News Analysis India

Tag: Modi govt

  • Received 11 I-T notices in 72 hours: TMC MP Saket Gokhale

    New Delhi, Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Saket Gokhale on Friday said he has received 11 notices from the income-tax department in the last 72 hours and alleged that every attempt is being made to put pressure on the opposition ahead of the Lok Sabha polls. In a post on X, Gokhale said some of the notices go back almost seven years.

    “Got a total of 11 Income Tax notices in the last 72 hours for various years (some as far back as 7 years),” he said.

    “It’s hilarious how the Modi govt isn’t even pretending that they’ll let the elections be free and fair. Every attempt being made to pressurise the Opposition on the eve of Lok Sabha 2024,” the TMC leader said. “When ED doesn’t work out, use IT Dept. Why so desperate, BJP? Is Modi that rattled?” he asked.

    The TMC leader also shared screenshots of e-mails he received from the I-T department along with his post on the microblogging platform.

  • What is the ‘secret deal’ between Modi Govt and Finmeccanica company, asks Congress

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: The Congress on Monday demanded answers from the government over reports of the lifting of a ban on procurement from Finmeccanica company which had been dubbed as corrupt by ruling BJP leaders over the Agusta choppers deal.

    The opposition party claimed that a “fake bogey of corruption” was raised by the BJP over the buying of VVIP helicopters during UPA-II rule and asked if it was being given a quiet burial.

    India had scrapped the contract with Finmeccanica’s British subsidiary AgustaWestland in 2014 for supplying 12 AW-101 VVIP choppers to the Indian Air Force over alleged breach of contractual obligations and charges of kickbacks paid by the firm for securing the deal.

    The BJP had at that time attacked the Congress, asking if its leaders had received the alleged Rs 450 crore bribe money for the deal signed during the UPA-II government.

    Seeking to turn the tables, Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala on Monday asked, “What is the ‘secret deal’ entered into between Modi Government and Agusta/Finmeccanica? “Is it now ok to deal with a company that Modi ji and his government called ‘corrupt- bribe giver-bogus’?” “Does it mean that fake bogey of corruption is being given a quiet burial? The nation awaits answers,” he said in a series of tweets.

    He cited media reports that the Modi government was lifting the ban on procurement from Finmeccanica.

    “The PM called the company ‘corrupt’. HM called the company ‘bogus’. Ex Defence Minister accused it of ‘bribes and corruption’ in Parliament. Then, Modi Government – withdrew blacklisting of Agusta/Finmeccanica on 22nd July 2014. Now, lifted procurement ban,” he alleged in another tweet while citing the media report.

    Surjewala also alleged that the “friends of the media” spent thousands of hours of air time showing leaked documents by the Modi Government and building a “false narrative” against the UPA-Congress in the run up to 2014 parliamentary elections.

    “Will they now dare to question the Modi Government on the ‘secret deal’ with Augusta,” he asked.

    In 2016, Italian group Finmeccanica changed its name to Leonardo.

  • PM Modi ensured pace of development continues even during COVID-19 pandemic: Amit Shah

    By PTI

    AHEMDABAD: India did not let the pace of development slow down even during the pandemic that affected the entire world, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said on Saturday and added that the country has won the fight against coronavirus.

    “When the wheel of development came to a halt across the world, in India, under the leadership of Narendra Modi, the pace of development continued.

    “We fought strongly against coronavirus and even won the fight, and at the same time, carried on with the development,” the Union home minister said in his address delivered virtually to mark the completion of Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani’s five years in office, which is being celebrated as ‘Vikas Divas’.

    Shah also virtually inaugurated and laid foundation stones of projects collectively worth Rs 5,300 crore.

    Shah said projects worth around Rs 900 crore (of the total project cost of Rs 5,300 crore) are taken up in his Gandhinagar Lok Sabha constituency while projects worth Rs 630 crore were inaugurated and foundation stones were laid for other projects worth Rs 241 crore.

    “The fact that the projects worth Rs 3,322 crore related to roads, bridges, water and electric supply, houses for the poor etc., being inaugurated today means that they were constructed and completed entirely during the coronavirus pandemic period.

    “In Gujarat, the inauguration of projects worth Rs 3,322 crore and (launching) many such projects in the last ten days shows that even during the coronavirus pandemic period, Gujarat ensured that the development never stops,” said Shah, who also holds the Cooperation Ministry.

    Rupani and Nitin Patel had sworn in as chief minister and deputy chief minister, respectively, of Gujarat on August 7, 2016.

    They assumed office once more in December 2017 after the BJP won again in the Assembly elections.

    He said the people of Gujarat fought against the pandemic well under the leadership of PM Modi, CM Rupani and Deputy CM Patel, and with the unforgettable contribution of BJP workers.

    “We have crossed both the first and second waves (of the coronavirus pandemic) once again to continue on the path of development,” he said.

    Shah said Gujarat is either ranked first or is on its way to get top ranking in different areas.

    He praised the leadership of Rupani and Patel for ensuring that even after Modi became prime minister (for the first time in 2014), the development works in Gujarat continued without interruption.

    He also hailed the CM and the deputy CM for the COVID-19 vaccination work in Gujarat.

    “Narendrabhai has started a new system in the country’s democracy so that even when a leader is not serving as the chief minister, the development work continues on its own.

    “I am proud that Narendrabhai started a system in Gujarat where even after he went (to the Centre as PM), the development work continued, and Vijaybhai (Rupani) and Nitinbhai (Patel) added momentum to development on the path shown by Narendra Modi.

    They have ensured peace, safety in Gujarat and are working for all-around development,” he said.

    Shah thanked his cabinet colleague Nitin Gadkari, who heads the Road Transport and Highways ministry, for the construction of five over-bridges, two of which were inaugurated on Saturday, on the road connecting Ahmedabad to Gandhinagar.

    Shah appealed to Gujaratis settled outside the state to participate in the “Vatan Prem Yojana” under which they can make a monetary contribution for the development of their native villages or districts, with the state government making 40 per cent contribution.

    The Yojana was launched by the Gujarat government at the function on Saturday.

    He also slammed the Opposition for questioning the feasibility of the Sujalam Sufalam Yojana which was proposed by Modi when was chief minister of Gujarat.

    Under the Yojana, various works such as deepening of lakes, desilting and repairing of existing water bodies, cleaning of water canals are being carried out.

    “The Opposition had criticised that scheme saying will the pipes carry air? I would like to say to my friends in Opposition that the water from these pipelines has reached Banaskantha, and to every village in the Saurashtra region. The work to rid the state of ‘tanker raaj’ started by Modi is almost complete today,” he said.

  • Congress and Trinamool shake hands in Bengal ahead of Mamata Banerjee’s Delhi trip

    By Express News Service
    KOLKATA: A new equation between the Trinamool Congress and the Congress appears to have emerged in West Bengal as the two bitter political rivals are coming closer on the issue of Pegasus snooping.

    A day before TMC chairperson Mamata Banerjee’s visit to Delhi and her plan to meet the opposition party leaders, party’s national spokesperson Derek O’Brien shared Congress’s tweet displaying Bengal CM’s nephew and party’s national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee as a victim of Pegasus spyware snooping. The vice president of Congress’s Bengal chapter Diptiman Ghosh said the party has already extended its hand to the TMC.

    O’Brien retweeted Congress’s tweet which said, “PM Modi took the adage, ‘keep your enemies closer’’ a little too far. #PegasusSnoopgate” The tweet, displaying Abhishek’s photo, said, “Aap chronology samajhiye. Target of Pegasus spyware. Who? Abhishek Banerjee-nephew of Mamata Banerjee. When? 2021. Why? West Bengal elections. Modi Govt’s insecurities are endless.”

    #KhelaHobe https://t.co/yi8bs0Q3XV
    — Derek O’Brien | ডেরেক ও’ব্রায়েন (@derekobrienmp) July 25, 2021

    The word “chronology” was used frequently by Union Home Minister ahead of the 2021 West Bengal Assembly elections when he elaborated implementation of contentious Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) and National Register of Citzens (NRC). “First the CAA will come. All refugees will get citizenship. Then NRC will come…understand the chronology,” Shah had said repeatedly.

    The Congress in West Bengal also softened its stance on the issue of dealing with the ruling TMC. The state Congress president had earlier said that the party would not field any candidate against Mamata Banerjee in Bhowanipore Assembly by elections as the chief minister will have to get elected as she lost in Nandigram.

    On Friday, state Congress vice president Ghosh said, “Mamata Banerjee faced many challenges to reach her today’s position in politics. If she urged all anti-BJP political forces to come under one umbrella, we are all set to respond. On this issue, we should echo the same. We have already extended our hands to the TMC.”

    Mamata will leave for Delhi on July 21 and and she has announced her plans to meet leaders of non-BJP parties. She also requested NCP chief Sharad Pawar and Congress leader P Chidambaram to arrange a meeting while giving a call to uproot the BJP from the Centre in the 2024 general elections.

    TMC leaders admitted that the party’s political stance has been changed after the party’s stupendous victory in the recent Assembly elections and Mamata’s emergence as an anti-BJP leader in the country. “She is now eyeing the 2024 Lok Sabha polls and for this, she is gearing up for taking the TMC into the arena of national politics,” said a TMC leader.

  • Modi govt has clearly failed on COVID-19 vaccination front, says Congress leader Prithviraj Chavan

    By PTI
    PUNE: Senior Congress leader Prithviraj Chavan on Sunday hit out at the Modi government over a host of issues, including its “failure” on the coronavirus vaccination front and the rise in fuel prices.

    He was here to take part in the Congress party’s agitation over the fuel price and other issues.

    Addressing a press conference on the occasion, Chavan said that in the last 186 days, since the country-wide vaccination drive began, the Centre has administered one COVID-19 vaccine dose to 36 crore people, while only 8.15 crore people have received both the doses.

    “With this pace, only 14-15 crore people will be fully vaccinated by December this year,” he said.

    According to him, even if the government doubles up the speed of vaccination, the count of fully vaccinated people won’t go above 25 crore by the end of this year.

    “This is a clear failure of the central government. With this pace, it will take a long time for the economic revival,” he alleged.

    The former Maharashtra chief minister also accused the Modi government of adopting an “easy way” of increasing taxes on fuel to cover up the losses.

    “Fuel prices surged around 66 times in the last year. A major component of the fuel price is excise duty. When the Modi government came to power in 2014, the excise duty on petrol was Rs 9.48 and now it is Rs 32.90, which is an almost a 316 per cent increase in excise duty on petrol. For diesel, it has increased by 840 per cent,” he claimed, and added that due to this, the state-run petroleum companies were making a huge profit.

    The central government was selling the family jewels that are government companies to manage the deficit, he added.

    He hit out at senior BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis, saying that he was misleading people by giving false information on the fuel prices and blaming the Uddhav Thackeray-led Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government for the rise in petroleum products in Maharashtra.

    “The state government charges the same VAT on fuel that was being charged by the previous Fadnavis government,” Chavan said.

    The Congress-led UPA government had brought 14 crore people out of the BPL category with great efforts, but the present regime has pushed 23 crore of them back to poverty, he alleged.

    “Coronavirus pandemic is not the only reason behind it. The situation was the same even before this crisis. According to figures from last seven quarters, the growth rate is coming down,” the Congress leader said.

    On the recent reshuffle of the Union council of ministers, Chavan said, “As per Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s statement, the government failed to handle the pandemic, hence they were changing the health minister.

    Same is the case with the education minister.

    Modi government reshuffled the cabinet because the ministers were inefficient.

    My question to the PM is – why did it take seven years for you to realise that these ministers are inefficient?” He said that all the decisions are anyway taken at the PMO, so changing the faces (of ministers) would not make any difference.

    Replying to a query on the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) actions against various leaders, Chavan said, ” Inquiries should be conducted to punish the wrongdoers, but by following the court procedures. Nowadays, raids, arrests and many more things are happening. However, there is no conclusion of these actions.”

    He alleged that the central government was using these agencies to blackmail leaders from the rival parties.

  • WATCH | In dig at govt, Opposition leaders share Vajpayee’s 1973 petrol price hike protest video

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: In an apparent dig at the Centre over the rising fuel prices, some Opposition leaders on Saturday shared video footage from 1973 in which then Jan Sangh leader Atal Bihari Vajpayee is seen arriving in Parliament on a bullock cart to “protest an increase of 7 paise in petrol prices”.

    Petrol price on Friday crossed the Rs 100-per-litre-mark in Chennai as well as in some places in Punjab and Kerala after fuel prices were hiked yet again.

    Petrol is priced at over Rs 99 a litre in Delhi and Kolkata — the only metro cities which haven’t seen the Rs 100 mark yet.

    ALSO READ: Petrol soars past record Rs 105 in Malkangiri as fuel prices skyrocket in Odisha

    Sharing Vajpayee’s footage from 1973 in which the former prime minister and then Jan Sangh leader is seen reaching the Parliament in a bullock cart, senior Congress leader Tharoor tweeted, “Rare footage from 1973 of an opposition protest when petrol prices were raised by seven Paise.”

    “Atal Bihari Vajpayee arrived in Parliament on a bullock cart (which would not be possible today with the new security restrictions on vehicle entry into the complex!),” he said.

    Rare footage from 1973 of an opposition protest when petrol prices were raised by seven Paise. Atal Bihari Vajpayee arrived in Parliament on a bullock cart (which would not be possible today with the new security restrictions on vehicle entry into the complex!) pic.twitter.com/1hd97kgoMG
    — Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) July 3, 2021

    Sharing the same video which he said he received on WhatsApp, Trinamool Congress leader Derek O’Brien tweeted, “History. Ouch. When petrol prices were increased by a few paisa (7 paisa?) in 1973, Atal Bihari Vajpayee had travelled to #Parliament on a bullock cart in protest.”

    Aam Aadmi Party Delhi MLA Somnath Bharti said that in 1973, Vajpayee travelled in a bullock cart to Parliament to oppose an increase of 7 paise in petrol prices, and added “those were the days”.

    Petrol price was hiked by 35 paise per litre on Friday but there was no change in diesel rates, according to a price notification of state-owned fuel retailers.

    Fuel prices differ from state to state depending on the incidence of local taxes such as value-added tax (VAT) and freight charges.

    For this reason, petrol has crossed the Rs 100-a-litre mark in some places in Punjab and all over Kerala.

    Jalandhar in Punjab has the fuel priced at Rs 100.22 a litre while it costs Rs 101.14 in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala.

  • BJP cites Modi government’s decisions on Punjab to laud its spirit of ‘cooperative federalism’

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: The BJP on Friday highlighted a number of decisions taken by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government for Punjab in the “true spirit of cooperative federalism” and attacked its rivals for their “falsification”.

    Addressing a press conference, Union minister Hardeep Singh Puri targeted opposition parties, which have accused the government of overriding powers of states, and said “for anyone to suggest they have been short-changed or not given their legitimate share will be a falsification”.

    The government recently sanctioned medical oxygen plants for 41 locations in Punjab under the PM Cares Fund, he said.

    He also took a swipe at the Congress government in Punjab over its alleged profiteering by selling its quota of Covid vaccines to private hospitals, and said it sparked conflicting statements from within the party.

    “Congress leaders are not on the same page. Some of them think profite_ering on centrally supplied medicines is legitimate. The health minister of Punjab govt claimed he had nothing to do with this scam,” Puri said.

    Citing various decisions of the Modi government, he said it abolished a “blacklist” carrying names of 333 Sikhs, granted citizenship rights to thousands of Sikhs oppressed in different countries, ensured action in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, gave FCRA registration to Golden Temple to receive foreign donations, launched 14 trains to connect holy Sikh sites and gave GST exemption to langar services run by gurdwaras.

    The list is long, he said, adding this is what Modi personally and his government have been doing for all states.

    Noting that it was alleged that the minimum support price (MSP) for grains will be abolished and mandi system repealed when the government enacted three farm laws, he said the Centre in fact made record procurement and transferred tens of thousands of crores directly to bank accounts of farmers.

    “Government has made it clear that if there are any doubts (regarding laws) we are ready to sit with you and are open to all suggestions. But template has to be benefit to farmers,” Puri said.

    He also demanded probe into crimes which have allegedly occurred at the sites of farmer protests.

    BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra added that democracy has space for agitations not crime. 

  • Bihar BJP conducts welfare activities, celebrates seven years of Modi government

    Express News Service
    PATNA: On completion of 7 years of BJP government in the Centre, thousands of workers of Bihar BJP unit on Sunday conducted welfare activities to serve the people across the state amidst the coronavirus crisis.

    The BJP leaders distributed soaps, hand sanitizers, face masks and the immunity kits among the people in rural areas.

    Minister of Labour Resource department Jivesh Kumar, attending the initiative called ‘Seva Hi Sangathan’ (service is an organisation) at Patna, said that the BJP’s commitment has always been ‘sabka sath, sabka vikas aur sabka vishwas’.

    Kumar was one of the party leaders who distributed the immunity kits to the people besides other items to fight against the Covid pandemic.

    According to BJP sources, the party leaders and workers organise ‘Seva Hi Sangathan’ at 38,000 polling booths located in 23,000 villages in a day.

    “This a collective week-long reach out to the people who have been behind the BJP to work for the nation and the state for their services,” Kumar said.

    Elated on being given an immunity kit, Ramesh Kumar in Vaishali said that it was a great to have a kit as it was needed to his family members.

    He said that the prime minister’s mantra of politics for people’s prosperity, peace and their well-being has got a massive acceptance in the public. “Modi hai to mumkin hai,” he said.

    Expressing gratitude to the public on the completion of 7 years of the current Central Government under the leadership of PM Narendra Modi, BJP State President Dr. Sanjay Jaiswal said, “With the work done by the Prime Minister with the basic mantra of Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas and Sabka Biswas, people are realizing after a long time that there is a political party for which power is the medium of service, not the raising of wealth.”

    Dr Jaiswal also said that people’s temperature, pulse, oxygen level, blood glucose were also checked at many places.  

    Apart from this, blood donation camps were also organized by BJP Yuva Morcha, Mahila Morcha and Kisan Morcha at 28 places in the last 3 days, where our youth party workers donated their blood, he added.

  • Pratap Bhanu Mehta’s exit result of his role as govt’s critic’: Ashoka University faculty

    Express News Service
    NEW DELHI: The faculty and students at the Ashoka University issued strong statements in support of political commentator Pratap Bhanu Mehta, who resigned from the university two days back citing infringement on academic freedom. They demanded the university administration urge him to join back.

    Mehta’s exit was followed by the resignation of noted economist and former chief economic advisor Arvind Subramanian a day later, who rued in his letter that the institution “even with its private status and private capital can no longer provide space for academic expression and freedom”.

    Mehta, who had left the chair of the university’s vice-chancellor two years back, in an email to his students Wednesday evening — a day after he put in his papers, had hinted that a discussion with the university regarding the “prevailing circumstances” led to his exit.

    “The decision to leave Ashoka was not an easy one, especially because of the exceptional quality of students I have been privileged to teach,” he wrote. “But after discussions with the university about the prevailing circumstances, it became clear to me that it was best to move on. Hence, I took the decision to resign.”

    Faculty at @AshokaUniv issue a strong worded statement in support of Pratap Bhanu Mehta

  • Mayawati preps for UP Panchayat polls, tasks cadres to expose ‘failures’ of state govt, Centre

    Express News Service
    LUCKNOW: Ahead of Panchayat polls in Uttar Pradesh, BSP chief Mayawati asked her party cadres to reach out to people through small public meetings and expose the “anti-people” policies of the Narendra Modi government at the Centre and Yogi Adityanath government in the state.

    Mayawati gave pep talks to her cadres while reviewing the party’s preparedness, in Lucknow on Wednesday. She made it clear to her cadres that she would continue with the review meetings from now onwards.

    She also issued the directives to cadres to rope in as many people as possible through membership drive across the state before the panchayat polls which are likely to take place in April-May.

    The BSP said it will contest the panchayat elections as a semi-final to 2022 UP Assembly polls.

    Mayawati’s move comes following defections of important party leaders to the Samajwadi Party in the recent past.

    Those who quit the BSP to join the SP are former BSP state president Dayaram Pal, ex-Ballia district chief Mithailal Bharati, and former minister Kamlakant Gautam. Besides, BSP leader and Meerut mayor Sunita Verma, her husband, and former BSP MLA from Hastinapur Yogesh Verma also joined the SP recently.

    In the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, the BSP had failed to open its account. In the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, she had entered into the grand alliance with Samajwadi Party winning 10 seats. Later, Mayawati accused the SP of failing to transfer its vote to BSP candidates and called off the alliance leading to the resumption of bitterness between the two regional forces.