Month: May 2024

Continuing his attack on Congress and its leader Rahul Gandhi, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said that the opposition party “hates Hindus and Hindu festivals so much that it is now being exposed daily” and “wants to make Hindus second-class citizens in their own country”.

Addressing a rally in Mahbubnagar in Telangana, PM Modi referred to remarks on former Indian Overseas Congress chief Sam Pitroda about the colour of skin of Indians and some of his other remarks to attack the Congress.

He targeted Rahul Gandhi as “shehzada” and Sam Pitroda as “guru” of the Congress leader.

“Congress hates Hindus and Hindu festivals so much that it is now being exposed daily. The shehzada’s guru even went ahead to say that the Ram Temple should not have been built. He went on to say that the construction of Ram Temple and celebrating Ram Navami is anti-India, it is against the idea of India… If you want to visit Ayodhya and celebrate Ram Navami, are you anti-India? Congress wants to make Hindus second-class citizens in their own country. Is this why they talk about vote-jihad?” PM Modi asked.

“The shehzada of Congress set out with ‘Mohabbat ki Dukaan’ but the board of the shop is no longer visible and he is busy dividing the society (samaj me zehar gholne me jut gayen hain)…supporters of ‘tukde tukde gang’ are talking of dividing country into pieces. His advisor, sitting in America, says that the people of South India are Africans. He sees the people of Telangana as Africans… The Congress decides who is Indian and who is African based on the colour of our skin,” he alleged.

The Prime Minister alleged that Congress is anti-Hindu by mentality. “Congress is fully involved in giving the reservation of SC, ST, and OBC to Muslims on the basis of religion… Remember one thing, ‘Vanchit ka jo adhikaar hai, Modi uska chaukidar hai’,” he said.

He said Congress government in Telangana has not worked for farmers.

“This area is blessed by Krishna and Tungabhadra rivers. But the farmers of this area have to migrate for labour. The state government is not going ahead with irrigation projects in the region. Congress has made a false promise of loan waiver for farmers. If anything, Congress has betrayed the farmers,” he said.

“If there is something the Congress party has given to the people of Telangana, it is betrayal, betrayal, betrayal only,” he added.

He accused Bharat Rashtra Samithi and Congress of being “very selfish parties” and said they had not served the people of the state.

“They used the people of Telangana to serve their own interests. You chose KCR in 2009, but after Telangana was formed, he forgot you! The new CM of Telangana, similarly, has nothing to do with you. He is busy just in making the high command sitting in Delhi happy,” PM Modi said.

“Congress came to power after making a lot of promises. But after it formed the government, it became nothing but the ‘photo copy’ of BRS. The loot which the BRS did in years, Congress ‘managed’ to do it within a few months,” he added.

The Prime Minister also referred to his earlier ‘RR tax’ dig at Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy.

“Although I have been talking about ‘RR Tax’ for a few days, I didn’t specifically take anyone’s name. But see, Telangana’s CM provided clarification before the media about this ‘RR Tax’. This implies that he himself accepts that he is

BJP has fielded DK Aruna from Mahabubnagar, Challa Vamshi Chand Reddy is Congress candidate and BRS has given ticket to sitting MP Manne Srinivas Reddy.

Voting for all 17 seats in Telangana will take place on May 13 in the fourth phase of the Lok Sabha elections. (ANI)

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After spending 50 days in Tihar jail, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal was released on Friday following the Supreme Court’s order granting him interim bail in the excise policy case.

Kejriwal was arrested by the ED on March 21, 2024, in connection with the alleged liquor policy scam.

A huge crowd of supporters gathered outside Tihar jail to welcome the Chief Minister on his release.

Kejriwal’s wife Sunita Kejriwal, Punjab Chief Minister and AAP leader Bhagwant Mann, party leaders Atishi, and Saurabh Bhardwaj and AAP general secretary Sandeep Pathak accompanied Kejriwal when he was released. The Chief Minister headed to his official residence after he was released from Tihar jail.

Earlier in April this year, AAP MP Sanjay Singh was released on bail from Tihar jail following the top court’s order. Singh was released after spending over six months in jail in connection with the excise policy case.

Kejriwal has been granted interim bail till June 1 with conditions that he shall not visit the Office of the Chief Minister or the Delhi Secretariat.

As per the court order, the Delhi CM shall furnish bail bonds in the sum of Rs 50,000 with one surety of the like amount to the satisfaction of the Jail Superintendent. Also, he shall not visit the Office of the Chief Minister and the Delhi Secretariat.

While granting Kejriwal interim bail, the apex court said he would not interact with any of the witnesses or have access to any official files connected with the case. He will not “make any comment with regard to his role” in the present case, the bench ordered.

The bench also made it clear that the grant of interim bail will not be treated as an expression of opinion on the merits of the case or the criminal appeal which is pending consideration before it.

The AAP supremo is likely to participate in the election campaigns of the party in the run-up to the general elections in Delhi scheduled to be held on May 25.(ANI)

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Calling the Uddhav Thackeray’s Shiv Sena (UBT) “nakli,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi attacked the party on Friday and said that the fake Shiv Sena people are campaigning with the convict of 1993 Mumbai bomb blasts case for the sake of the votes.

Earlier, the BJP alleged that Iqbal Moosa alias Baba Chauhan, a convict in the 1993 Mumbai bomb blasts case, who spent 10 years in jail, was seen campaigning for MVA northwest candidate Amol Kirtikar.

Addressing a public meeting in Maharashtra’s Nandurbar, PM Modi said that in Maharashtra fake Shiv Sena is roaming around with a bomb blast convict on their shoulders

“On one side there is Congress which says ‘Modi teri kabr khudegi’ and on the other side, there is this fake Shiv Sena that talks about burying me alive. Even while abusing me, they take full care of appeasement. Will you abuse me the way your ‘vote bank’ likes?. Now these fake Shiv Sena people are taking the bomb blast convict with them for campaigning… In Bihar, they are roaming around with a person serving a jail sentence for fodder theft on their shoulders, in Maharashtra they are roaming around with a bomb blast convict on their shoulders,” PM Modi said.

In a veiled attack on Nationalist Congress Party (SP) supremo Sharad Pawar, PM Modi claimed that after the voting in Baramati, they have become “frustrated and disappointed.”

“After elections in Baramati, a big leader of Maharashtra has been so worried that he has given a statement and I think he must have consulted with many people before that statement. He is so discouraged that he thinks that smaller parties should merge with Congress if they want to be in public life after June 4. This fake NCP and fake Shiv Sena have made up their mind to merge in Congress. The ‘Nakli NCP’ and ‘Nakli Shiv Sena’ have decided to merge with Congress. I would say that supporting us and winning is better than supporting Congress and losing after June 4. Your vote on May 13 will answer Congress and the INDI Alliance. Support us, and help Maharashtra embrace development,” he said.

Baramati witnessed a star-studded fight in these elections. Ajit Pawar’s wife Sunetra Pawar is the candidate of the BJP-led Maha Yuti alliance while his sister Supriya Sule is the Maha Vikas Aghadi candidate.

The Prime Minister attacked Congress and claimed that the party is engaged in a “conspiracy” to “eliminate” the Hindu faith.

“Shehzada’s one of the ‘Gurus’ living in America has made an extremely unfortunate and racist remark on Indians. Those having a complexion like that of Lord Krishna are considered ‘African’ by the Congress. And that’s why the Congress party didn’t want to accept Droupadi Murmu Jee as the Honourable President of the country,” he said.

Former chairman of Indian Overseas Congress Sam Pitroda had ignited a firestorm while speaking on the diversity of India referring to how people in the South “look like Africans and those in the East look like Arabs and those in the East look like Chinese.”

The Prime Minister further said that the people who organize ‘sarkari iftari’, and beautify the graves of terrorists for appeasement are calling the people who go to Ram Temple “anti-national.”

“See the mindset of Congress. In the country of Ram, they are calling the Ram temple, anti-national. Those people who organize ‘sarkari iftari’, and beautify the graves of terrorists for appeasement are calling our lord Ram, his temple, and us, who go to Ram temple, as anti-national,” he said.

The voting for the fourth phase of the Lok Sabha elections will take place on May 13. The counting of votes will take place on June 4. (ANI)

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SAARC Secretary-General Golam Sarwar will arrive in Delhi for an official visit to the country from May 11 to 14. He is scheduled to meet the Minister of State for External Affairs Rajkumar Ranjan Singh in Delhi on Tuesday.

During his visit, Sarwar will deliver an address at the 3rd Shakti Sinha Memorial Lecture on ‘The Future of SAARC’ on Monday, as per a media advisory issued by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA). He will also meet Foreign Secretary Vinay Mohan Kwatra. He is scheduled to participate in the programme in Delhi on Tuesday.

Golam Sarwar is also scheduled to hold a meeting with Shri Jaideep Mazumdar, secretary (East) in the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA). He will visit South Asian University in Delhi’s Maidan Garhi on Tuesday. He is scheduled to depart from Delhi on May 15, according to the MEA.

The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) was established on December 8, 1985. It comprises eight member states: India, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Bhutan, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. The Secretariat of SAARC was set up in Kathmandu on 17 January 1987, according to the official statement.

The objectives of the SAARC are to promote the welfare of the peoples of South Asia and improve their quality of life, accelerate economic growth, social progress and cultural development in the region and provide all individuals the opportunity to live in dignity and realize their full potentials, promote and strengthen collective self-reliance among the countries of South Asia, according to an official statement by SAARC Secretariat.

In addition, SAARC aims to contribute to mutual trust, understanding and appreciation of one another’s problems; promote active collaboration and mutual assistance in the economic, social, cultural, technical and scientific fields, strengthen cooperation with other developing countries, strengthen cooperation among themselves in international forums on matters of common interests and cooperate with international and regional organizations with similar aims and purposes. (ANI)

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Aam Admi Party National Convenor and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal received a big relief from the Supreme Court, which on Friday granted him interim bail till June 1 in the excise policy case.

A bench of Justices Sanjiv Khanna and Dipankar Dutta granted the Delhi Chief Minister interim bail in the money laundering case registered against him by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with the Delhi excise policy case.

The bench on Wednesday told Enforcement Directorate counsel Additional Solicitor General SV Raju that it may pass the order on interim relief to Kejriwal today.

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

On Tuesday, the bench hinted at granting interim bail to Kejriwal to enable him to campaign for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. However, it had also said that if interim bail were granted, Kejriwal would not be allowed to discharge any official duties as Chief Minister.

The Enforcement Directorate had opposed his bail in the top court, which was hearing arguments on interim bail to Kejriwal. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, also representing ED, told the bench at an earlier hearing that there can’t be any deviation only because Kejriwal is Chief Minister and asked if the Supreme Court is carving out exceptions for politicians.

“How can a Chief Minister be treated differently from an aam aadmi? There can’t be any deviation only because he is a chief minister. Would campaigning for elections be more important?” he had told the bench. To this, the bench said that elections are held once every five years.

Meanwhile, the legal team of Kejriwal, had raised a strong objection to the affidavit filed by the ED opposing interim bail in the Supreme Court.

Questioning the ED’s objection to the interim bail of Kejriwal, the AAP said that it is well known that even after two years of investigation by the ED in the alleged liquor scam, not a single rupee or piece of evidence has been “recovered” incriminating anybody in Aam Aadmi Party.

Further, the grounds for the arrest of Kejriwal are based on statements made by other implicated persons, viz., Magunta Sreenivasulu Reddy, Sarath Reddy, Satya Vijay Naik, and a close aide of an ex-BJP CM. The AAP mentioned that the ED illegally ‘picked up’ a sitting Chief Minister and the National Convenor of a national party on March 21, that is, five days after the General Elections were announced and the Model Code of Conduct was put in place.

The party stated that the ED has not only been opaque and dictatorial in its approach but also guilty of suggesting falsehood and suppressing truth.

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.

Arvind Kejriwal is now likely to join the AAP campaign in the ongoing Lok Sabha elections. Delhi goes to the polls on May 25. (ANI)

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In the ongoing legal saga between Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt, new allegations have emerged that the former may have influenced her children to “avoid” spending time with their father during visits.

These claims were detailed in court documents filed by Tony Webb, a security guard who previously worked for the former couple, as per People magazine.

Webb, who worked for Jolie from 2000 to 2020, alleged that he was contacted by a Jolie aide named Michael Vieira, who attempted to prevent two bodyguards from testifying in Jolie’s custody battle with Pitt.

According to Webb’s statement, Vieira asked him to dissuade the bodyguards from testifying, emphasising that they had signed non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) with Jolie.

Despite the NDAs, one of the bodyguards, Ross Foster, expressed his intention to testify about statements he allegedly overheard from Jolie, encouraging the children to avoid spending time with Pitt during custody visits, as per People magazine.

Responding to these allegations, Paul Murphy, an attorney for Angelina Jolie, dismissed Pitt’s attempts to equate common NDAs with an attempt to cover up his actions.

Murphy emphasised that the case was about power and control, with Jolie seeking separation and health for the family.

In their defence, Pitt’s lawyers submitted Webb’s declaration to illustrate that Jolie herself had utilised NDAs in the past, undermining her objections to signing them in the context of their legal dispute over their French winery, Chateau Miraval.

The legal battle between Jolie and Pitt has been marked by accusations and counter-accusations, with each party attempting to sway the court in their favour.

Pitt’s lawyers accused Jolie of turning the business dispute into a sideshow about family court matters, while Jolie’s lawyers suggested that Pitt feared the release of sealed documents related to their custody battle.

The allegations of Jolie allegedly encouraging the children to avoid Pitt during visits add another layer of complexity to the already contentious legal proceedings between the Hollywood exes. (ANI)

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Maldives Foreign Minister Moosa Zameer on Thursday said discussions were held with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar regarding President Mohamed Muizzu’s visit to India “very soon’.

Maldives Foreign Minister also defended President Muizzu’s move to visit China and not India after he was elected to the top office and said that the discussion was held with New Delhi over the visit to India but was pushed back considering the ‘convenience’ of both sides.

“The president visited Turkey as well as China. I think that mainly on convenience because obviously, we did discuss with Delhi about a visit. But for the convenience of both sides, we thought it might be okay for us to delay it a little bit,” he said.

The minister also shared that during his recent meeting with the External Affairs Minister, S Jaishankar, discussions were held to organise President Muizzu’s visit to Delhi.

“So, in fact, even today, with my discussions with the External Affairs Minister, we are discussing the President’s visit to Delhi very soon. Hopefully,” he said.

He also made it amply clear that there is no military pact with China.

“I don’t think there is any military pact with China. One thing the President of Maldives has clearly said is that we are not bringing in any foreign militaries in the Maldives, no, we are not,” he said.

Emphasising that “peace and security” of the Indian Ocean is important for countries in the neighbourhood including India, Maldivian Foreign Minister said that his government has “not permitted the Chinese vessel” for research purposes in the Maldivian waters.

The statement by the Maldivian Foreign Minister came in the wake of the Chinese marine research vessel Xiang Yang Hong 3 returning to Maldivian waters, marking its second visit to the archipelago nation within two months.

“The peace and security of the Indian Ocean is important for both India and Maldives and Sri Lanka and the rest of the countries that we have in the neighbourhood. So, we will continue to work together as I said earlier,” he said.

Elaborating on the port call for Chinese vessels, he said, “Our government issued personal rotation and friendly portable permits, and diplomatic clearances came from the Chinese side, which is very common in Maldives.”

“So that’s how it has happened we as a peaceful country, welcome those vessels which come for peaceful purposes. But they didn’t come for research in the Maldivian waters, we have not permitted the Chinese vessel for research in the Maldivian waters,” Maldivian Foreign Minister said while maintaining that research vessels are not welcome in the Maldivian waters.

He laid stress on discussions revolving around debt relief measures during his meeting with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and mentioned that economic cooperation with India has been an “integral part of the Maldivian economy”.

“Economic cooperation with India has actually been an integral part of Maldivian economy. If you look at the Maldivian macroeconomic indicators when we took over the government, you will see what I’m talking about. So obviously, if there is any debt with any country that we need to discuss based on those figures,” he said in an interview with ANI.

“So I did discuss that and we will continue to be engaged. But Maldivian people have benefited from the debt that we have received and also from a lot of grants that we have received from the Indian government. And we really appreciate that,” he added.

Earlier today, Jaishankar held delegation-level talks with Maldivian Foreign Minister Mossa Zameer, who had arrived in India a day earlier.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said that the development of ties between India and the Maldives is based on mutual interests and reciprocal sensitivity of the two countries.

In his opening remarks at delegation-level talks, Jaishankar extended a “very very warm welcome” to Zameer on his first visit to the country in his current capacity, which the EAM said provides an opportunity to discuss bilateral ties and chart out future directions.”

From January 8-12, Maldivian President Mohamed Muizzu visited China, marking his first state visit after he took the oath as president.

The Foreign Minister also distanced his government from the derogatory remarks made by some of its ministers against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and said that it was not the stand of the government and that “proper action” has been taken to ensure that it is not repeated

“I think if you have seen, like you said, we have said that it’s not the stand of the government or it’s not the view of the government. And we believe it shouldn’t have been done. And then we are taking proper action to make sure that this don’t repeat,” he said in an interview with ANI.

“And I think if you have seen, there has been a misunderstanding, social media mainly, but the governments of the Maldives in India, we understand what has happened and we have passed that stage now,” he added.

The row between India and the Maldives broke out over derogatory posts made by three officials about PM Narendra Modi.

Following derogatory remarks against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Maldives Deputy Youth Ministers Mariyam Shiuna, Mahzoom Majid and Malsha Shareef have been suspended indefinitely, but all three will continue to receive their salaries, the President’s Office has said, Maldives local media Adhadhu reported.

Providing further information about the suspensions, Maldives President’s Office Communications Minister Ibrahim Khaleel told Adhadhu that the three deputy ministers were suspended indefinitely as a measure taken to look into the matter.

Maldives PM said that his country’s defence relations with India go beyond military personnel and the two countries will work together to make the Indian Ocean a peaceful place.

The Maldives Minister, who arrived in India on May 8, told ANI in an interview that the platforms that were being handled by Indian military personnel in his country, will be handled by civilians.”I think Maldives-India defence relations go beyond military personnel. And now, those platforms which have been handled by the military personnel will be handled by civilians. We have had a joint exercise with the Maldivian military, Indian military and Sri Lanka, I think Bangladesh is an observer and we will continue to have these exercises,” Zameer said.

On May 3, India and Maldives held the fourth meeting of the bilateral High-Level Core Group and reviewed the replacement of Indian military personnel from the Island nation by May 10.(ANI)

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President Droupadi Murmu presented the prestigious Padma Awards at the Civil Investiture Ceremony held at Rashtrapati Bhawan in Delhi on Thursday. The event honoured individuals for their exceptional contributions in various fields, including social work, literature, education, journalism, and public affairs.

KS Rajanna, a social worker and State Commissioner for Persons with Disabilities, received the Padma Shri award for his dedicated efforts in promoting the welfare of differently-abled individuals. Despite losing both hands and legs to polio, Rajanna’s unwavering commitment to social causes earned him this recognition.

Another recipient of the Padma Shri was Chami Murmu, a social worker who has been actively involved in community service and environmental efforts. Upon receiving the award.

Chami Murmu expressed her joy, stating, “I am very happy to receive the Padma Shri award. In my field, I have worked on social service projects. I’ve been doing this work since 2009, but I never thought I would receive this award. I come from a tribal area, and I am very happy that now women from our community, who used to stay at home only doing household chores, are stepping out and working hard for their livelihood.”

In the field of literature and education, President Murmu conferred the Padma Shri to Sridhar Makam Krishnamurthy, who dedicated his award to his team and all those who contributed to the National Education Policy.

Krishnamurthy highlighted the significance of the new policy, stating, “I do not consider it my achievement. I dedicate it to all those who have worked in the field of education and the team who made the National Education Policy. It is the blessings of god that the government thought about educationists. This entire policy (National Education Policy) is a complete change with regard to all dimensions of education starting from a child of 3 years up to lifelong learning. There will be a change in all fields.”

The Padma Bhushan Awards were also presented to several notable individuals. Bhagwati Lal Raj Purohit was honoured for his contributions to literature and education. He acknowledged the support of Indian traditions and expressed gratitude to the current government for the recognition.

Purohit said, “I am receiving this award from the Government of India for my work in education and literature. In a way, this is a gift from our Indian tradition, and I want to thank the current Indian administration.”

Hormusji N Cama, a media veteran, received the Padma Bhushan in the field of journalism, while Satyabrata Mookherjee (posthumous) was honoured in the field of public affairs. The award for Mookherjee was received by his son, Sumendra Nath Mookherjee.

The Padma Awards continue to celebrate the achievements of remarkable individuals across India, recognizing their significant contributions to society and inspiring future generations to follow in their footsteps. (ANI)

The Supreme Court on Thursday ordered no more felling of trees in the South/Central forest ridge and sought the presence of Vice Chairman of Delhi Development Authorities (DDA), the Director General of the Central Public Works Department (CPWD) for allegedly defying apex court’s order.

A bench of Justices AS Oka and Ujjal Bhuyan also asked the Director General of Forest and the Principal Chief Conservator of Forest, Delhi to remain present before it on May 14 along with the Vice Chairman of DDA and DG of CPWD and issued notices to them.

The apex court directed to maintain the status quo with respect to the ridge area and put a stay on any further felling of trees.

The top court was hearing a contempt of court petition relating to the issue of cutting off large numbers of trees in the forest ridge area.

The petitioner, New Delhi Natural Society, said that contended that the forest ridge area of Delhi has been subjected to the illegal felling of the trees by the DDA to construct 10.525 km long approach roads from the main Chattarpur Road to SAARC University, CAPFIMS and other establishments at Maidangarhi, Sayurpur and Satbari areas of Delhi.

The petitioner was informed that the tree cutting was proper and legal as the Lt. Governor of Delhi had given the permission vide Gazette Notification dated February 14, the plea said.

However, the petitioner has pointed out that nowhere does the notification allow the clearing of trees located in the ridge area.

On March 4, the apex court rejected the DDA’s previous applications seeking permission to fell or translocate 1,051 trees.

The petitioner told the top court that DDA failed to inform the bench that the falling had already taken place even before the court could pass any orders on such applications. (ANI)

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