Emphasizing the significant transformations that took place in every sector in the last 10 years under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Shah pointed out that the decisions made in the next five years will determine where India will stand in the centenary year of independence in 2047. The Minister stated that under the leadership of PM Modi, India is progressing towards being self-confident and self-reliant.

Noting that India has a dynamic government from a dormant one having progressive growth, Shah said, “The country is now moving towards becoming a top economy from its earlier fragile state.” He mentioned that this journey will continue for decades, and the goals set by PM Modi for India, to be fully developed, self-reliant, and counted among the top economies by 2047, will certainly be achieved.Shah emphasized that we have the performance of the past 10 years and a roadmap for the next 25 years to attain these goals.

The Home Minister emphasized that to understand the changes in the past 10 years, we have to compare these transformations against those of the previous regime. “This would be the best parameter to evaluate the performance of the present government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi,” he said. He pointed out that in 2014, the economy was deteriorating, investor confidence was low, corruption scandals worth Rs 12 lakh crore had shaken the nation’s confidence, crony capitalism was at its peak, inflation was soaring, fiscal deficit was out of control, ease of doing business ranking was significantly low, and the country’s security system was also weak.

He explained that the people’s decision to give a decisive mandate to PM Modi in 2014 led to the formation of this government. Shah mentioned that before this, the country experienced 30 years of political instability, and after a long time, a full mandate was achieved by any political party. He stated that from there, the growth story of India began with development in security, education, innovation, and the economy.

Shah further mentioned that the average inflation rate between 2004 and 2014 was 8.2 per cent, reaching double digits in 2010, 2011, and 2013. “However, today, it has been consistently maintained below five per cent. He highlighted the Modi government’s efforts in correcting banking and forex mismanagement, which gave way for a new type of politics in the country,” he said. (ANI)

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Karnataka: Congress wins three seats, BJP bags one

Gourav Chandigarh/Shimla: Bharatiya Janata Party leader Jai Ram Thakur on Tuesday claimed that the Congress has lost the Rajya Sabha election and congratulated party’s candidate Harsh Mahajan for winning the polls.”Despite having such a huge majority, Congress lost the Rajya Sabha seat…I congratulate Harsh Mahajan once again,” Himachal Pradesh LoP and former Himachal chief minister Jai Ram Thakur told reporters.

Earlier today, Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Sukhu alleged that CRPF and Haryana Police convoy have taken away five to six Congress MLAs and urged the Himachal BJP leaders to have patience and not to threaten polling officers.”The manner in which the counting has begun and Opposition leaders are threatening the polling officers again and again is not right for democracy…They had halted the counting for long. I urge the Himachal BJP unit leaders to have patience, don’t put pressure on people…CRPF and Haryana Police convoy have taken away 5-6 MLAs,” CM Sukhu told reporters on Tuesday.

67 out of the total 68 legislators exercised their votes in the Rajya Sabha elections in Shimla, Himachal Pradesh. Sudarshan Singh Babloo, Congress MLA, has not come so far due to illness. He was hospitalised. There was fierce competition in Himachal Pradesh for the sole Rajya Sabha seat between Congress candidate Abhishek Manu Singhvi and the BJP’s Harsh Mahajan. Notably, the Congress has a clear majority with 40 out of 68 MLAs and the support of three independent MLAs. Despite the fact that the BJP, with 25 MLAs, is far behind in the number game, it has forced a contest by fielding Mahajan against Singhvi. Earlier on Sunday, the Congress issued a whip to its MLAs to vote for party candidate Abhishek Manu Singhvi.

Following the whip, all the candidates will have to show the ballot to the authorised agent, who can declare a vote invalid if any MLA refuses to show the ballot.Voting for 56 Rajya Sabha seats from 15 states, which are falling vacant in April, were being held on Tuesday. The term for Rajya Sabha MPs is six years, and elections are held after every two years for 33 per cent of the seats. Currently, the Rajya Sabha has a strength of 245 members.The Rajya Sabha MPs are elected by the MLAs in an indirect election through the system of proportional representation. They are mostly foregone conclusions, with elections being held unopposed and all party candidates sailing through. (ANI)

Himachal BJP leaders to meet Governor, demand floor test today

After the ruling Congress in Himachal Pradesh faced a humiliating defeat owing to crossvoting by six of its legislators for the lone Rajya Sabha seat, BJP leader and Leader of Opposition Jai Ram Thakur will meet Governor Shiv Pratap Shukla on Wednesday morning to demand floor test in the ongoing Budget session against the government. As per the schedule of the Legislative Assembly, the Budget for 2024-25 is slated to be passed on Wednesday and during the session the BJP will demand voting, rather than voice vote on the floor of the House, as the Congress government is in “minority”.

After nine legislators, comprising six Congress and three Independents, the BJP strength in the House rose to 34, from 25. The ruling strength of legislators has reduced from 40 to 34, the half-way mark in the 68-member House. In the voting for the Rajya Sabha seat, both the Congress candidate Abhishek Manu Singhvi and BJP’s Harsh Mahajan had both received 34 votes each, however Mahajan won by draw of lots.

In a stunning upset, the six Congress MLAs who cross-voted were Sudhir Sharma (Dharamsala) and Rajinder Rana (Sujanpur), both ministerial aspirants; Inder Dutt Lakhanpal (Badsar); Ravi Thakur (Lahaul-Spiti); Chaitnaya Sharma (Gagret); and Devender Bhutto (Kutlehar). The three Independent MLAs too voted in favour of the BJP.

It is likely that at least four to five more Congress legislators will vote against Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu during the voting of the Budget passing as they are miffed over his confrontationist style and inability to take the legislators along with him.

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In a statement released here today, former minister and senior SAD leader Bikram Singh Majithia said that it was shocking that Punjab Police which got orders from Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann to attack Gurdwara Sahib in the wee hours, not only thrashed and seriously injured both Journalist and his cameraman as a result of which one got his hand fingers badly injured and another sustained ear problem, but also snatched mobile phone of cameraman with motive to destroy evidence of all the wrongdoings of Police force. 

He said that it is furthermore shocking to note that despite repeated orders of SSP Kapurthala one ASI has flatly refused to hand over the phone back to the cameraman which clearly shows he is “blessed from the top.”

He further said that police action against Journalists was an attack on the fourth pillar of democracy and its freedom.

Majithia said that history will never forgive Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann for his dastardly act of ordering an attack on pious Gurdwara Sahib in a wee hour when sangat was reciting Gurbani and Sri Akhand Path Sahib was also going on. 

He said Sikh Sangat throughout the world will always remember this sacrilegious act done by Bhagwant Mann which resembles Operation Blue Star.EOM

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Indian security agencies are still trying to figure out how the Taliban and other terrorists organisations are trying to sell drugs in the country and who all are involved.

Last week, heroin imported by a Vijaywada-based company from Iran’s Bandar Abbas Port was seized by Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) from Gujarat’s Mundra port run by Adani Group. It may be recalled that Gautum Adani is a close friend of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The Indian mainstream pro Modi media, labelled as Godi Media, is particularly silent on the heroin seizure, perhaps the biggest in the world.

Internet is abuzz with conspiracy theories linking the Adanis to the drug market. Memes and social media messages were being exchanged in hordes. The under currents were so strong that the Adani Group had to come out with a press statement.

Adani Clarifies

Media statement on the malicious social media campaign against the Adani Group on the seizure of illegal drugs at Mundra Port. pic.twitter.com/z4gutdzKyK

— Adani Group (@AdaniOnline) September 21, 2021

The Adani Group said that it has no policing authority of ports. “The law empowers the government of India’s competent authorities such as the Customs and the DRI to open, examine and seize unlawful cargo. No port operator across the country can examine a container. Their role is limited to running the port.

“We sincerely hope that this statement will put to rest the motivated, malicious and false propaganda being run on social media against the Adani Group. APSEZ is a port operator providing services to shipping lines, We have no policing authority over the containers or the millions of tonnes of cargo that pass through the terminals in Mundra or any of our ports”, said a spokesperson of Adani Ports and SEZ Ltd (APSEZ).”

But Opposition leaders and many were no buying the argument. 

Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera said: “The drugs sent from Afghanistan to India via Iran port were found on Mundra port of Gujarat. It is a serious issue for India when you have a look at its price and amount. It is a conspiracy to throw our youth into drug addiction. The money made through the sales of these drugs in India is used to fuel terrorism against our nation. This issue is serious and raises a lot of questions.”

Congress ATTACKS

There are several ports across the Indian coast line, yet drug smugglers only want to use Gujarat. The all important question being, do they consider it safer? #BJPGujaratDrugsModel @INCIndia

“In Modi’s India, 59 grams of Weed > 3000 kgs of Heroin. Govt used ED/CBI/NCB & leaked WhatsApp chats of Bolly Actresses. But even after World’s Biggest Heroin Seizure at Adani’s Mundra Port, there is pin-drop silence. Modi went after Rhea when Pablo Escobars are booming in India.” Tweet by Karnataka Congress member, Srivatsa Y.B.

The Chennai couple – Purna Vaishali and her husband Machavaram Sudhakar – are apparently small time drug peddlers who used their company Aashi Trading company registered in Vijaywada, to import semi-finished talc from Afghanistan. But what came was heroin hidden with talc bags.

They are not the kinds to deal in thousands of crores. The Heroin is estimated to be worth Rs 15-21000 crore worth. According to sources, the merely got Rs 10-12 lakhs for the import and using their names.  Will the country ever know who is behind these drugs. Perhaps, never.

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Speaking to reporters, the Chief Minister said, “The BJP has repeated its poll performance of the 2017 Assembly polls and 2019 Lok Sabha elections. These are clear indications that the party will perform well again in the upcoming 2022 Assembly elections. I thank the people for coming forward to vote.”

Yogi congratulated the entire BJP electoral team for the victory and praised party workers for the exceptional win crediting it to the policies of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The Chief Minister said, “The state government and the BJP are working together as a team. Whether during the Corona pandemic where efforts were taken by the state government to save the lives of people, the BJP as an organisation works for the service of people. The spectacular work done by the the party workers has contributed to the bypoll victory.”

The CM further said, “The BJP has performed well across the country under the guidance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and leadership of party’s National President J.P. Nadda. The bypoll results have proved again that only under PM Modi’s leadership are such feats possible. Whether it is enhancing India’s reputation on the world stage and taking measures for the welfare of every section of society, people continue to repose their confidence in the PM’s leadership.”

Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya said that those parties which levelled unwarranted accusations against the BJP have been wiped out from the state. He said the era of ‘Jungle Raj’ and ‘Mafia Raj’ will never return in Uttar Pradesh. The path of ‘Ram Rajya’ will be followed here, instead.

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Three people had allegedly died of suicide here in the last four days due to heavy loss in the onlinme rummy game. Palaniswami will review the coronavirus situation and also development projects in nearby Nilgiris and Tirupur districts from Friday. The PMK had recently urged the Central government to take immediate steps to prohibit all kinds of online gambling alleging it was highly addictive and several people, who lost their money have ended their lives.

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“The companions of those who brought Jungle Raj in Bihar have problems with ‘Bharat Mata’. Sometimes one group says not to chant ‘Bharat Mata ki Jai’, then another group complains of getting a headache with ‘Bharat Mata ki Jai’ chant. These ‘Bharat Mata’ opponents are now unitedly demanding votes from the people of Bihar,” said Modi while targeting the Congress and also the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) for allying with it.

He alleged that the same ‘group’ doesn’t want the people of Bihar to even utter ‘Jai Shri Ram’. In his fiercest ideological attack on the opposition so far during this campaign season in Bihar, the Prime Minister raked up ‘Chhathi Maiya’, the state’s most widely worshipped deity during the ‘Chhath’ puja which comes around Diwali. The Prime Minister remarked, “In this land that worships the ‘Chhathi Maiya’, Jungle Raj’s companions do not want you to raise slogans of ‘Bharat Mata ki Jai’.”

Earlier, Modi spoke extensively on ‘Local for Vocal’ and ‘Make in India’, the PM’s two pet projects. ‘Vocal for local’ is a campaign, Modi claimed, which will change the lives of the local artisans. “It is a way with which our local products will gradually become a part of the global market,” he said. He also referred to the Mudra scheme, saying that nearly Rs 2.5 cr has been disbursed in Bihar as loans. Reaching out to women, a key voter base of Nitish Kumar in the last election, Modi claimed that nearly Rs. 1.75 cr out of this amount has gone to women.

He stressed that each and every vote matters and those with voting rights are indeed ‘powerful’. He urged them to use that power for the ‘bright future of Bihar’.

‘Cowardly terrorist attack’, Modi on Kabul University ambush

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi called Monday’s attack on Kabul University as a ‘cowardly terrorist attack’. At least 19 people were killed and 22 were injured on Monday after three gunmen stormed into the Kabul University and opened fire on the students. The attack started after an explosion on the northern gate of the university, Khaama Press reported. In a strongly-worded tweet, Modi said, “I strongly condemn the cowardly terrorist attack at Kabul University today. Our prayers are with the families of the victims and the injured. We will continue to support Afghanistan’s brave struggle against terrorism.”

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The Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) has fielded Joginder Singh Malik. The bypoll was necessitated by the death of three-time Congress legislator Sri Krishan Hooda in April. In the 2019 Haryana Assembly elections, Sri Krishan had defeated Dutt of the BJP by 4,840 votes in Baroda. Bhupinder Singh Hooda has put in all his political might in the by-election to retain the seat as the party candidate was handpicked by him.

The former Chief Minister has been running the party affairs in Haryana and a win on the seat is crucial for him to ensure he continues to have a say in the Congress. He had earlier made the Congress to nominate his son Deepender to the Rajya Sabha while ignoring state President Kumari Selja whose term in the Upper House of Parliament was coming to an end at that point in time. However, critics of Hooda allege that he is hand in glove with the BJP. Former Congress President Ashok Tanwar, who left the party in October 2019, alleged that all parties in the fray are “cheating the public”.

The seat is also a prestige issue for Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar. The BJP is trying its luck this time with the support of alliance partner Jannayak Janta Party (JJP), a breakaway faction of the INLD. Khattar said he is confident of wresting the seat from the Congress with the JJP support. The BJP had won 40 of the 90 Assembly seats in 2019 and formed the government with JJP support, which had won 10 seats. The Congress had won 31 seats.

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His diatribe came a day after Thackeray had slammed the BJP in the state and Centre, besides targeting Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari, Leader of Opposition Devendra Fadnavis and actress Kangana Ranaut without taking names.

Incidentally, Rane was a former Shiv Sena CM (1999) and later Leader of Opposition, and after his expulsion from the Sena, he joined the Congress in 2005. In 2017, he floated his own outfit, the Maharashtra Swabhiman Party (MSP) and supported the ruling BJP, and in 2018, he became a Rajya Sabha MP and merged the MSP with the BJP.
“Uddhav lacks any qualities to become the CM… he doesn’t listen to Secretaries. We can see where the state is headed whether it’s the issue of farmers, agriculture, the economy, education, or the Corona pandemic,” Rane alleged.

“He calls himself a ‘Tiger’. He never steps out of his home. What is he, a caged tiger or one in the open? Over 43,000 people have died to Covid-19 pandemic, the highest in the country. What’s he done about it?” Rane demanded.

Hitting out at Thackeray’s demand for reverting back to the old taxation system as GST has apparently failed, Rane asked: “What does he know of GDP or the economy? Does he know the Constitution and the laws. The state will get it (GST dues), there can be delays… Such issues should be raised in the GST Council meetings. The state should be capable of raising own resources.”

He alleged that the Shiv Sena’s annual Dussehra Rally  on Sunday was done with the sole aim of giving a “clean chit” to Thackeray’s son and Tourism Minister Aditya Thackeray. Rane reiterated that both Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput and his talent manager Disha Salian were “murdered”.

“Let’s be very clear… The CBI is still investigating the Sushant case, it has not closed the case file. Disha Salian was raped and murdered. The one minister who will go inside (jail) is the CM’s son.”

The former CM claimed that he was in possession of a copy of Disha Salian’s autopsy report and said so far, he had not named Aditya. “Today, I am naming him as the CM gave a clean chit (Aditya) yesterday.”

Rane said Thackeray had no right to speak on “Hindutva” since his party’s 56 MLAs were elected in 2019, because of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, otherwise he would not have managed even 25.

“Yet, later he betrayed the BJP, joined hands with the secular parties and became the CM. He is not qualified to speak about the PM’s achievements. He doesn’t even know what kind of language to use as CM,” Rane alleged.

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इसके अलावा पार्टी क्षेत्र से जो लोग जा चुके हैं अथवा जिनका निधन हो चुका है उनके मतदाता सूची से नाम भी कटवाने का काम करेंगे ताकि ऐसे मतों का दुरुपयोग ना हो सके। सुरेंद्र राठी ने आगे कहा कि पार्टी का नर सेवा नारायण सेवा कार्यक्रम खूब जोर शोर से चल रहा है। इस सेवा के तहत लगभग गांव और शहर में 200 के गरीब ऑक्सीजन जांच केंद्र खोले गए हैं।जहां पर लोगों का ऑक्सीजन लेवल मुफ्त में चेक किया जाता है। तथा इसमें ज्यादा से ज्यादा लोग पार्टी के साथ जुड़ रहे हैं। पार्टी इन दिनों गांव में और विभिन्न सेक्टरों में लोगों को पार्टी की नीतियां तथा दिल्ली में करवाए गए विकास कार्यों की जानकारी देकर उन्हें अपने साथ जोड़ने का भी काम कर रहे हैं।

उन्होंने कहा कि पार्टी का लक्ष्य भाजपा व कांग्रेस का विकल्प बनना है और वह अपने इस लक्ष्य को हासिल करके रहेंगे। इस अवसर पर पार्टी के बलजीत सिंह बल्ली, ईश्वर सिंह, नसीब सिंह, जगमोहन बिट्टू, शंकर सागर, मनीष बडोला, असलम राणा, प्रवीण देवराज, हरीशेंदर मोहन आदि नेता उपस्थित थे।

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