Video: Leopard spotted near Bengaluru school, alert sent to parents

​ 

India Today | India 

The Samajwadi Party is still part of the INDIA opposition bloc, Akhilesh Yadav told NDTV Monday, amid buzz he may quit due to a row with the Congress over seat-sharing for the Madhya Pradesh election.

However, the former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister did leave himself an escape route and said again that ‘PDA’ – his plan to target voters from backward classes (Pichde), Dalit communities and minorities (Alpasankhyaks) – is the key (rather than INDIA) to defeat the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance”.

“I have said this before. PDA is party’s strategy… INDIA is alliance …” he said.

Last week Mr Yadav had said, “PDA was formed first and INDIA was formed later. I have, on multiple occasions, said that though INDIA is there, our strategy is of PDA…”

READ | After Days Of Digs, Akhilesh Yadav Uses ‘PDA’ But Not INDIA, Raises Eyebrows

The 28-member INDIA bloc was formed this year for the express purpose of uniting and galvanising the opposition to defeat the BJP in five remaining state polls this year and, crucially, in the 2024 Lok Sabha election, in which Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s party will hope to win a third consecutive term.

Tensions between the Congress and the Samajwadi Party flared up again this month after the former reportedly refused to give the latter six seats to contest in the November 17 Madhya Pradesh election.

The two have since ended up fielding candidates against each other for 18 constituencies.

“They assured us they will think about us for six seats. When they announced candidates there was nothing (for Samajwadi Party). If I knew, we wouldn’t have spoken to Congress,” Mr Yadav said.

READ | “If We Fight BJP With Confusion…”: Akhilesh Yadav On INDIA Seat Sharing

The Congress, meanwhile, played down Mr Yadav’s angst; its Madhya Pradesh boss, and former Chief Minister, Kamal Nath jibed, “Arre bhai chhodo Akhilesh Vakhilesh… (leave this Akhilesh Vakhilesh).”

Meanwhile, in another sign that all is not well between the two sides, the Congress and the Samajwadi Party have also traded banners hailing their respective figureheads as future prime ministers.

READ | Banner At Congress’ Lucknow Office Says Rahul Gandhi ‘2024 PM’, Key Ally Slams Move

A banner describing Congress MP Rahul Gandhi as the ‘2024 Prime Minister’ appeared outside his party’s Lucknow office, days after a similar poster called Akhilesh Yadav India’s ‘future Prime Minister’.

Several videos recently surfaced on social media showing an Ola electric scooter catching fire in Pune. The incident happened on Saturday when an Ola S1 Pro caught fire near the parking lot of D.Y Patil College in Pimpri Chinchwad. The videos showed smoke coming out of the burning as the fire brigade team used a water hose to control the blaze.

Ola electric scooter reportedly caught fire near the parking lot of D.Y Patil College in Pimpri Chinchwad today at around 8:30am. The fire brigade swiftly responded and extinguished the flames. #Pune
pic.twitter.com/kujRzVmfB9

— Pune City Life (@PuneCityLife) October 28, 2023

Reacting to the videos, Ola has now claimed that the incident occurred due to an aftermarket part used in the scooter. The company has confirmed that the scooter’s battery remains intact and functional. Fortunately, the customer involved in the incident is safe and unharmed.

”We have received a report of an incident with one of our scooters in Pune yesterday. The customer is safe and unharmed. Our investigation has revealed that aftermarket parts used in the scooter led to a short circuit which resulted in the incident,” the company said in  statement on X. 

”Our findings have further confirmed that the battery of the vehicle is intact and functional. At Ola, safety is the highest priority and we follow stringent vehicle safety and quality standards. We urge our customers to only use genuine spare parts and accessories for all service requirements and contact us online or through the nearest Ola Experience Centre for support,” the statement added. 

Here’s the post:

Important update pic.twitter.com/K7pw71Xoxo

— Ola Electric (@OlaElectric) October 29, 2023

Ola also urged their customers to only use genuine spare parts and accessories for all services.

Recently, there have been widespread incidents of electric two-wheelers catching fire in various parts of the country forcing manufacturers to recall their vehicles. A few months back, a parked Ola Electric S1 Pro caught fire in Thiruvananthapuram.

 n March 2022, another Ola S1 Pro scooter caught fire in the Dhanori area of Pune. After the incident, Ola Electric recalled 1,441 units of its electric two-wheelers.

The fire incidents had prompted the government to form a panel to examine and had warned companies of penalties if they were found to be negligent.