part of London Plan where commitments were made to bring absconder Nawaz Sharif to power as quid pro quo for agreeing to one appointment," Mr Khan tweeted.

The move follows days of standoff and intense clashes between his supporters and the police when the attempts were made to arrest him for skipping multiple previous hearings.

Earlier this week, security forces had fired tear gas and water cannons at hundreds of Mr Khan's supporters who had cordoned off his home in an effort to prevent his arrest.

The Islamabad High Court yesterday suspended non-bailable arrest warrants issued against Mr Khan till today, providing him with a chance to appear before the district court to defend charges that he unlawfully sold state gifts given to him by foreign dignitaries while he was Prime Minister from 2018 to 2022.

During the hearing, Imran's lawyer submitted an undertaking to the high court, assuring the PTI chief would appear in court on March 18.

Imran Khan, who was shot and wounded while campaigning in November, 2022, had said in an interview that the threat to his life is greater than before.

Mr Khan was ousted by a no-confidence vote last year and has been snarled in dozens of legal cases as he campaigns for early elections and a return to office.

As the political drama unfolds, the nation is facing a stark economic downturn, risking default if help cannot be secured from the International Monetary Fund.