Month: April 2024

Former Bihar Deputy Chief Minister and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav launched the ‘Parivartan Patra’ manifesto ahead of the upcoming Lok Sabha elections and said that the party is committed to fulfilling the 24 promises outlined in the manifesto.

The RJD leader claimed that the manifesto focuses on crucial developmental issues and the welfare of the people in Bihar.

Speaking at the event on Saturday, Yadav said, “Today morning we released the “Parivartan Patra.” We are bringing forward 24 promises in 2024, which are our commitment and our pledge that will be fulfilled responsibly. It has a lot of important issues regarding the development of Bihar and the welfare of its people.”

The RJD leader further said, “When RJD says something, it also fulfils it by doing it.”

Tejashwi Yadav also said that after the INDIA bloc was voted to power, RJD would provide government jobs to one crore youth across the country.

“If our INDIA alliance is voted to power, we will give government jobs to one crore youth across the country. In the present day, unemployment is our biggest enemy and BJP people did not talk about this. They had promised to give 2 crore jobs but we do what we say and will give 1 crore jobs,” said Yadav.

The RJD leader also said that RJD will implement OPS (Old Pension Scheme) and provide special status to Bihar.

Yadav stated that if his government is voted to power, they will start providing jobs in the entire country on August 15.

“From August 15, people will start getting freedom from unemployment. If our government comes to power, the process of providing jobs will start on August 15. On the occasion of Raksha Bandhan, we will provide Rs 1 lakh to our sisters belonging to poor households every year. We will provide gas cylinders at Rs 500,” he said.

He further announced his government would provide 1 crore jobs across the country.

Apart from this, he announced giving gas cylinders for Rs 500. RJD, in its manifesto, said that it would give special state status to Bihar.

He, further on behalf of his party, said that from this Rakshabandhan, if his party comes to power and would give Rs 1 lakh to poor women, he also promised to provide 200 units of electricity free.

Adding further, Yadav said that 5 new airports would be built in the state for better connectivity.

“For better connectivity in Bihar, we are going to build 5 new airports in the state in Purnea, Bhagalpur, Muzzafarpur, Gopalganj and Raxaul,” said Yadav.

The ’24 promises’ of the RJD include job promises for youth, freedom from unemployment from August 15, and Rs 1 lakh promised for poor women from the upcoming Rakshabandhan.

If voted to power, RJD promises to provide gas cylinders for Rs 500, implement the old pensions scheme, give Bihar a special state status, create a special package for Bihar, and discontinue the agniveer scheme.

The promise also includes implementing the remaining recommendations of the Mandal Commission, and providing 200 units of free electricity, among others.

Earlier on Friday, taking a dig at the BJP government, Tejashwi Yadav urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to focus on key issues like poverty, unemployment, and special status in Bihar, iterating that he always sidesteps from engaging in discussions on issues of the people.

His remarks come after PM Modi on Friday attacked the ‘Mughal’ mindset of INDIA bloc leaders Rahul Gandhi and Lalu Yadav and his son, Tejashwi Yadav for hurting the religious sentiments of Hindus and teasing them by cooking mutton during Sawan and eating fish during Navratri.

Bihar will witness polling for 40 Lok Sabha seats across all seven phases. In Phase 1, voting will be held in four seats. The state will witness polling on 5 seats each from Phase 2 to Phase 5. In Phases 6 and 7, elections will be held for 8 seats each.

In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the NDA, consisting of the BJP, JDU (Janata Dal-United), and LJP (Lok Janshakti Party), secured victory by winning 39 out of 40 seats.

While, the Mahagathbandhan, led by RJD (Rashtriya Janata Dal), INC (Indian National Congress), and RLSP (Rashtriya Lok Samta Party), only managed to secure one seat.

The BJP won 17 seats with a vote share of 24.1 per cent, while JD(U) secured victory on 16 seats with a vote share of 22.3 per cent. LJP had won 6 seats with a vote share of 8 per cent, while INC had won only one seat with a vote share of 7.9 per cent.

In the 2014 Lok Sabha elections in Bihar, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won 22 seats. Lok Jan Shakti Party (LJP) won 6 seats. Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) won 4 seats. While the Indian National Congress (INC) managed to get only 2 seats. (ANI)

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The Supreme Court will hear on April 15 the plea of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal challenging his arrest by the Directorate of Enforcement (ED) and his subsequent remand in the excise policy case.

A bench of Justices Sanjiv Khanna and Dipankar Datta will hear the matter.

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Kejriwal approached the Supreme Court challenging a Delhi High Court judgement that dismissed his plea against arrest by the ED and his subsequent remand in the excise policy case.

While filing an appeal in the apex court, he contended that his arrest after the announcement of the general elections was “motivated by extraneous considerations.”

The appeal stated that the sitting Chief Minister had been arrested in a “motivated manner” in the middle of the election cycle, especially after the declaration of the schedule of the Lok Sabha election in 2024.

On April 9, the High Court dismissed his plea for release from jail and rejected his argument of political vendetta amid the looming Lok Sabha elections.

The High Court had said that Kejriwal’s absence from nine ED summons over six months undermined any claims of special privilege as Chief Minister, suggesting his arrest was an inevitable consequence of his non-cooperation.

Seeking urgent intervention from the Supreme Court, the Chief Minister’s appeal stated, that it is an issue of illegal curtailment of Kejriwal’s liberty.

Kejriwal’s arrest also constitutes an “unprecedented assault on the tenets of democracy” based on “free and fair elections” and “federalism,” both of which form significant constituents of the basic structure of the Constitution, the appeal further stated.

The petition, while seeking the release of the Delhi Chief Minister from jail, said the ED has “allowed its process to be used and misused by vested interests” as an instrument of oppression to not only “invade the liberty of the political opponents” in the midst of general election, 2024 of such vested interests but also “to tarnish their reputation and self-esteem.”

Such lawlessness cannot be allowed to be perpetrated under any circumstances, it said while urging the apex court to declare Kejriwal’s arrest illegal.

“The petitioner’s arrest, therefore, bears serious, irreversible ramifications for the future of electoral democracy in India, for if the petitioner is not released forthwith to participate in the upcoming elections, it will establish a precedence in law for ruling parties to arrest heads of political opposition on flimsy and vexatious charges before elections, thereby eroding the core principles of our Constitution,” the petition stated.

Filing the appeal against the High Court judgement, Kejriwal said that there is no material in the possession of the Enforcement Directorate on the basis of which an inference of guilt can be made under Section 19 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

“Moreover, the circumstances and chronology of events clearly show that there was no necessity to arrest the petitioner (Kejriwal),” it added.

The arrest was made solely based on the subsequent, contradictory, and highly belated statements of co-accused who have now turned approvers, the appeal stated.

An appeal against the High Court order stated, “Moreover, such statements and material were in possession of the Enforcement Directorate for the last nine months and still the arrest has been made illegally in the middle of the 2024 general election.”

These statements relied upon in the grounds of arrest were recorded by the ED from December 7, 2022, until July 27, 2023, and subsequently no further material has been collected against Kejriwal, it stated.

“There was no legal or factual basis for “reason to believe” or “material in possession” to consider the petitioner “guilty” for effecting an arrest. Obviously, there was no necessity for the arrest on March 21, 2024, based on this “material,” as stated in the appeal.

Also, no statement was recorded before the arrest on March 21, 2024, to seek any explanation about this old material, before deciding on the requirements of Section 19 of the PMLA, it added.

Kejriwal was arrested by ED on March 21 in connection with a money laundering probe relating to alleged irregularities in the now-cancelled Delhi excise policy 2021-22. (ANI)

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At least four people were reported to be dead after a man entered a mall in Sydney’s eastern suburbs on Saturday afternoon and began randomly shooting and stabbing people, local media reported.

The toll of casualties at Bondi Junction’s Westfield shopping centre may extend further, with eight people, including a child, rushed to hospitals in Sydney, their conditions yet to be disclosed, The Sydney Morning Herald reported.

Chaos erupted around 4 pm (local time) with reports of multiple stabbings within the bustling shopping complex. Witnesses describe scenes of sheer terror as a man, reportedly armed with a knife, ran amok, leaving bystanders in a state of shock and confusion.

“We didn’t really know where to go. We tried to go back in the other building but there were people running down that direction,” recounted Hannah Bodrozic, who was shopping in Country Road at the time. “Then we heard three gunshots and everyone just started screaming.”

In a swift response, heavily armed tactical operations police descended upon the scene “Heavily armed tactical operations police responded and shot a male offender,” as reported by The Sydney Morning Herald.

“Police responded to reports of multiple people stabbed at Bondi Westfield just before 4 pm,” reported authorities.

Harrowing eyewitness accounts paint a picture of pandemonium within the shopping centre as terrified shoppers scrambled for safety. The sudden eruption of violence shattered the tranquility of the bustling retail hub, leaving scores of people traumatised and reeling from the ordeal.

“You’d never expect something like this in Sydney,” remarked Guy Johnston, who witnessed the chaos unfold, according to local media reports.

The sheer scale of the incident has prompted a massive law enforcement response, with officers from various commands converging on the scene to secure the area and launch a thorough investigation, The Sydney Morning Herald reported. (ANI)

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Home Minister Amit Shah, who was in Uttar Pradesh’s Moradabad on Friday to address a poll rally urged voters to make BJP victorious on all 80 Lok Sabha seats in the state.

Notably, Uttar Pradesh has the highest number of Lok Sabha constituencies in the country and plays a key role in the formation of government at the Centre.

The Home Minister also lauded the people of the state and attributed BJP’s two victories in Lok Sabha polls to UP as the state offered 73 seats in 2014 and 65 seats in 2019 respectively.

“In 2014 and 2019, the biggest reason for PM Modi becoming the PM was Uttar Pradesh. Uttar Pradesh gave 73 seats in 2014 and 65 seats in 2019 and hence PM Modi became the PM with a full majority. We have to make him PM for third term, ‘is baar na 73 chalengi na 65 chalengi, is baar 80 ki 80 seat Modi ki jholi me jayengi’,” said Amit Shah.

“In our Gujarat, it’s been said a child’s future can be seen in the baby swing, so as the first election is going to be held in western UP, what you do will be followed by the rest of the UP. I would appeal to all of you to come out of your homes and cast your vote on the sign of Louts,” added Shah.

Further speaking about his government’s achievements, Shah said, “In last 10 years PM Modi has brought the country’s economy from 11th position to 5th position, now you make him PM for the third time, he will make the country’s economy 3rd largest in the world; it’s a Modi guarantee.”

The election for 543 Lok Sabha seats will be held in seven phases starting April 19. While, Moradabad Lok Sabha constituency will undergo polls on April 19 as part of Phase 1.

The counting of votes will take place on June 4. In the 2019 Lok Sabha election, the Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) won 303 seats, while the Indian National Congress (INC) managed to get only 52 seats. (ANI)

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday threw a challenge at Opposition parties, especially the Congress to bring back Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir. He alleged that for the sake of power, the opposition had built the wall of 370 in Jammu and Kashmir.

Addressing a public rally in Udhampur, PM Modi said that statehood will be granted to Jammu and Kashmir with the blessings of people he had demolished the wall of Article 370 and buried it.

“For the sake of power, they had built a wall of 370 in Jammu and Kashmir. Due to your blessings, Modi demolished the wall of Article 370. I have also buried the debris of that wall in the ground. I challenge any political party in India, especially Congress, to announce that they will bring back Article 370,” the prime minister said.

“This country won’t even look at them,” the PM said.

He further accused the opposition of spreading confusion among the people regarding the abrogation of Article 370, and said, “They used to say that if Article 370 is removed, there will be fire and Jammu and Kashmir will leave us. But the youth of Jammu and Kashmir showed them the mirror.”

“Now, when they did not succeed here, the people of Jammu and Kashmir came to know their reality, so these people are now playing the game of spreading confusion among the people of the country outside Jammu and Kashmir. They say that the country did not get any benefit from the removal of Article 370,” he added.

Dismissing the opposition’s claim that the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya was an election issue for the BJP, PM Modi said that the struggle for the Ram Mandir had been going on since the time BJP was not even born.

“These family-oriented parties are against development as well as against legacy. Congress says that Ram Mandir is an election issue for the BJP. Ram Mandir was not an election issue, nor is it and nor will it be. The struggle for Ram Mandir has been going on since the time BJP was not even born. The struggle for Ram Mandir is 500 years old when there was no trace of elections,” he said.

The Prime Minister said the leaders of Congress and its allies lived in big bunglows while Ram Lalla was in a tent.

The Prime Minister said that in the last decade, Jammu and Kashmir have completely changed as roads, electricity, water, travel, and migration, all are available.

“In the 10 years, we have tightened the noose around terrorists and corrupt people. Now in the coming five years, this area has to be taken to new heights of development. Within 10 years, Jammu and Kashmir has completely changed. Roads, electricity, water, travel, migration, all these are there. But the biggest thing is that the mind of Jammu and Kashmir has changed,” he said.

“In 2014, I had returned after visiting Mata Vaishno Devi and on this very ground, I had guaranteed you that I will free you from whatever several generations of Jammu and Kashmir have suffered. Today, with your blessings, Modi has fulfilled that guarantee,” the Prime Minister said.

“This is the first election after decades, when terrorism, separatism, stone pelting, bandhs, strikes, cross-border firing are not election issues. Then whether it was the Mata Vaishno Devi Yatra or the Amarnath Yatra, the concern was about how to conduct these in a safe manner. Today the situation has completely changed. Today, development is taking place in Jammu and Kashmir and confidence is also increasing,” he said.

“That is why today, from every nook and corner of Jammu and Kashmir, only one echo is being heard – Ek baar phir Modi Sarkar. (Modi Government once again).” The Prime Minister was in Udhampur to support the campaign of Union Minister and BJP candidate Jitendra Singh who has been representing the constituency since 2014. Singh had defeated former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad from Udhampur in 2014.

The Congress has fielded Choudhary Lal Singh from Udhampur. The Congress took Lal Singh back into its fold six years after he was forced to resign following his participation in a rally held in support of the Kathua rape accused, in which a child was raped. The Peoples Democratic Party, partner in the INDIA bloc, has extended their support to Lal Singh.

Udhampur will vote in the first phase on April 19. The BJP had won three out of six seats in Jammu and Kashmir in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. The National Conference won the remaining three seats. (ANI)

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West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee lashed out at the BJP on Friday after a leader of the opposition party alleged that the state had become a “safe haven” for terrorists.

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) earlier today said that it has arrested from Kokata the perpetrator and the architect behind the explosion last month at Begaluru’s Rameshwaram cafe.

Following this Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) IT cell head Amit Malviya today alleged that West Bengal has become a “safe haven” for terrorists.

“NIA detains two chief suspects in the Rameshwaram Cafe blast, bomber Mussavir Hussain Shazib and accomplice Abdul Matheen Ahmed Taahaa, from Kolkata. Both likely belong to ISIS cell in Shivamogga, Karnataka. West Bengal, unfortunately, under Mamata Banerjee, has become a safe haven for terrorists,” Malviya said in a post on ‘X’.

Addressing a rally in Cooch Behar, the Trinamool chief lashed out to say that the accused in the Rameshwaram Cafe blast were arrested from Purba Medinipur in a joint operation by West Bengal Police and the central intelligence agencies.

“Heard one BJP leader saying that a bomb blast took place in Bangalore. The accused are from Karnataka, not from here. They were hiding in Bengal for two hours and in two hours our police managed to nab them. And they are saying that Bengal is not safe?”

She took the names of the states of Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Delhi, Gujarat and Bihar.

The West Bengal Police also took to social media platform X to post, “Contrary to the claims made by @amitmalviya, the fact is that, two suspects in the Rameshwaram Cafe blast case have been arrested from Purba Medinipur in a JOINT operation by the West Bengal Police and the Central Intelligence Agencies.”

“The proactive role of WBP in the matter has been officially acknowledged by the Central Agencies. West Bengal has NEVER been a safe haven for terrorists and the state police will continue to remain ever-vigilant in keeping its people safe from nefarious activities,” the state police further said.

Meanwhile, the BJP in West Bengal also posted that NIA’s crackdown shows that the state has morphed into a “sanctuary for terrorists”.

In a dig at Kolkata Mayor Firhad Hakim, the BJP said, “Bobby Hakim’s chilling comparison to ‘mini Pakistan’ finds validation as Mamata Banerjee’s leniency emboldens criminals. The time for decisive action against this culture of impunity is now!”

Earlier in 2016, Trinamool Congress leader Firhad Hakim, also known as Bobby Hakim, found himself in a soup after he referred to Kolkata’s Garden Reach area as “mini-Pakistan” while speaking in an interview to a Pakistani daily. (ANI)

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Aam Aadmi Party workers on Friday staged a protest at the ITO foot over bridge in the national capital against the arrest of the Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.

CM Kejriwal, who has not yet resigned from his post was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on March 21 in connection with the excise policy case.

In the visuals, party workers were seen protesting and raising slogans like ‘Aam Aadmi Party Zindabad’, and ‘Arvind Kejriwal Zindabad’.

Protesters also carried posters showing Arvind Kejriwal’s picture, which were captioned ‘jail ka jawab vote se’.

Earlier, on April 10, a Delhi court dismissed the plea moved by Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal seeking direction to increase the number of legal meetings with his lawyers from two to five times a week.

Through the plea, Kejriwal stated that as he is facing multiple FIRs in various states, a lot of legal work takes place and hence the number of meetings should be increased.

Special Counsel Zoheb Hossain appearing for respondent authorities opposed the application stating that the applicant is seeking legal meetings five times a week and is clearly against the Jail Manual.

According to the manual, “Only one legal meeting is allowed in a week, and in special circumstances, two meetings may be allowed. This applicant is already getting two legal meetings.”

“If someone chooses to run the government from jail you cannot be treated exceptionally,” the lawyers said.

The trial court on April 1, sent Arvind Kejriwal to judicial custody till April 15. The ED alleged that the Aam Adami Party (AAP) is the major beneficiary of the proceeds of crime generated in the alleged liquor scam. (ANI)

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Coming down heavily on the ruling government, Parameshwara said that either the BJP does not think of India as a democratic country or they don’t want a democracy.

“BJP leadership thinks that this is not a democracy or they don’t want a democracy. That is why now we as Congressmen keep saying that democracy is in danger, protect the democracy,” he said.

When asked about whether the Agniveer scheme, is an option to reduce unemployment in the country, the Karnataka Minister said that there’s a ceiling in the Army, Navy, and Air Force regarding the limited recruitment, so first the government should fill those vacancies.

“How will you do that? You already have a ceiling in the Army, Navy and Air Force that you can recruit only these many people. There are 30 lakh sanctioned vacant places in GoI. Why don’t you fill them? What stops you from filling those vacancies? Instead of Agniveer, already sanctioned vacancies are there in govt, fill them up and give them employment. There are people who are well qualified. My appeal to PM Modi is to fill these vacancies so that at least youngsters will get employment,” he said.

The Agniveer Scheme was announced in June 2022 for recruitment in the armed forces. The scheme is meant only for recruiting soldiers and not officers in the forces. The soldiers recruited under this Agneepath scheme are known as Agniveers.

Under the scheme, the three services are recruiting youths between the age bracket of 17-and-half years and 21 years for four years with a provision to retain 25 per cent of them for 15 more years. For 2022, the upper age limit was extended to 23 years.

Karnataka, which has 28 Lok Sabha seats, will vote in two phases on April 26 and May 7.

In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the Congress and JD-S fought together against the BJP and the combine was decimated. The BJP had won a record 25 seats; Congress and JD-S won just one seat each.

The Lok Sabha Elections 2024 will be held in seven phases starting on April 19. The counting of votes on June 4. (ANI)

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The Defence Ministry has issued a tender to the public sector firm Hindustan Aeronautics Limited for purchasing made-in-India 97 LCA Mark 1A fighter jets expected to be worth over Rs 65,000 crore.

This is set to be the largest order for indigenous military hardware to be placed by the Indian government ever.

The tender was issued by the Defence Ministry to the HAL recently and they have been given three months to respond to it.

The programme will help the IAF to replace its fleet of MiG-21s, MiG-23s and MiG-27s which have been either phased out or are set to be phased out in near future, government officials told ANI.

The indigenous fighter aircraft programme, fully backed by Defence Ministry and Air Headquarters is set to be a big boost for promoting indigenisation as well as give major business to the small and medium enterprises engaged in defence business across the country, they said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been pushing for the revival of the HAL which has bagged orders for building all types of indigenous fighter aircraft, helicopters along with the engines for them under his government.

The Prime Minister also undertook a sortie in the trainer variant of the indigenous fighter which was first ever sortie by the Prime Minister of India in any combat aircraft.

The plan to acquire 97 more LCA Mark 1A fighter jets was also announced first by the Air Force chief Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari on foreign soil in Spain when he told ANI about the mega plans to boost the indigenous fighter aircraft orders.

The decision to buy 97 more of these planes came around after the Air Chief held a review meeting of the indigenous fighter jet programme with all entities involved including the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited.

The last order for LCA Mark1A was for 83 aircraft and the first plane is poised to be delivered in a few weeks from now. LCA Mark 1A is the advanced version of Tejas aircraft.

The LCA Mark 1A plane has more advanced avionics and radars than the initial 40 LCAs being supplied to the Air Force.

The indigenous content in the new LCA Mark1As is going to be more than 65 per cent.

The programme has been the harbinger of Atmanirbhar Bharat and Make in India initiatives of the nation. More importantly, it is a flag bearer of India’s self-reliance in the aerospace sector.

The HAL is also set to bag deals for buying over 200 LCA Mark 2s and similar number of fifth generation Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft. (ANI)

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