Month: April 2024

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Thursday launched a scathing attack on Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan for lashing out at him.

Speaking at a public meeting organised by the United Democratic Front in the Kottayam district of Kerala, Rahul Gandhi said, “Everybody knows I fight the BJP 24×7, I disagree with them ideologically. Hundreds of BJP leaders thinking about how to fight Rahul Gandhi. Anyone who fights the BJP pays the price. They took away my membership, and my house, and investigated me for 55 hours.”

Rahul alleged that Pinarayi attacked him constantly throughout the campaign, and questioned why didn’t Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) attacked him.

Lashing out at the Kerala Chief Minister, he said, “Every single day they attacked me but why did the BJP not attack CM Vijayan? Another interesting thing is that when I came to Kerala I attacked the BJP, but the CM of Kerala spent 24 hours attacking me. That is what he is doing all the time. For some reason, BJP is not attacking Kerala CM.”

Addressing his last poll rally for the day in Kottayam, Rahul said, “Today 22 people in india have as much wealth as 70 crores of our civilians… How can we talk about being a superpower? Our farmers are screaming for help, and our youngsters are unemployed. How are we a superpower?”

Earlier in the day, Kerala CM Vijayan attacked Wayanad MP Rahul Gandhi saying the Left does not require validation from Congress to oppose the BJP.

“It is ironic that Rahul Gandhi and VD Satheesan, from the same Congress party, question why the Chief Minister didn’t speak out against Modi. The Left does not require validation from Congress to oppose PM Modi’s misguided policies and the RSS guiding them,” said Vijayan.

He further added, “The Congress lacks any genuine ideological or practical motivation to oppose the BJP, beyond the rhetoric crafted by news-centric PR agencies. Congress’ rivalry with the BJP is primarily confined to electoral politics and power struggles, rather than rooted in substantive ideological differences. Congress has evolved into a party primarily focused on gaining traction within power politics.”

A few days ago, on April 1, Pinarayi slammed Rahul Gandhi for contesting in the Wayanad Lok Sabha constituency against the Left Democratic Front (LDF) candidate and Communist Party of India (CPI) national leader, Annie Raja. He also called out Rahul Gandhi for not actively campaigning against the BJP. (ANI)

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India is set to deliver the first set of BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles to the Philippines as part of the USD 375 million deal between the two sides signed in 2022.

The Indian Air Force is sending its American origin C-17 Globemaster transport aircraft with the missiles to Philippines to deliver the weapon system to the Philippines Marine Corps, defence sources said.

The transportation of systems has also taken place through the sea route where cargo vessels were hired, the sources said.

The export of ground systems for the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile system along wotvwith the missiles started last month itself, they said.

The Philippines is taking delivery of the missile systems at a time when tensions between them and China have been going up due to the frequent clashes in the South China Sea.

The three batteries of the BrahMos missile system would be deployed by the Philippines in their coastal areas to guard against any threat in the region.

The deal has been cleared with multiple approvals from partner nations in the programme.

The BrahMos supersonic cruise missile, a joint venture between DRDRO and Russia’s Russian Federation’s NPO Mashinostroyeniya, is said to be one of the most successful missile programs in the world. Acknowledged as the foremost and swiftest precision-guided weapon on a global scale, BRAHMOS has played a pivotal role in enhancing India’s deterrence capabilities.

The Indian Army has integrated multiple BrahMos regiments into its arsenal since 2007. (ANI)

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Actor Suniel Shetty recently took to social media to share a touching birthday tribute to his son-in-law and cricketer, KL Rahul.

The picture-perfect moment captured the essence of their bond, resonating with warmth and familial love. Amidst the golden hues of the setting sun, Suniel, his son Ahan Shetty, and KL Rahul exuded laid-back vibes.

Sharing the picture, he wrote, “They say it’s not what we have in life, but who we have in our life that matters …feeling blessed to have you in ours for it’s a connection I can’t explain …happy birthday Rahul … love you son.”

Ahan Shetty also extended his wishes to his brother-in-law on this special day by sharing a picture with the latter on his Instagram story.

The celebration of love and togetherness extends beyond birthdays, as evidenced by the intimate wedding ceremony of Suniel’s daughter Athiya Shetty and KL Rahul.

Held at the ‘Hera Pheri’ actor’s picturesque Khandala farmhouse, the ceremony was a private affair with only selected guests in attendance.

Meanwhile, on the work front, Suniel recently made his OTT debut with ‘Hunter Tootega Nahi Todega,’ where he portrays the role of a cop alongside a talented ensemble cast including Esha Deol, Barkha Bisht, Karanvir Sharma, and Rahul Dev.

As anticipation mounts, Suniel Shetty gears up for his return to the silver screen with ‘Welcome to the Jungle.’

The third instalment to the blockbuster comedy ‘Welcome,’ ‘Welcome to the Jungle promises laughter, entertainment, and a stellar cast that includes industry stalwarts including Sanjay Dutt, Paresh Rawal and Raveena Tandon

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Actor Disha Patani, who is known for her stunning pictures, delighted fans yet again with a new dance routine.

Sharing a video on Instagram, the ‘Yodha’ actress danced to the song ‘Trance’ by Metro Boomin, Travis Scott, and Young Thug.

Disha left her fans mesmerized with her captivating dance moves while dressed in a white oversized t-shirt and grey sweatpants.

As soon as the actress posted the video, fans chimed in the comment section.

One fan wrote, “She deserves a movie with Shah Rukh Khan!”

Another one commented, “Beauty with talent!”

‘Killed it with those moves,” wrote a third fan.

Just last week, the actress flaunted her toned figure in a sheer bodycon dress at the screening of rumored boyfriend Tiger Shroff’s film ‘Bade Miyan Chote Miyan.’ She shared photos and a video on Instagram.

‘Bade Miyan Chote Miyan’ is an action-entertainer that Akshay Kumar has described as a “Bad Boys-like film” during the trailer launch.

The movie directed by Ali Abbas Zafar boasts an ensemble cast featuring Prithviraj Sukumaran in a captivating villainous role, alongside Sonakshi Sinha, Manushi Chhillar, and Alaya F in significant parts.

‘Bade Miyan Chote Miyan’ which was released in cinemas on April 10, 2024, faced a clash at the box office with Ajay Devgn’s ‘Maidaan’.

Meanwhile, on the work front, Disha’s last film was Yodha, produced by Karan Johar, where she starred alongside Sidharth Malhotra. The film received a moderate response at the box office. Next, she’ll appear in Nag Ashwin’s Kalki 2898 AD, featuring Prabhas, Deepika Padukone, and Amitabh Bachchan. (ANI)

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The Rouse Avenue Court of Delhi on Thursday sent Chanpreet Singh, who allegedly managed the Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) funds for the Goa assembly elections to judicial custody. He was arrested last week by Enforcement Directorate in connection with Excise policy case.

Chanpreet Singh on Thursday was produced before the court after the end of remand period granted on last date by the court.

The Special Judge Kaveri Baweja allowed the ED’s application sought direction to send him to judicial custody and didn’t want his further custodial remand of him. The court sent him to the Judicial custody till April 23, 2024.

Charanpreet Singh joined AAP as a freelance worker in May-June 2021 till March 2022 for the Goa election campaign of AAP. He also received salary directly from Aam Aadmi Party. He has also received a salary from m/s Wizspk Communications who were engaged by Department of Information and Publicity of Delhi government for PR Work, said ED.

AAP in its recent statement alleged that the Delhi liquor policy case is solely based on the statements of approvers, many of whom have a “direct connection” with the BJP, like Sharath Reddy.

“The entire country knows that the real Delhi liquor scam took place after ED started its investigation and arrested scam kingpin Sharath Reddy, who later transferred Rs 55 crore of his proceeds from the crime to the BJP via electoral bonds. After two years of investigation and over 500 raids, not a single Rupee or piece of evidence has been recovered from AAP leaders,” the party’s statement said.

“ED is running a politically motivated investigation and making its case solely based on the statements of approvers, many of whom have a direct connection with the BJP, like Sharath Reddy,” it added.

Earlier, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had arrested Singh in the same case. The money laundering case stems from the CBI FIR.

The ED has arrested various people in the Delhi excise policy-linked money laundering case, including Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, who is currently lodged in Tihar jail under judicial custody. (ANI)

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Fifteen thousand security personnel will be deployed in the naxal-affected Gadchiroli district for the first phase of polling tomorrow, a senior official said on Thursday.

Gadchiroli Superintendent of Police Neelotpal told ANI that elaborated security arrangements that have been made in the district to avoid any untoward situation. Surveillance is being maintained through drones in sensitive and highly sensitive areas.

He also appealed to the villagers to come out and vote without any fear.

“We have done a lot of preparation in the last 6 months. 15,000 security personnel will be deployed for voting tomorrow. There are a total of 206 booths. 6 Mi-17 helicopters of the Indian Air Force will be present. Heli-dropping of EVMs and polling parties has been done in sensitive and highly sensitive areas. Apart from this, we have a fleet of 130 drones that will keep an eye on them from the sky,” Neelotpal said.

While there are barricades and police checkpoints at major roads, care is being taken to ensure that the public is not inconvenienced.

“We have appealed to the villagers to come out and vote without any fear and help us in making the elections peaceful and successful,” he said.

Earlier, on April 14, to encourage voting among the people, police launched a public awareness campaign in the naxal-hit Gadchiroli district of Maharashtra.

Taking about the drive, Sub Inspector Govind Khating said, “The objective of this awareness campaign is to encourage the voters to fulfil their duty to keep our democracy alive. The voting which is going to take place on April 19 in the upcoming polls will be a victory for democracy. We have deployed a huge force in the area so that voting can be conducted safely and smoothly.”

Elucidating the fear in the minds of the people in the Naxal stronghold, the SI said, “There is only one fear in the minds of the people that the Naxalites may launch blasts or attacks on them if they go for voting.”

Maharashtra has 48 Lok Sabha seats, the second-largest after Uttar Pradesh. In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP won 23 out of 25 seats it contested in alliance with the undivided Shiv Sena.

Lok Sabha polls in Maharashtra will be held in five phases on April 19, April 26, May 7, May 13 and May 20. The counting of votes will be held on June 4.

The undivided NCP, part of the opposition alliance, contested 19 seats and won four. Following the split in 2022, the Shiv Sena, which had earlier formed a coalition government with the Congress and NCP, saw Eknath Shinde break away from the party with his loyalists and align with the BJP.

In the 2019 elections, the BJP emerged as the largest party with 23 seats, followed by the Shiv Sena with 18 seats. (ANI)

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The Directorate of Enforcement has provisionally attached properties worth Rs 97.79 crore belonging to Raj Kundra under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002, an official said.

The attached properties include a residential flat in Juhu, a residential bungalow in Pune, and equity shares, as per the ED officials.

“Directorate of Enforcement (ED), Mumbai Zonal Office has provisionally attached immovable and movable properties worth Rs. 97.79 Crore belonging to Ripu Sudan Kundra, aka Raj Kundra, under the provisions of Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002. The attached properties include Residential flat situated in Juhu presently in the name of Smt. Shilpa Shetty, a residential bungalow situated in Pune and Equity shares in the name of Raj Kundra,” the ED said.

ED initiated investigation on the basis of multiple FIRs registered by Maharashtra Police and Delhi Police against Variable Tech Pte Ltd, Late Amit Bhardwaj, Ajay Bhardwaj, Vivek Bhardwaj, Simpy Bhardwaj, Mahender Bhardwaj and number of MLM agents, wherein it has been alleged that they had collected huge amounts of funds in the form of Bitcoins (worth Rs 6600 Crore in 2017 itself) from the gullible public with the false promises of 10 per cent per month return in the form of Bitcoins.

The collected Bitcoins were supposed to be utilised for Bitcoin mining and investors were supposed to get huge returns in Crypto assets. But the promoters cheated the investors and have been concealing the ill-gotten Bitcoins in obscure online wallets, the ED said.

“ED investigation revealed that Raj Kundra received 285 Bitcoins from the master mind and promoter of Gain Bitcoin Ponzi Scam, Amit Bhardwaj for setting up Bitcoin mining farm in Ukraine. The said Bitcoins were sourced from proceeds of crime collected by Amit Bhardwaj from gullible investors. Since the deal didn’t materialise, Kundra is still in possession and enjoyment of 285 bitcoins, which are presently valued at more than Rs. 150 Crore,” the ED said.

Earlier, multiple Search operations were carried out in this case and 3 people were arrested, namely Simpy Bhardwaj on December 17, 2023, Nitin Gaur on December 29, 2023, and Nikhil Mahajan on January 16, 2023. All of them are presently in judicial custody as of date, the ED said.

“The main accused, Ajay Bhardwaj and Mahendra Bhardwaj, are still absconding. Earlier, ED had attached properties worth Rs 69 crore. The Prosecution Complaint in this has been filed on 11.06.2019 and Supplementary Prosecution Complaint on 14.02.2024. The Hon’ble Special PMLA Court has taken cognizance of the same,” the ED said.

Further investigation is underway. (ANI)

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India is all set for Lok Sabha elections with 28 states and eight Union Territories going to polls. The seven-phase Lok Sabha elections will begin on April 19.

Election Commission of India in a release said that a total of 16.63 crore voters are eligible to take part in the polls.

A total of 1.87 lakh polling stations have been set up, while 18 lakh personnel have been deployed.

“The Election Commission of India has made all preparations to welcome voters to the biggest festival of democracy that any nation has witnessed, the elections to the 18th Lok Sabha and Legislative Assemblies in four states that start off tomorrow with Phase 1,” the release said.

It has the highest number of parliamentary constituencies among all phases. Voting begins at 7 AM and ends at 6 PM (Closure of Poll timings may differ PC-wise), the poll body said.

Voters include 8.4 crore Males; 8.23 crore Females and 11,371 Third gender electors. There are 35.67 lakh first-time voters registered to cast their votes. Additionally, there are 3.51 crore young voters in the age group 20-29 years.

There are a total of 1625 candidates (Males – 1491; and Females-134) in the fray.

The poll body informed that there are 41 helicopters, 84 Special trains and nearly 1 lakh vehicles have been deployed to ferry polling and security personnel.

Webcasting will be done in more than 50 % of the polling stations along with the deployment of micro observers in all polling stations. 361 Observers (127 General Observers, 67 Police Observers, 167 Expenditure Observers) have already reached their Constituencies days

before the polls.

They serve as the eyes and ears of the Commission to exercise utmost vigilance. Additionally, Special Observers have been deployed in certain states.

A total of 4627 Flying Squads, 5208 Statistics Surveillance Teams, 2028 Video Surveillance Teams and 1255 Video Viewing Teams are keeping surveillance round the clock to strictly and swiftly deal with any form of inducement of voters.

A total of 1374 inter-state and 162 international Border check posts are keeping a strict vigil on any illicit flow of liquor, drugs, cash, and freebies. Strict surveillance has been kept at sea and air routes.

There are over 14.14 lakh registered 85+ years old and 13.89 lakh PwD voters in 102 PCs who have been provided the option to vote from the comfort of their homes. The optional Home Voting facility is already receiving tremendous appreciation and response, ECI said.

The 2024 general elections will be held in India in seven phases, from April 19 to June 1, to elect the 543 members of the 18th Lok Sabha. The results will be announced on June 4. (ANI)

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The Mumbai Crime Branch officials said on Wednesday that the individuals involved in the firing incident outside Bollywood actor Salman Khan’s Bandra residence “intended to just scare him and not murder him.”

“The accused conducted a ‘recce’ of Salman Khan’s farmhouse in Panvel. They intended to just scare him, not murder him. The statements of both families have been recorded in Bihar. Around 7 people have been called from Haryana and other states for questioning, which is ongoing,” said a Mumbai Crime Branch official.

Meanwhile, sources confirmed that the Mumbai Crime Branch will record Salman Khan’s statement as a witness in the case related to the firing outside his Bandra residence.

Upon the arrival of Mumbai Police officials at Salman Khan’s house following the incident, the actor reportedly expressed anger and concern about his family’s security. He also raised questions about the security provided by Mumbai Police, saying that such an incident took place despite the heavy deployment of security personnel at his place, sources said.

Earlier, the Mumbai Crime Branch disclosed that the perpetrators had conducted a reconnaissance of the actor’s residence before carrying out the attack. Moments before the shooting, the assailants parked a motorcycle approximately 100 metres away from Salman Khan’s residence at Galaxy Apartments in Bandra.

After confirming the absence of individuals outside Khan’s house, the shooters approached the premises on the motorcycle and opened fire before fleeing the scene.

In another development, the Mumbai Police filed a case against Anmol Bishnoi in connection with the firing incident, citing his use of threatening language on Facebook.

Anmol Bishnoi, who is the younger brother of jailed gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, wrote about the firing incident on Facebook and used threatening language, police said.

Furthermore, two suspects were arrested by the Kachchh police and handed over to the Mumbai Crime Branch for investigation. Subsequently, Mumbai’s Killa Court remanded the two accused, identified as Vicky Gupta (24) and Sagar Pal (21) from Bihar, to the custody of the Mumbai Crime Branch until April 25, following a medical examination. (ANI)

The Chief of Naval Staff, Admiral R Hari Kumar said on Thursday that despite the countless challenges and denial of technology, our scientists have shown that Bharat can be the space ace.

Addressing the Indian Defspace Symposium 2024 here, Admiral Kumar said that our space sector is leading the charge at escape velocity,

“With Elon Musk’s impending visit and the government of India’s announcement of the 100 per cent FDI for components, systems, subsystems, and the 49 per cent FDI for launch vehicles and associated systems and subsystems, it isn’t now rocket science to realize that Bharat traverses the Amritkaal, our space sector is leading the charge at escape velocity. The space sector and scientists today represent the spirit of a resurgent Bharat. Despite the countless challenges and denial of technology, our scientists have shown that Bharat can be the space ace,” he said.

He also asserted that with the capability today to conceptualize, construct, commission, launch and sustain spaces, I think our country has demonstrated to the world that the sky is not the limit.

“We are one of the few countries to have created a complete space ecosystem. The Bharat space sector is rapidly evolving into one of the most dynamic and defining endeavours of the 20th century, offering increasing opportunities for growth investments which in space turn, probably may offer astronomical returns,” Hari Kumar said.

The Navy chief pointed out that the Indian Defense Space Symposium could not have happened at a more opportune moment, with missions to Mars, the moon and the sun successfully being accomplished.

“So despite countless challenges, resource constraints and denial of technology, our space scientists have shown to the world that we have the will wisdom and wherewithal to be the space ace,” Admiral Kumar said.

“Our ability to execute missions successfully or out of the box, technological solutions, and cost-effective approaches are graded a beeline for the very same entities that would not allow us to be part of the club. So how many countries have undertaken successful missions to Mars and the moon and at the same time, designed and constructed an indigenous aircraft carrier? It’s only for India, the US, Russia and China. It’s truly an allied view,” he added.

Admiral Hari Kumar further added that Bharat’s space program plays a critical role in national development as well as security.

“The establishment of the Defense Space Agency underscores the commitment of the armed forces to leverage space for national security as well, too by fostering collaboration and embracing emerging technologies. Together, we can unlock new frontiers of exploration, while ensuring the safety, security and prosperity of our great nation,” the Navy chief said. (ANI)

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