English हिन्दी
Connect with us

India News

Jharkhand elections: Rahul Gandhi says PM Modi serving interests of billionaires at expense of poor

“We represent ‘mohabbat ki dukan’ (a shop of love), while they run ‘nafrat ka bazar’ (a market of hatred),” he said.

Published

on

Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of serving the interests of billionaires at the expense of India’s poor.

Addressing an election rally in Jharkhand’s Bokaro district, Gandhi said: “The money that Narendra Modi is giving to his friend is your money. It is written in the Constitution that you have rights over water, forest and land. That is why BJP wants to destroy the Constitution so that you do not get your rights.”

“You pay GST, but everything is taken away from you. Dharavi in ​​Maharashtra is the land of the poor, but it is being taken away from them and no one is saying anything. The media also never talks about farmers, labourers or steel plants because these belong to Adani. That is why they show Modi’s face 24 hours a day,” he charged.

“PM Modi keeps calling himself OBC, but till date he has not done anything for the Dalits, backward classes and tribals. The Modi government is distributing the country’s wealth to a select few. Hospitals, education system, industry… everything is being privatised. Modi has waived off Rs 16 lakh crore of billionaires, but he has not waived off a single rupee of farmers,” he charged further.

Gandhi also criticised PM Modi for repeatedly referencing a “red book,” emphasising that its content holds significance rather than its color. “If you had truly engaged with it, you wouldn’t be promoting hatred and dividing our society,” he said while addressing the rally in Godda district.

He described the current political landscape as a battle of ideologies between the Opposition bloc INDIA and the BJP-RSS. “We stand in defense of the Constitution, while the BJP-RSS seeks to discard it. They are inciting violence and attempting to fracture society along caste, creed, and religious lines,” he alleged.

Expressing that he was not afraid of Modi and his so-called “56-inch chest,” Gandhi said, “He is merely a puppet for the wealthy.” He accused the Prime Minister of preaching to the public during the day yet mingling at industrialists’ weddings at night.

Gandhi claimed that the government led by Uddhav Thackeray in Maharashtra was destabilised to facilitate the land acquisition. He alleged that Modi is attempting to transfer land valued at Rs 1 lakh crore in Dharavi, Mumbai, to a business tycoon.

He advocated for a nationwide caste census, asserting that it would transform India’s social landscape. “A caste census is inevitable,” he declared, adding, “We will dismantle the 50 per cent reservation cap, regardless of what PM Modi attempts.”

Gandhi pointed out that despite Modi’s claims of caring for the underprivileged, he has not forgiven farm loans. He also criticised the BJP for the arrest of JMM leader Hemant Soren, stating, “A tribal chief minister who was elected by the people is now imprisoned in Jharkhand.”

Accusing the BJP of fostering “hate and violence,” he expressed his belief that these issues could be countered with love. “We represent ‘mohabbat ki dukan’ (a shop of love), while they run ‘nafrat ka bazar’ (a market of hatred),” he said.

India News

Sri Lankan President Dissanayake thanks India for $5 billion economic support

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that India’s bilateral projects in Sri Lanka are always based on Colombo’s development priorities.

Published

on

Sri Lankan President Dissanayake thanks India for $5 billion economic support

Anura Kumara Dissanayake, Sri Lankan President on Monday expressed gratitude to India for economic support during the island nation’s financial meltdown and crucial assistance in restructuring bilateral debt. President Dissanayake is on his first bilateral visit to New Delhi after assuming power in Colombo.

Anura Kumara Dissanayake said that they faced an unprecedented economic crisis some 2 years ago and India supported them immensely to come out of that quagmire. He added that the economic assistance also helped them immensely after that, especially in the debt-free structuring process. He further noted that Sri Lanka secures a very significant place in India’s foreign policy.

In a joint press statement, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that India’s bilateral projects in Sri Lanka are always based on Colombo’s development priorities. The Prime Minister said that India has so far provided 5 billion dollars in line of credit and grant assistance to Sri Lanka, and have cooperation in all 25 districts of Sri Lanka.

Narendra Modi also announced new projects including assistance for the rehabilitation of the signalling system at the Maho-Anuradhapura railway section and Kankesanthurai Port. He further declared monthly scholarships to 200 students in the universities of Jaffna and Eastern Province. He also affirmed that in the next 5 years, India will also train 1500 civil servants from Sri Lanka.

PM Modi stated that along with housing, renewable energy and infrastructure, India will also cooperate for the development of agriculture, dairy and fisheries in Sri Lanka. India will also participate in the unique digital identity project in Sri Lanka, he continued.

Meanwhile, the Sri Lankan president also assured that his country will not allow its territory to be used in any manner that is detrimental to India’s interest. He conveyed that PM Modi assured full support and he also assured that he will always protect the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Sri Lanka. He added that the cooperation with India will certainly flourish and wants to reassure continued support for India.

PM Modi also said that India will soon finalise a defence cooperation agreement with Sri Lanka. He said that cooperation on hydrography has also been agreed upon, and they believe that the Colombo Security Conclave is an important platform for regional peace, security and development. Under this, cooperation will be enhanced on topics like maritime security, counter terrorism, cyber-security, fight against smuggling and organised crime, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief.

Continue Reading

India News

Delhi Pollution: GRAP-3 restrictions back in capital, hybrid mode for up to Class 5

The Delhi and NCR state governments have been instructed to stagger working hours for public offices and municipal bodies during Stage III.

Published

on

Delhi Pollution: GRAP-3 restrictions back in capital, hybrid mode for up to Class 5

The Commission for Air Quality Management said that GRAP-III recommendations have been reimposed across Delhi and the national capital region following highly unfavourable meteorological conditions, including calm winds and very low mixing height.

Under GRAP-III restrictions, all schools in Delhi-NCR must switch to a hybrid class mode for students till Class V, and there will be restrictions on the entry of diesel-powered commercial vehicles.

Furthermore, goods vehicles with engines below the BS-IV certification cannot run, except for those used for emergency purposes or to provide essential services, and goods carriers registered outside the national capital cannot, till further notice, enter the city if their engine is below the BS-IV mark.

Individuals with disabilities are exempt from the restrictions on BS-III petrol and BS-IV diesel vehicles in Delhi and the surrounding districts of Gurugram, Faridabad, Ghaziabad, and Gautam Budh Nagar under Stage III.

In addition, the Delhi and NCR state governments have been instructed to stagger working hours for public offices and municipal bodies during Stage III. Reportedly, the Centre may also implement similar staggered timings for central government offices in the Delhi-NCR region.

At around 2.30 pm the city’s AQI was 366, which is in the higher end of the very poor category. Notably, this is a sharp spike from seven days ago; on December 7 it was 233, which classified it as moderate. Also, three days before that, Delhi’s AQI was at 211.

This improvement in air quality meant the Supreme Court, on December 5, allowed the CAQM to relax anti-pollution measures from GRAP-IV, the strictest of a four-stage Graded Response Action Plan meant to tackle deteriorating air pollution in the national capital region.

Previous month the air quality in Delhi and the surrounding areas was consistently in the severe and very poor category, prompting annual health warnings from medical professionals and triggering a rush of cases before the Supreme Court asking for directions to the government.

Continue Reading

India News

Constitution debate: Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman takes Balraj Sahni’s arrest as example to slam Congress

She also remarked that the Congress government banned a book, Nehru: A Political Biography, by Michael Edwardes and a film, Kissa Kursi Ka, in 1975 because it questioned Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, her son and also the Information and Broadcasting Minister then.

Published

on

Constitution debate: Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman takes Balraj Sahni’s arrest as example to slam Congress

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Monday launched a scathing attack on the Congress during the debate to mark the Constitution’s 75th anniversary in Rajya Sabha. She accused the grand old party of repeatedly trying to undermine the Constitution through amendments.

Targeting India’s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, the Finance Minister referred to the first Constitutional amendment in 1951, adding that it was essentially to curb the freedom of speech and expression. Mentioning that though India even today prides itself on the freedom of expression, she claimed that the first interim government came up with a Constitutional amendment to curb the freedom of speech of Indians. She explained the amendment was because the first Prime Minister deplored press scrutiny of his government even as he publicly praised the freedom of press. 

 Additionally, Nirmala Sitharaman also referred to the arrest of poet-lyricist Majrooh Sultanpuri and actor Balraj Sahni in 1949. She pointed out that during one of the meetings organised for mill workers, Majrooh Sultanpuri recited a poem that was written against Jawaharlal Nehru. Therefore, he had to go to jail, she claimed. The Finance Minister asserted that when the poet refused to render an apology and was jailed along with Balraj Sahni, an eminent actor of those days. Taking a swipe at Congress’s Constitution pitch, she added that is the level of tolerance and today they hold the Constitution in their hand and say freedom of speech, there is a sense of fear in our country.

She also remarked that the Congress government banned a book, Nehru: A Political Biography, by Michael Edwardes and a film, Kissa Kursi Ka, in 1975 because it questioned Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, her son and also the Information and Broadcasting Minister then. She added that in 1988 Salman Rushdie’s book The Satanic Verses was banned. So, this spree of curtailing the freedom of expression, containing freedom of press happened before 1949 and continues after 1951, she asserted.

Finance Minister Sitharaman said that the amendments brought by Congress governments were not aimed at strengthening democracy but to shield those in power. She said that in the aftermath of the Second World War, more than 50 countries became independent and framed their Constitution. But while many of them have changed it completely, India’s Constitution has stood the test of time, she exclaimed.

She hailed that today they are extremely proud of the way India’s democracy is growing. She underlined that it is time to reaffirm their commitment to build India, that is Bharat, that shall uphold the spirit enshrined in this sacred document.

She further referred to amendments brought in to nullify an Allahabad High Court judgment in 1975 against Indira Gandhi in an election malpractices case. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman also referred to the Shah Bano case during Rajiv Gandhi’s term as Prime Minister. After the judgment from the Supreme Court in the Shah Bano case, the Congress passed the Muslim Women Protection of Rights on Divorce Act 1986 which denied Muslim women their right to alimony, she noted.

Additionally, referring to the imposition of the Emergency in 1975, she said that the amendments were not about strengthening democracy but protecting those in power.

Continue Reading

Trending

© Copyright 2022 APNLIVE.com