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After Gabbar Singh Tax, Rahul takes ‘Shut Up India’ dig at Modi

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Rahul Gandhi

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Congress vice president slammed PM Narendra Modi over the perception of dissent being muzzled in India, also termed growing unemployment in India as a Modi Made Disaster

Days after he coined the phrase Gabbar Singh Tax to take a dig at the Centre’s rollout of the Goods and Services Tax regime, Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi escalated his attacks at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Thursday, asserting that the continuing disappointment in India over growing unemployment was a MMD – Modi Made Disaster.

The Congress vice president, who spoke at the annual general meeting of PHD Chamber of Commerce in New Delhi on Thursday, pulled no punches to hit out at the Prime Minister.

With the Congress and BJP set for a direct electoral clash in poll-bound Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh in December, Rahul made sure that his attacks were focused on Modi and on facts linked directly with the apparent problems facing the country and its economy instead of being a purely political broadside. The event also gave Rahul a chance to reach out to India Inc, which in the past three years, seems to have deserted the Congress party and firmly backed Modi’s leadership – a situation that appears to be changing now in the aftermath of demonetisation and the GST rollout.

In an address that showed Rahul’s metamorphosis from a gaffe-prone leader to one who is capable of launching a diatribe that hits on crucial political as well as economic issues with surgical precision, he systematically outlined the challenges facing India while squarely blaming Modi and his government for all of these troubles.

Rahul began by asserting that while the country’s electorate had, in May 2014, reposed its faith in Modi due to the feeling that “he had the ability and understanding to develop and implement a vision for the coming decade” but then went on to claim that “that expectation lies shattered” today.

Recalling his experience of listening to Modi’s first speech in Parliament as the country’s Prime Minister, Rahul said that he had been left disappointed at the Premier’s lack of vision while adding: “what really disturbed me was the condescending tone that ran through his entire speech like a thread. And that tone has embedded itself in the psyche of this government and it has become the bedrock of its immense arrogance.”

The Congress vice president reiterated his oft-quoted jibe at the Modi government – that it doesn’t trust Indians – alleging that “for some reason the PM and his government are absolutely convinced that every single person in India is a thief,” and that “there is no one in the government who is ready to listen to the pain of our people.”

With the BJP already facing flak over the row triggered by comments made by its leaders against the Taj Mahal, Rahul made it a point to incorporate the controversy in his address, saying: “People looked up to us for our values and leadership… today they laugh as we are busy debating whether one of the seven wonders of the world, the Taj Mahal, was actually built by Indians?”

The Congress vice president described Modi’s demonetisation decision as “a move, taken without thought, without consultation or concern for its consequences” and asserted that the “Prime Minister used his vast powers to unleash terror on the citizens of India.”

He then took a swipe at Modi’s pet dialogue – of his chappan inch ki chhati (56 inch chest) – suggesting that “To make millions of Indian citizens stand in queues for over two months, desperately running from one ATM to another, many dying in the process, millions losing jobs and livelihood –you surely need someone with a big chest, but a very small heart.”

Rahul next targeted Modi and Union finance minister Arun Jaitley over the state of the economy. “The way this regime is working, or not working… has lead to a double tap killing of the Indian economy. Commandos in hostage situations fire what is called a double tap, two quick, closely placed shots fired at the chest to ensure that their terrorist target is dead. Modi and his government have fired a double tap at the heart of our economy, first notebandi and then a badly conceptualised and implemented GST.”

Rahul then raised the issue of joblessness in the country, calling it “extremely worrying” and cautioned: “We are staring at a disaster. I am not talking of technology making jobs redundant as is happening in the west. This is a pure man-made disaster or in Modi ji’s terminology a  MMD- ‘Modi Made Disaster.”

Speaking on the growing perception among a section of Indian citizens, especially those who aren’t ideologically aligned with the BJP, of being prevented from speaking their minds on a variety of issues by rabid right-wing activists, particularly on social media platforms, the Nehru-Gandhi scion said: “Startup India is welcome for the economy, but it cannot be accompanied by ‘Shut Up India’ in society.”

“What gives Startup India its strength is freedom of expression, thought and dissent. You choke this and you choke entrepreneurship,” Rahul added.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

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Tihar jail extortion case: MHA sanctions CBI inquiry against AAP leader Satyendar Jain

Satyendar Jain and former Tihar Jail DG Sandeep Goel were accused of running an extortion racket from Tihar and demanding protection money from high profile inmates

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In another setback for the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), the Ministry of Home Affairs accorded sanction for a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) inquiry against Satyendar Jain, jailed AAP leader, for allegedly extorting Rs 10 crore from conman Sukesh Chandrashekhar as protection money. 

Satyendar Jain and former Tihar Jail DG Sandeep Goel were accused of running an extortion racket from Tihar and demanding protection money from high profile inmates allegedly. The development follows as Delhi chief minister and AAP convener Arvind Kejriwal is in Enforcement Directorate (ED) custody in connection with the alleged liquor policy scam.

Earlier, Delhi Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena sanctioned the CBI inquiry into extortion charges against Satyendar Jain. In a letter seeking the LG’s nod to probe the extortion charges, the CBI in November last year wrote that Satyendar Jain was accused of running a high-profile extortion racket from Tihar Jail and demanding Rs 10 crore as protection money from Sukesh Chandrashekhar to enable him to live peacefully and comfortably in jail.

The aforesaid allegations were made by the conman who said Satyendar Jain extorted money in various tranches during 2018-21, either personally or through his accomplices to enable Chandrashekar to live comfortably in different jails of Delhi namely Tihar, Rohini and Mandoli.

AAP leader Satyendar Jain was arrested in May 2022 under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act. Jain’s last bail plea was dismissed by the Supreme Court on March 18 this year and the top court asked him to surrender in connection with the money laundering case. The AAP leader was given an interim medical bail on May 26, 2023 after he fell in the jail bathroom. Jain underwent a spinal operation during his bail period.

Beside Satyendar Jain, AAP leaders Manish Sisodia, Sanjay Singh, and Vijay Nair are also in Tihar Jail.

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Rahul Gandhi warns ED, CBI of strong action whenever government changes

The Congress leader’s statement follows after the Income Tax department’s fresh notices asking the party to pay Rs 1,823.08 crore.

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Rahul Gandhi on Friday accused central agencies of working at the behest of the BJP-led government at the Centre and warned them that strict action will be taken against these institutions when the government changes.

The senior Congress leader asserted that if the institutions had done their jobs properly there would have been no problem. He added that these agencies should think that some day the BJP government will change and after that there will be action. He further said that it is his guarantee that the action will be so strong that no institution will dare to do such things again.

Taking to social media platform X, Rahul Gandhi wrote that when the government changes, action will definitely be taken against those who destroyed the democracy. Mentioning that it is his guarantee, Rahul Gandhi said that such actions will be taken that no one will dare to do all this again.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s statement follows after the income tax department’s fresh notices asking the party to pay Rs 1,823.08 crore. The party has accused the ruling BJP of indulging in tax terrorism to financially cripple the opposition party ahead of Lok Sabha polls.

While addressing a press conference at the AICC headquarters along with Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh, party treasurer Ajay Maken alleged that the BJP is in serious violation of income-tax laws. He said the I-T department should raise a demand of Rs 4,617.58 crore from the saffron party for such violations.

Ajay Maken said that the income-tax returns filed by Congress for eight years have been reopened on baseless and manufactured grounds to levy illegal I-T demand orders totalling thousands of crores of rupees. He stated that the timing of the I-T department’s action in February and March, days before and even days after the Lok Sabha election were announced on March 16, speaks for itself about the mala-fide nature of these actions.

Furthermore, the opposition party will hold nationwide protests over the weekend against fresh income tax demand of over Rs 1,800 crore, which it has described as an egregious attack on democracy and imposition of tax terrorism amid the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.

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Jammu and Kashmir: 10 killed as taxi rolls into gorge at Ramban, PM Modi announces ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh

Ramban deputy magistrate said that it was pitch dark and raining heavily when the accident occurred near Battery Chashma around 1.15am.

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In an unfortunate incident, ten passengers were killed when a taxi veered off the road amid heavy rain and fell into a gorge in Ramban district on the Jammu-Srinagar national highway early on Friday.

Baseer-ul-haq, Ramban deputy magistrate said that it was pitch dark and raining heavily when the accident occurred near Battery Chashma around 1.15am. He added that while the vehicle, believed to be a Chevrolet Tavera, has not been traced yet, 10 bodies have been recovered from the steep slope from where it went down 500 metres.

Police along with quick reaction teams, the local tehsildar, assistant commissioner, revenue, and other officials were at the spot supervising rescue work. Reports said that two identity cards were recovered from two bodies. 

The bodies were identified as taxi driver Balwan Singh, 47, of Amb Gharota in Jammu district, and Vipin Mukhiya, of Bhairagang in West Champaran district of Bihar. The identified bodies were taken to Ramban district hospital. Police asserted the taxi was on its way to Kashmir from Jammu.

Expressing grief over the accident in Ramban, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh from PMNRF, which would be given to the next of kin of each deceased. Furthermore, the injured would be given Rs 50,000.  PM Narendra Modi also extended condolences to the bereaved families and prayed for a quick recovery of the injured. 

Taking to social media platform X, President Droupadi Murmu said that the news of many people getting killed after a vehicle fell into a ditch in Ramban area on Jammu-Srinagar National Highway is very sad. She also offered condolences to the bereaved families.

Earlier, Jammu and Kashmir police shared on social media platform that a passenger taxi rolled down a deep gorge on the Jammu-Srinagar national highway near Battery Chashma in Ramban area. It added that Police, SDRF and civil QRT Ramban reached on spot, rescue operation is going on.

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