News Analysis India

Tag: Modi

  • India ‘walked the talk’ during pandemic, says PM Modi

    By Express News Service
    NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said the pandemic has presented an opportunity to reshape the world order and create systems to address the problems today and tomorrow, and underlined that India has “walked the talk” in a humble way with limited resources to tackle the global crisis. 

    Delivering the inaugural address of the Raisina Dialogue 2021, which is being held virtually for the first time owing to the pandemic, Modi said the edition of the event took a place at a “watershed moment in human history”. “A global pandemic has been ravaging the world for over a year.

    The last such global pandemic was a century ago. During this pandemic, in our humble way and within our limited resources, we in India have tried to walk the talk. We have tried to protect our own 1.3 billion citizens from the pandemic. At the same time, we have also tried to support pandemic response efforts of others,” he said.

    Asserting that mankind will not be able to defeat the pandemic unless “all of us, everywhere, regardless of the colour of our passports, come out of it”, Modi said it is important that a human-centric approach is put in place.

    External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar called for additional manufacturing capacities in countries like India. “India’s ability to manufacture a range of vaccines is an example of global cooperation and said this couldn’t be seen as a “one-way street. Equitable access is critically important in this because we all know that no one will be safe till everyone is safe,” he said, adding that without building additional capabilities, distributive justice will not be enough. 

  • Mamata ‘clean bowled’ in Nandigram, her ‘innings over’ in Bengal: Modi

    By PTI
    Invoking Constitution and B R Ambedkar, Prime Minister Narendra Modi Monday pilloried Mamata Banerjee over a TMC leader likening the scheduled castes in West Bengal to beggars and claimed she could not have made the “seriously objectionable” comment without the permission of the chief minister.

    Drawing a cricket analogy, Modi said the people of Bengal have hit so many fours and sixes in the first four phases of the assembly polls that the BJP has already completed its century and Mamata Banerjee’s “innings is over”.

    Modi, on a whirlwind election tour of the state, addressed three rallies in Bardhaman, Kalyani and Barasat where he came down hard on Banerjee, accusing her of instigating people against central forces on election duty in the state.

    “Didi calls herself a Royal Bengal Tiger. You tell me is it possible for someone to say such things without her permission? Such comments hurt the soul of Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar. Such a seriously objectionable comment has been made but Didi hasn’t condemned it or apologised for it.

    “You have committed the biggest mistake, the biggest sin by insulting Dalits, Didi,” Modi told rally after election rally while referring to the alleged comments made by TMC leader and party candidate for assembly polls Sujata Mondol Khan.

    The BJP has decided to launch protests in West Bengal against the alleged disparaging comments of Khan.

    A delegation of BJP’s Dalit MPs, including party general secretary Dushyant Kumar Gautam, Sunita Dughal, Hansraj Hans and its SC wing head Lal Singh Arya, submitted a memorandum to the National Commission for Scheduled Castes in New Delhi on Monday and sought action against the TMC leader.

    A party delegation had on Sunday lodged a similar complaint with the Election Commission.

    The prime minister said the people of Bengal have made up their mind to show TMC the door on May 2, the day the votes will be counted.

    “People of Bengal hit so many fours and sixes that BJP has already completed a century (of seats) in the first 4 phases of assembly polls.

    They have wiped out the TMC in half the match (aadha mein poora saaf). “People of Bengal have clean bowled Didi in Nandigram, and her innings in Bengal is over. People have asked her entire team to leave the field,” he told an election rally in Bardhaman.

    Mocking the TMC supremo’s “Ma, Mati, Manush” slogan, the prime minister said, “Tormenting ‘Ma’, looting ‘Mati’ (motherland) and bloodshed of ‘Manush’ (people) is its reality.” Alleging that Banerjee incited people against central forces, he referred to the killing of four in the firing by CISF personnel in Cooch Behar on April 10.

    “In the last 10 years Mamata Banerjee conspired to deny the scheduled castes, the poor and the deprived sections their rights through ‘chappa vote’ (rigging).

    “What happened in Cooch Behar was the consequence of this conspiracy, Didi’s masterplan for ‘chappa votes’ (rigging).

    Victory and defeat are part of democracy but you will not be allowed to snatch away people’s right to vote,” he told another rally in Kalyani in Nadia district.

    He said Banerjee’s policies have snuffed out the lives of children of countless mothers.

    Addressing a rally in Matua dominated Kalyani, Modi said Didi even disapproved of his visit to Orakandi in Bangladesh where the founder of the Matua sect and social reformer Harichand Thakur was born.

    “Didi did not like my going to Orakandi in Bangladesh, she raised questions over my visit. I have come to assure you today that all refugees will get all facilities due to them, they will get justice. For the BJP, providing justice to all refugees, Matua and Namasudra brothers, is also an emotional commitment,” he said.

    Matuas, a weaker section originally from Bangladesh, migrated to West Bengal in large numbers after Partition and later during the war for Bangladesh’s freedom from Pakistan. Many of them have got Indian citizenship and many not.

    The TMC had objected to Modi’s visit to Bangladesh in the middle of the election campaign claiming it was designed to influence voters in certain constituencies in West Bengal.

    The prime minister alleged Banerjee’s appeasement politics hurt Matua and Namsudra communities hard and they had to pay commission to “TMC’s extortionists” even to obtain scheduled caste certificates.

    Accusing Banerjee of dividing people, Modi said “Jukto koro-Seva Koro” (uniting people and serving them) is his motto.

    “Didi knows Congress could not return to power once ousted, Left could not return once removed from power, you too will never be able to bounce back,” he said.

    Deriding Banerjee, Modi said she had forgotten her party’s motto ‘Maa, Maati, Manush’ and is only chanting his name at public meetings. She only created a mess in the name of governance, the prime minister alleged.

    Referring to the recent incident of lynching of a Bihar police officer in West Bengal and the death of his mother from shock which led to their funeral pyres being lit together, Modi said Mamata Banerjee’s government does not respect anyone anymore, “not even mothers”.

    “Didi, is that officer’s mother not a mother for you? No mother in Bengal knew how cruel and ruthless you are,” Modi said.

    He said Banerjee was getting angrier with each passing day because people of Bengal have decided to show her the exit door.

    “In democracy it’s the people who begin the game and end it, people of Bengal have decreed your ‘khela’ (game) is up. Didi wanted to hand over the reins to ‘Bhaipo’ (nephew). People saw through the ‘khela’ and decided it should be over,” Modi said, adding the countdown for her government’s departure has begun.

    Top BJP leaders have often said Banerjee wanted to hand over the reins of the party and the TMC government to her nephew and Diamond Harbour MP Abhishek. The prime minister wondered why Banerjee has never asked for maximum voting.

    “Did Didi ever say at rallies that there should be maximum voting? Didi knows the more the polling the more the chances of her being thrown out of power,” he said.

    Modi alleged that Banerjee allowed political killings over the last decade to serve her own interests. “She allowed her extortionists to loot Bengal. She betrayed the people of Bengal to make the syndicate powerful. This is the report card of Didi’s 10 years,” he alleged.

  • Allow vaccination of people based on need instead of age, Sonia Gandhi writes to PM Modi

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: Amid a surge in coronavirus cases in the country, Congress president Sonia Gandhi has requested Prime Minister Narendra Modi to allow emergency use of all the vaccine candidates having required clearances.

    In a letter to the prime minister after her meeting with chief ministers of Congress-ruled states, she also sought expansion of categories of people eligible for vaccination on the basis of need and exposure rather than age.

    “While it will be necessary on one hand to substantially ramp up our domestic production capacity, it will also be prudent to allow emergency use authorisation of all the vaccine candidates that have the required clearances, without any further delay,” she told the prime minister in her letter.

    “Accordingly, with enhanced availability, categories eligible for vaccination should be expanded on the basis of need and exposure rather than just age. In the same vein, the numbers allocated to a state has to be based on the prevalence and projection of infection in that particular state,” she said, noting that some states have vaccines for three to five days left.

    The Congress chief appealed to the prime minister that with restrictions being imposed to stop the spread of the virus, he should put in place a minimum monthly guaranteed income scheme and transfer a sum of Rs 6,000 into every eligible citizen’s account.

    She also called for exemption from Goods and Services Tax (GST) for all equipment, instruments, medicines being used in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.

    India hit a new coronavirus infection record with 1,68,912 new cases, the highest single-day rise so far, taking the total tally of cases to 1,35,27,717, according to data updated by the Union Health Ministry on Monday.

  • BJP releases Prashant Kishor’s audio clip purportedly saying ‘PM Modi, Mamata equally popular’

    By Express News Service
    KOLKATA: A controversy emerged on Saturday, the day election is being held in 44 Assembly constituencies, after BJP’s IT cell chief Amit Malviya released an audio clip where Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee’s ekection strategist Prashant Kishor is purportedly heard saying “PM Modi, Mamata equally popular” as far as Bengal’s poll related issues are concerned.

    Taking on Twitter, Kishor, however, said the BJP highlighted selective part of his chat and reiterated claiming that the saffron camp would not get more than 100 seats.

    I am glad BJP is taking my chat more seriously than words of their own leaders!They should show courage & share the full chat instead of getting excited with selective use of parts of it.I have said this before & repeating again – BJP will not to CROSS 100 in WB. Period.
    — Prashant Kishor (@PrashantKishor) April 10, 2021

    “It is open? That momnt when Mamata Banerjee’s strategist realised that the Club House room was open and his admission were being heard by the public at large and not just a handful of Lutyens journalists. Deafening silence followed…TMC’s election was just thrown away.”

    In a quick reaction to the purported audio clip, Kishor tweeted, “Glad BJP’s taking my clubhouse chats more seriously than the words of its leaders. They should show courage & share the full chat instead of getting excited with selective use of parts of it. I have said this before & repeating again—BJP will not CROSS 100 in WB.”

  • ‘India moving ahead on Paris agreement’

    By Express News Service
    NEW DELHI:  Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday held a virtual bilateral summit with his Swedish counterpart Stefan Lofven where the two leaders discussed a host of issues. “India and Sweden can deepen their partnership in several sectors, including smart cities, e-mobility, smart grids and waste management, as also on key priority areas like the important issue of climate change,” he said.

    Modi said the shared values of democracy, human rights, rule of law, free and justice strengthen the India-Sweden ties. “Smart cities, water treatment, waste management, circular economy, smart grids, e-mobility, digital transformation and several other sectors have potential where we can deepen  partnership.” 

    The prime minister said the issue of climate change is a priority for both nations and welcomed Sweden’s decision to join the International Solar Alliance. “India’s culture has always stressed the importance of living in harmony with nature. We are moving ahead on our commitments made under the Paris Agreement,” he added.

    “The Prime Ministers welcomed the progress made in identifying specific areas of scientific collaboration in polar research such as joint research projects and participation in polar expeditions. The National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research under the Ministry of Earth Sciences, India and the Swedish Polar Research Secretariat will take this collaboration forward,” a joint statement stated.

    “They agreed to intensify their collaboration within the framework of the Arctic Council to address global environmental protection and combating climate change.” Among the other areas that the leaders decided to cooperate include leadership group on industry transition, science, technology and innovation, trade and investment, healthcare and life sciences, defence among others.

  • Sonia, Rajinikanth, Amitabh Bachchan in Modi-led panel for commemoration of 75 years of independence

    By Express News Service
    NEW DELHI:  The Centre constituted a national committee under Prime Minister Narendra Modi with 259 members, including all union ministers, chief ministers, Opposition leaders for the commemoration of 75 years of independence this year. 

    The committee includes several Union ministers  including Amit Shah,  Rajnath Singh, Ravi Shankar Prasad, S Jaishankar and Prakash Javadekar. It will also include former president Pratibha Patil, CJI S A Bobde, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, former prime ministers  Manmohan Singh and  H D Devegowda, chief ministers, governors, and Opposition leaders like Sonia Gandhi and Sitaram Yechury. Economist Amartya Sen is also a part of the committee. 

    Other notable panel members  include artists like Lata Mangeshkar, Amitabh Bachhan, Rajnikanth, A R Rahman, Anupam Kher, Hema Malini, Prosenjit Chatterjee, sportspersons like Sachin Tendulkar, M S Dhoni,  P T Usha, Mary Kom, spiritual leaders, film directors, and business leaders like Ratan Tata, Nandan Nilekani, among others. 

  • TMC asks Kolkata councillors to put up Mamata’s posters across city ahead of PM visit

    By PTI
    KOLKATA: The TMC on Thursday asked its party’s ward coordinators here to put up in every nook and corner of the city flags and posters with Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s picture on them and poll slogan ‘Bangla Nijer Meyekei Chai’ written below, ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s mega rally on March 7.

    The ruling party’s senior leaders, including MP Abhishek Banerjee, state president Subrata Bakshi, senior minister and administrator of Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) Firhad Hakim, met the ward coordinators at the party headquarters here and directed them to reach out to people and create awareness on the dispensation’s development work.

    “During the meeting, the party leadership asked the coordinators to ensure that flags, festoons and posters of Mamata Banerjee with poll slogan ‘Bangla Nijer Meyekei Chai’ (Bengal wants its daughter) are put up in every nook and corner of the city.

    “This has to be done to ensure that the prime Minister, during his visit, doesn’t miss out on the political message — the state stands with Mamata didi,” a TMC leader said after the meeting.

    The ward coordinators are councillors whose tenure ended last year but they happen to continue in office as KMC elections could not be held in 2020 due to the COVID pandemic.

    According to party sources, the leadership has asked all party members to work together and ensure the defeat of the BJP in the next assembly elections.

    “During the meeting, our leaders asked us to work together and ensure that the BJP is defeated.

    We were told to iron out differences and reach out to people with the developmental work done by the state government in the last ten years,” one of the coordinators said.

  • PM Modi to hold virtual summit with Swedish counterpart on March 5

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will hold a virtual summit with his Swedish counterpart Stefan Löfven on Friday during which they will deliberate on the entire spectrum of bilateral ties and exchange views on regional and global issues, including further strengthening of cooperation in the post-COVID era.

    India and Sweden have warm and friendly relations based on shared values of democracy, freedom, pluralism and rules-based international order, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in a statement.

    Both countries have very close cooperation in the areas of trade and investment, innovation, science and technology as well as research and development, it said.

    During the summit, the two leaders will hold comprehensive discussions on the entire spectrum of bilateral relations and exchange views on regional and global issues, including further strengthening of cooperation in the post-COVID era, the MEA said.

    This will be the fifth interaction between the two leaders since 2015, according to the statement.

    Prime Minister Modi had visited Stockholm in April 2018 for the First India Nordic Summit, while Löfven had visited India in February 2016 for the special Make in India week, it noted.

    Earlier, the two leaders had met on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in September 2015.

    In April last year, the two prime ministers had a telephonic conversation to discuss the situation arising out of the COVID-19 pandemic.

    In addition, Their Majesties Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia of Sweden had visited India in December 2019.

    Around 250 Swedish companies are actively operating in India in various sectors such as health and life sciences, auto industry, clean technology, defence, heavy machinery and equipment, the statement said.

    Around 75 Indian companies are also active in Sweden, it said.

  • Priyanka Gandhi slams Centre on fuel prices, says ‘Modi govt’s pitch is full of high inflation’

    By ANI
    NEW DELHI: Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Thursday slammed the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government over the hike in prices of fuel and gas.

    Taking to Twitter, the Congress leader commented that the Modi government’s pitch is full of high inflation for the common people.

    “In the last three months, the price of domestic gas cylinders have increased by Rs 200. Petrol and diesel have already moved towards hitting a century. The pitch of the Modi government, who is batting for his billionaire friends at both ends of the economy, is full of high inflation for the common people,” Gandhi tweeted (roughly translated from Hindi).

    The prices of petrol and diesel have been increasing continuously for more than 10 days and in some states, the price of petrol has even crossed Rs 100 in some states. Opposition parties also held protests in different parts of the country over the rise of prices of diesel and petrol.

    Earlier on Sunday, Congress interim President Sonia Gandhi wrote a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to convey “every citizen’s anguish and deep distress regarding the spiralling fuel and gas prices.”

  • PM Modi remembers Jayalalithaa, says she made noteworthy efforts to empower ‘Nari Shakti’

    By ANI
    NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday remembered former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa on her 73rd birth anniversary and said she made noteworthy efforts to empower our ‘Nari Shakti’.

    “Remembering Jayalalithaa Ji on her birth anniversary. She is widely admired for her pro-people policies and efforts to empower the downtrodden. She also made noteworthy efforts to empower our Nari Shakti. I will always cherish my several interactions with her,” PM Modi tweeted.

    Remembering Jayalalithaa Ji on her birth anniversary. She is widely admired for her pro-people policies and efforts to empower the downtrodden. She also made noteworthy efforts to empower our Nari Shakti. I will always cherish my several interactions with her. pic.twitter.com/nyV3xz1Lb8
    — Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) February 24, 2021

    Jayalalithaa, who was born in 1948 served five terms as the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu for over fourteen years between 1991 and 2016. In 1982, when M G Ramachandran was the Chief Minister, Jayalalithaa joined the AIADMK, the party he founded.