Month: May 2024

Congress national general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Wednesday replied to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s attack on her brother and former Congress President Rahul Gandhi where he had raised the Congress’ silence on Adani-Ambani and questioned if there was a secret deal between the Congress and the industrialists.

Priyanka Gandhi countered, accusing the BJP of favouring billionaires and transferring national assets to them.

“PM Modi is giving a lot of clarifications in the last few days. PM Modi calls my brother ‘Shehzada’ but he himself is ‘Shehenshah’. He is giving clarifications because people are seeing that the entire country’s property has been given to some billionaires. Airports, roads, coal factories, everything has been given to them,” Priyanka Gandhi said while speaking to ANI.

Priyanka said that the real face of the Prime Minister is coming out in front of the public, hence, he is giving such statements.

Reacting to BJP’s constant criticism of the Congress Manifesto, Priyanka Gandhi said that PM Modi dislikes it because it focuses solely on concrete plans for the betterment of various sectors such as youth, women, and addressing inflation, as well as returning the nation’s wealth.

“PM Modi does not like our manifesto because our manifesto only talks about work, about what we are going to do for the youth, women, inflation, returning the country’s wealth back to the people. That’s why the PM has been attacking our manifesto from the beginning. They are making such strange statements regarding our manifesto that we have to see for ourselves what it is, and where it came from…What are the real issues of the elections? Unemployment, inflation, oppression of women, the struggle of the people, the problems of the farmers, these are the issues elections should be fought on,” Priyanka Gandhi said.

Brushing off the controversy surrounding Sam Pitroda’s remark as “useless”, Priyanka Gandhi said, “PM Modi plays full toss on these useless issues. I challenge him to play full toss on employment, inflation, and atrocities on women, only then I will believe that yes someone has played.”

Earlier, speaking about how India is a shining example of democracy in the world, Pitroda said that the people of the country have “survived 75 years in a very happy environment where people could live together leaving a few fights here and there”.

Pitroda, in an interview with ‘The Statesman’, while reflecting upon the democracy in India said, “We have survived 75 years in a very happy environment where people could live together, leaving aside few fights here and there. We could hold a country together as diverse as India, where people on the east look like Chinese, people on the West look like Arab, people on the North look like white and maybe people on the South look like Africans.” (ANI)

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Andhra Congress chief and Kadapa MP candidate YS Sharmila Reddy sent a radio message to Prime Minister Narendra Modi urging him to listen to the “Mann Ki Baat” of the people of Andhra Pradesh.

“You are not eligible to enter the state until you apologize to the people of Andhra Pradesh,” she said.

“You have been deceiving the state for ten years, showing hypocritical affection during elections but neglecting development. We are presenting a charge sheet on behalf of the people of Andhra Pradesh. If you dare, write an affidavit promising to fulfil the commitments made to the people of the state now,” the APCC chief alleged.

Sharmila Reddy also posed ten questions regarding Modi’s actions over the past decade.

The questions included, “Parliament initially promised special status for the state but later reneged, betraying the state. Jagan initiated destructive actions on projects like Polavaram and is conspiring to reduce it further. Amaravati, the capital, remains incomplete after a decade. Attempts to sell Vishaka Steel, despite local opposition, show insincere intentions and promises like the Kadapa Steel Plant and Visakha Railway Zone were broken, causing injustice.”

“Allegations of a liquor syndicate and inaction on serious issues like adulterated liquor and related deaths. Inaction on attacks and crimes against SCs and STs despite commitments to end their reservation nationally. Corruption in various sectors, including sand, liquor, minerals, illegal contracts, and mismanagement of funds. Failure of authorities like the CBI to act impartially highlights a breakdown in law and order. Failure to fulfil promises of job creation, impacts the youth and unemployed severely,” the questions added.

“Mr. Modi, you owe an apology to the people of Andhra Pradesh every time you set foot on this land,” Sharmila further concluded. (ANI)

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A local in Pooch, who saw the ambush and the firing on an Indian Air Force (IAF) convoy by terrorists unfold before his own true eyes, shared chilling details of what went down during the dastardly attack.

The attack in the Surankote area of Poonch left five Air Force personnel grievously injured, one of whom, Corporal Vikky Pahade, succumbed to his injuries at a hospital.

Speaking to ANI on Wednesday, a local in the Jaran Wali Gali area of Poonch, who only identified himself by his first name Asgar, said the gunfight between the security forces and terrorists continued for approximately 20 minutes.

“We were scared as a fierce gunfight erupted and continued for about 20 minutes. I later came to know that a few of our soldiers were injured and one of them later succumbed to his injuries. My children started crying as the gunfire rang out. I can’t specifically say how many terrorists were there as I couldn’t spot them in dense foliage,” the eyewitness told ANI.

Claiming that it was the first such encounter to have broken out in the area, Asgar added, “I fear for the safety of my children as I wake up every morning. Vehicles ferrying essential supplies to this remote area have stopped rolling in since the attack, giving us more worries over sourcing our daily supplies. Since I am on night duty, I fear for my safety even more. The forces are still carrying out searches (for the terrorists behind the Poonch attack) everywhere. I pray God gives better sense to such people who believe in senseless violence. The officer who lost his life in the terror attack was also someone’s husband, brother and son. The terrorists come prepared to die but also claim the lives of innocents.”

Also coming out in praise of the Air Force personnel, who routinely travel and move on this route, the eyewitness to the Poonch ambush said whenever a convoy passes through this area, the air warriors stop to catch up with children, gifting them toffees.

“I live here and the forces pass through this day every day. The Air Force personnel often stop to catch up with my children and give them toffees. We are deeply saddened that four of our soldiers were injured and one of them perished. May the wrath of God befall those who orchestrated this attack,” he added.

Corporal Pahade’s last rites were performed in his hometown Chhindwara, in Madhya Pradesh, with full military honours, on Monday.

The mortal remains of the fallen soldier were brought to Nagpur by a special aircraft from Udhampur, from where they were brought to Chhindwara by a special army helicopter.

Chief Minister Mohan Yadav led the tributes to the fallen braveheart while a huge crowd of locals gathered to bid him a tearful goodbye.

The manhunt for the terrorists behind the Poonch ambush is still underway, according to sources. (ANI)

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday launched an all-out attack on Congress leader Rahul Gandhi questioning the party’s sudden silence on Adani and Ambani and questioned them on having received money from the industrialists.

Addressing a public meeting here today, PM Modi said that for years the Congress’ ‘Shehzada’ used to speak of ‘5 industrialists’ and then he started to speak only of “Ambani and Adani” and now they are silent on them.

“However, since the election dates were declared, they (Rahul and other Congress leaders) have even stopped abusing Ambani, Adani. Why? I wish to ask the Shehzadey of the Congress: how much black money have they received from Adani, Ambani? How much (funding) did the Congress receive from them for the (ongoing) elections? I smell something wrong here. The Congress should come out and clarify to the people,” PM Modi said.

Further, in a blistering attack on Rahul Gandhi and his Congress colleague and Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday said one ‘R’ is looting Telangana and passing on the loot to another ‘R’ in Delhi.

“From Telangana to Delhi, a lot is being spoken about the ‘double R’ (RR) tax. A (Telugu) film named ‘RRR’ was released recently and went on to become a blockbuster hit. However, someone told me that ‘RR’ has left ‘RRR’ far behind when it comes to collections. The lifetime (box office) collection of ‘RRR’ was reported to be over Rs 1000 cr, but the same amount of money was mopped up in just a few days through the ‘RR’ tax,” he said.

“Telangana mein ek R loot ta hai aur Delhi mein dusre R ko deta hai. (One R loots the public in Telangana and gives the collections to another R in Delhi). This double ‘RR’ game could potentially destroy Telangana,” PM Modi added.

Also coming down heavily on the Bharat Rashtra Samiti (BRS), the previous ruling party in the state, PM Modi said while the BJP pursues a ‘nation first’ policy, the Congress and the BRS work to advance the principle of ‘family first’.

“These (dynastic) parties run on the principle of ‘by the family, for the family, of the family’. The only ‘glue’ that binds Congress and BRS together is corruption. Appeasement politics is in their DNA. It is their only agenda. The Congress and the BRS follow the ‘zero governance model’. There is a desperate need to save Telangana from the corrupt clutches of such parties,” he added.

Reaffirming his earlier statement on reservation, PM Modi alleged that the Congress was conspiring against the SCs, STs, and OBCs.

“The Constitution, as was envisioned and drafted by Babasaheb Ambedkar, is against the idea of reservation on the basis of religion. They want to steal from your quota, as guaranteed by the Constitution, and give it to their vote bank,” PM Modi said.

Invoking expelled leader Acharya Pramod Krishnam’s big claim against Rahul and the Congress, he said the grand old party wants to ‘lock up’ the Ram temple in Ayodhya.

“This disclosure was made by none other than a former confidante of the Congress’ royal family. He said the Congress conspired to stop the temple construction and overturn the Supreme Court decision (settling the age-old title dispute in favour of the Hindus),” PM Modi said. (ANI)

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Congress on Wednesday distanced itself from Chairman of Indian Overseas Congress Sam Pitroda’s ‘racist’ remarks about how people in the South “look like Africans and those in the East look like Arabs and those in the East look like Chinese.”

In a post on X, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said, “The analogies drawn by Sam Pitroda in a podcast to illustrate India’s diversity are most unfortunate and unacceptable. The Indian National Congress completely dissociates itself from these analogies.”

Pitroda has stirred controversy after remarking that Indians in the East resemble the Chinese while those in the South look like Africans.

Pitroda, in an interview with ‘The Statesman’, while reflecting upon the democracy in India said, “We have survived 75 years in a very happy environment where people could live together, leaving aside few fights here and there. We could hold a country together as diverse as India, where people in the East look like Chinese, people in the West look like Arab, people in the North look like white and maybe people in the South look like Africans.”

He further added that the people of India respect different languages, religions, food and customs which vary from region to region. “That’s the India that I believe in, where everybody has a place and everybody compromises a little bit,” he said.

Earlier today, reacting to Pitroda’s controversial remarks, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said in a post on X, “Sam bhai, I am from the Northeast and I look like an Indian. We are a diverse country – we may look different, but we are all one. Hamare desh ke bare mein thoda to samajh lo!.”

Earlier, Pitroda stoked a controversy while speaking about the concept of inheritance tax prevailing in America and said these are issues that will need to be discussed.

“In America, there is an inheritance tax. If one has 100 million USD worth of wealth and when he dies he can only transfer 45 per cent to his children, 55 per cent is grabbed by the government. That’s an interesting law. It says you in your generation, made wealth and you are leaving now, you must leave your wealth for the public, not all of it, half of it, which to me sounds fair,” Pitroda had said.

After the comments snowballed into a controversy Pitroda sought to downplay the issue saying he had only cited inheritance tax in the US as an example.

“Who said 55 per cent will be taken away? Who said something like this should be done in India? Why are BJP and the media in panic? I mentioned US inheritance tax in the US only as an example in my normal conversation on TV. Can I not mention facts? I said these are the kinds of issues people will have to discuss and debate. This has nothing to do with the policy of any party including Congress,” Pitroda said in his post on X. (ANI)

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Alia Bhatt Met has received a big thumbs up from fashion police, fans, and of course her family for her breathtaking floral Sabyasachi saree look on her second appearance at the Met Gala 2024.

Alia’s mother-in-law and actor Neetu Kapoor took to her Instagram stories and re-shared her bahu’s post along with a caption, which read, “You are fabulous.”

Alia Bhatt made a grand entrance in a breathtaking mint floral Sabyasachi saree.

With a train that practically engulfed the red carpet, Bhatt’s ensemble was nothing short of show-stopping, capturing the attention of onlookers and photographers alike.

In 2023, Alia Bhatt marked her Met Gala debut with a stunning ensemble crafted by Prabal Gurung. Her homage to Karl Lagerfeld in a bespoke white gown, adorned with delicate pearls, captured timeless elegance and garnered widespread acclaim.

Ranbir Kapoor’s sister Riddhima Kapoor Sahni too shared the picture on her Instagram and wrote, “absolutely gorgeous”.

Proud mother Soni Razdan could not stop herself from posting her daughter’s Met gala look on her Instagram stories.

She posted a video of Alia’s interview at Met Gala and captioned it, “My babygirl making everybody proud.”

Re-sharing Alia’s latest post on her Insta stories, Soni wrote, “I can’t stop swooning what to do.”

After hitting the red carpet, Alia shared a series of pictures from the red carpet along with details of the ensemble.

The note read, “It was a call to the Garden of Time – an ode to art and eternity. Timelessness is endless, and we acknowledge that things crafted with time and care, can last forever. In our journey for an Indian interpretation of this universal theme, the outfit took on a life of its own. Nothing embodies tradition and innovation like the saree; in the skilled hands of @sabyasachiofficial, this vision found its fullest expression. We looked to the past as a guide for the future, drawing inspiration from the timeless sophistication of Indian nobility. We focused on intricate craftsmanship, incorporating hand embroidery, precious stones, along with elegant beadwork and fringes, distinctive of the 1920’s fringe style. Our colour palette pays homage to nature’s beauty, echoing the earth, sky, and sea. We embraced a delicate nostalgia for hair and makeup – an elevated coiffure embellished with intricately woven braids and soft freckles – a homage to time’s gentle caress.”

https://www.instagram.com/p/C6pfI0zvppH/?

Alia also shared the fun and stressful experience behind the creation of the outfit. The actor also thanked the team for dream work.

“Creating this has been quite an experience… fun and stressful in equal parts. It has taken a collective effort of 163 dedicated individuals, including master craftspeople, embroiderers, artists, and dyers, investing a total of 1965-man hours to create this ethereal saree. As I wear this outfit, I feel incredibly grateful to embody this exquisite creation, a testament to boundless love and painstaking effort. A big thank you to @anaitashroffadajania, @lakshmilehr, @puneetbsaini, @amitthakur_hair, @dolly.jain , and my amazing team for being the most wonderful collaborators through this ‘Garden of Time’. Team work makes the dream work #MetGala2024 #GardenOfTime,” the note concluded.

As soon as the post was shared, fans and industry members chimed in the comment section.

Alia’s sister Shaheen Bhatt commented, “My fairy.”

Bhumi Pednekar wrote, “Wowwwwwwwwwwwww.”

Saif Ali Khan’s sister Saba Pataudi posted, “Stunning.”

Janhvi Kapoor wrote, “Insane insane insane.”

Look at her new pictures:

The Met Gala, often hailed as ‘Fashion’s Biggest Night’, upholded its tradition by returning on the first Monday of May. This year’s theme is ‘Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion’.

Unlike previous themes, this year’s focus is on reviving unique garments from various centuries, offering a novel perspective to fashion enthusiasts.

While the gala celebrates the Costume Institute’s new exhibition, ‘Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion,’ the official dress theme is ‘The Garden of Time.’

This year’s exhibition will feature significant pieces spanning over 400 years of fashion history, showcasing iconic designers such as Elsa Schiaparelli, Christian Dior, Yves Saint Laurent, and Hubert de Givenchy.

The theme celebrated delicate pieces of fashion that are often deemed too fragile for wear, affectionately termed the ‘sleeping beauties’.

Meanwhile, on the work front, Alia will be seen in Vasan Bala’s ‘Jigra’, which is co-produced by Karan Johar and Alia herself. The film is all set to hit theatres on September 27, this year.

She is also set to play the lead in a Spy Universe film, with filming scheduled to kick off later this year. (ANI)

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The bail plea of fugitive businessman Nirav Modi, who is the main accused in the PNB scam case, has been rejected by a UK court and he continues to be in detention, ED sources said.

They said that Nirav Modi filed a bail application on April 16 for the fifth time before the Westminster Magistrate’s Court in the UK citing long incarceration, but it was dismissed during the hearing on Tuesday.

India has been working for extradition of Nirav Modi, who was arrested in March 2019 by British authorities in London. An arrest warrant against him was issued following a request by the Enforcement Directorate for his extradition in the money laundering case.

Nirav Modi and his uncle Mehul Choksi are the main accused in the PNB scam.

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) had in 2018 registered a Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) case against Nirav Modi, Mehul Choksi and others in the Punjab National Bank (PNB) fraud case.

During the investigation, several searches were conducted which led to the seizure of diamonds, gold, pearls and precious and semi-precious stones.

In December 2022, Nirav Modi lost his plea to move the UK Supreme Court against his extradition to India on charges of fraud and money laundering.

The diamantaire had fled India in 2018 before details of his “involvement in large-scale fraud” at the Punjab National Bank became public. (ANI)

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Amid escalating tensions between India and Canada, the Ministry of External Affairs, expressed a strong condemnation regarding the float used in the Nagar Kirtan parade in Ontario and said the “celebration and glorification of violence” shouldn’t be accepted in a civilised society.

The MEA on Tuesday, also raised concerns about the security of India’s diplomatic representatives in Canada, further expecting the Justin Trudeau government to ensure “they carry out their responsibilities without fear.”

This comes after some Khalistani supporters chanted “anti-India slogans” during the Nagar Kirtan Parade organised by the Ontario Gurudwara Committee (OGC) in Canada.

The MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal, called upon the Canadian government to stop providing criminals a safe haven.

“We continue to remain concerned about the security of our diplomatic representatives in Canada and expect the Government of Canada to ensure that they are able to carry out their responsibilities without fear,” he said.

“We again call upon the Government of Canada to stop providing criminal and secessionist elements a safe haven and political space in Canada,” Jaiswal added.

Moreover, in a sharp rebuke to Canada at their separatist rally held recently, Jaiswal raised concerns over “violent imagery” being used by extremist elements in Canada against our political leadership.

Recently, Khalistani supporters were seen chanting anti-India slogans during an annual Nagar Kirtan Parade from Malton to Rexdale.

In response to media queries regarding the float in the Nagar Kirtan parade in Malton, the official Spokesperson expressed concerns over a float depicting the “assassination of our former Prime Minister”.

“As you are aware, we have repeatedly raised our strong concerns regarding the violent imagery being used by extremist elements in Canada against our political leadership. Last year, a float depicting the assassination of our former Prime Minister was used in a procession. Display of posters of Indian diplomats have also been put out across Canada threatening violence against them,” he said.

Notably, multiple incidents of Khalistan extremism have been reported in Canada over the past few years. Even when Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was in India for G20 Summit, a so-called Referendum was held by Khalistani secessionists in Surrey in British Columbia.

In June last year, a tableau parade was organised in Canada celebrating the assassination of former PM Indira Gandhi, which drew severe criticism from New Delhi. In March this year, Khalistan supporters held a protest outside the Indian Embassy in Canada.

They raised pro-Khalistan slogans and allegedly assaulted Indian-origin journalists present on the spot.

Multiple temples have also been vandalised in Canada by pro-Khalistani protestors, with anti-India graffiti.

Notably, the recent pro-Khalistani incidents have led to the souring of India-Canada ties. This has led to the stalling of negotiations for a free trade agreement between the two countries.

(ANI)

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Power couple Riteish Deshmukh and Genelia Deshmukh, on Tuesday morning, arrived at a polling booth in Maharashtra’s Latur to cast their votes during the third phase of Lok Sabha elections.

After casting her vote, Genelia told ANI, “This is an important day and I think everyone should cast their votes today.”

Riteish also urged everyone to step out and cast their vote.

“I came to Latur from Mumbai to cast my vote. Everyone should come out of their houses and cast votes. Today is an important day. Everyone should definitely vote…,” he said.

Riteish was accompanied by his brother and Maharashtra Congress MLA Dhiraj Deshmukh.

Emphasising the importance of voter participation in elections, Dhiraj said,”Everyone should exercise their right to vote. This is a festival of democracy. I appeal to everyone to vote…”

Their mother and former Maharashtra Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh’s wife Vaishali Deshmukh also cast her vote in Latur early Tuesday.

Born on May 26, 1945, in Latur, Vilasrao Deshmukh was a two-time Chief Minister of Maharashtra and a former minister in the UPA government led by Dr. Manmohan Singh. He died on August 14, 2012.

Riteish and his family often visit Latur. Earlier in February, Riteish attended an event in Latur to unveil the statue of his late father and veteran Congressman.

A video of the actor’s speech where he was seen bursting into tears was widely shared on social media.

“Tough twelve years have passed since Saheb [Vilasrao Deshmukh] left us. Occasionally, the pain surfaces. He always used to shine, and even now, he shines. This shine never fades. He stayed strong, so that we, his children, feel the need to stand tall. To stand tall not just for ourselves, but for the responsibilities that come with being his children. Today, although he is not physically present, his love for us is evident, and it burns brightly on this stage,” Riteish said.

This time NDA has fielded sitting MP Sudhakar Tukaram Shrangare against INDIA Alliance’s Kalge Shivaji Bandappa in Latur.

Besides Maharashtra (11), the third phase polling is being held in Assam (4), Bihar (5), Chhattisgarh (7), Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu (2), Goa (2), Gujarat (25), Karnataka (14), Madhya Pradesh (8), Uttar Pradesh (10) and West Bengal (4). (ANI)

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