News Analysis India

Tag: TOI

  • The man who wanted to challenge Modi but lost the battle even before it began

    For many years, Prime Minister Narendra Modi was not just a leader but a hero for Shyam Rangeela, mirroring the admiration held by millions of Indians. Shyam was so inspired that he began to mimic Modi, even mastering the PM’s iconic “Bhaiyon, Behno” greetings.Over time, however, things changed. Shyam experienced a shift in perspective, particularly after facing what he called restrictions on his work from a group of Modi supporters. This marked the beginning of his transformation from a devoted fan into a critic.Recently, the comedian made headlines with his announcement to contest against Modi from Varanasi as an Independent candidate.“Halfway into the show in which I was mimicking the PM, I was asked to walk out, and mend my ways. That day, I felt that my freedom was clipped. Later, I realised that such intimidation was common. Politicians are not so generous in taking humour and criticism,” a ToI report (by Shailvee Sharda) quoted Rangeela as saying.AllUttar PradeshMaharashtraTamil NaduWest BengalBiharKarnatakaAndhra PradeshTelanganaKeralaMadhya PradeshRajasthanDelhiOther StatesJourneying all the way from Rajasthan’s Sriganganagar to file his nomination, Shyam’s efforts were thwarted by a technical error. The reason for the cancellation of his papers was due to the omission of “not taking oath” during submission, leading to what he calls the “shattering of a dream”. Though disappointing, Rangeela sees the rejection as a form of victory. “The cause of freedom for which I stood up got some attention,” he adds, reflecting on his “chhoti si poll story”.Embracing the rejection, Shyam is relishing the moment, giving interviews, and meeting journalists and influencers from around the globe.Sharing his experience with TOI, the comedian says, “Wo kehte they ki challenge ke bina maza nahi aata hai. Why couldn’t Modi ji keep his words?” he wonders, questioning his rejection.

    Does he regret his political venture? The narrative doesn’t explicitly answer, leaving room for interpretation.

    “Haan, main toh kahin ka nahi raha. BJP wale kehte hain ki maine Modi ji ka mazak banyaya. Congress wale kehte hain main Rahul ki mimicry ki hai. Mujhe dono taraf se kaam nahi milta hai. Chunav mein bahut paisa bhi kharch ho gaya hai to ab naya kaam dhoondh ke hisab theek karna hoga,” Rangeela told the newspaper.

    He claimed to the newspaper that he said no to offers to join opposition candidates and target Narendra Modi from a stronger political platform.

    “I didn’t want to get tagged. In this way, I will prove my trollers right,” Rangeela adds.

    “Jibes such as ‘mazak mazak mein serious ho gaya’ and ‘ghode pe aaya tha nomination bharne’ are very decent compared to allegations like my nomination was rejected because of a pending rape case against me,” he says.

    Rangeela says he will miss the love that people showered on him when he announced to contest poll from Kashi.

  • PM Narendra Modi ticks off Maharashtra, Bengal for cold-shouldering pet projects

    Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday ticked off some of the state governments for not coming on board for his government’s prominent schemes and projects and suggested that the Centre will not drop the plans even if they did not cooperate.


    Prominent among them were the bullet train project, where the Maharashtra government has failed to keep its part of the bargain. During the Pragati meeting with Union and state government officials, Modi asked the railways to complete the Ahmedabad-Mumbai bullet train project at least on the Gujarat portion in time, if the issues don’t get resolved for the stretch falling in Maharashtra, sources told TOI.


    In the first interaction after a 10-month gap, the PM also expressed his unhappiness over the slow progress in the pre-construction activities in Maharashtra for the ambitious bullet train project.
    So far, the National High-Speed Rail Corporation Ltd has bid out works for 325km out of the 349km of this corridor, which falls in Gujarat. The land acquisition in Gujarat is close to 85% for this project while less than 25% land has been acquired in Maharashtra.

    On September 6, TOI had first reported “Despite delay, bullet trains could start running in Gujarat before 2024”.
    Sources told TOI that the PM pulled up the West Bengal administration for the dismal progress of PM SVANidhi, a highly subsidised micro-financing scheme for street vendors hit by the nationwide lockdown. “PM told the state chief secretary it was up to the state whether it wanted to take this benefit to the poor. He dismissed the state’s view that they had announced Rs 2,000 ex-gratia for street vendors. He said the question is whether the state’s priority is to revive their livelihood or provide ex-gratia,” said an official. So far, only 60 street vendors in Bengal have availed the subsidised loan of Rs 10,000 each against the target of three lakh. Modi also asked the Assam government to ramp up this scheme.