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Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi wants the youth to remain busy in making social media reels, so that they stay distracted from pressing problems about education, health and employment. Addressing a poll rally in Bihar's Aurangabad, Gandhi charged the PM with promoting addiction to social media. Modi wants you to become addicted to making reels, Instagram, Facebook... This is the new high (nasha') of the 21st century. He wants such a scenario because this would ensure that the youth remain distracted, and do not hold his government accountable for their problems about education, health and employment, he alleged. Gandhi also claimed that Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah were indulging in 'vote chori' (vote theft) in Bihar, as they know the NDA would not win the assembly polls. The INDIA bloc, if voted to power in Bihar, will be a government of the extremely backward, socially marginalised and Dalits, the former Congress president ...
Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday urged voters in Bihar to press the EVM button with the BJP's poll symbol lotus to prevent the return of 'jungle raj' during the RJD rule that had "devastated" the state. He promised that if the NDA returns to power, the government will spend Rs 26,000 crore to harness Koshi water for irrigation and to prevent floods. "Press 'lotus' button to prevent return of 'jungle raj' that devastated Bihar during the Lalu-Rabri's 15-year rule," Shah alleged, addressing a poll rally at Darbhanga. He said the NDA under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership could only lead Bihar to all-around development. "Altogether, Rs 26,000 crore will be spent to harness Koshi river water to irrigate 'Mithilanchal' and prevent floods in the area if the NDA is voted to power in Bihar...Water of the Ganga, Koshi and Gandak rivers will be utilised for irrigation and to prevent deluge in Bihar," the former BJP president said. If the NDA retains power in Bihar, people from ..
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Prime Minister Narendra Modi will attend the International Gita Festival and the state-level commemorative event for the 350th martyrdom anniversary of Guru Tegh Bahadur on November 25 in Kurukshetra. Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini, who was sharing details about the International Gita Mahotsav during a news conference here, informed that Prime Minister Modi would be visiting Kurukshetra on November 25 to grace the event. Notably, Haryana is observing the 350th martyrdom anniversary of Guru Tegh Bahadur with great devotion and reverence across the state. Various programmes will be organised from November 1 to 25 to mark the occasion, while a state-level commemorative event will be held in Kurukshetra on November 25. Meanwhile, Saini said the 10th International Gita Mahotsav would be held in Kurukshetra from November 15 to December 5. The main events of the Gita festival, a grand confluence of spiritual wisdom and cultural vibrancy, are scheduled to be held between November 24 and
Senior BJD leader Amar Patnaik joined the ruling BJP in Odisha on Monday. Patnaik, the IT Cell head of the BJD and its spokesperson, switched sides days ahead of the Nuapada by-election on November 11. A former account general, he joined the BJP as BJD president Naveen Patnaik started campaigning for the by-election. Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, state BJP president Manmohan Samal and its Odisha in-charge Vijay Pal Singh Tomar welcomed him to the party. "I joined the BJP to serve the nation. I quit my government job in 2018 and became an MP in 2019. So far, I have worked for the development of the state, and now the time has come to dedicate myself to the nation," Patnaik said. "Therefore, I think, BJP is the right party to serve the nation," he added.
Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav on Sunday said that if the INDIA bloc forms the government in Bihar under the leadership of RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav, it will check out-migration of people and force the BJP to migrate from the eastern state. Addressing a public rally in Chhapra district in support of RJD's singer-turned-politician candidate Khesari Lal Yadav, he said Bihar has always emerged as a saviour whenever clouds of danger overshadowed politics. The former chief minister of adjoining Uttar Pradesh urged people of Bihar to "safeguard politics from the dangers that surround it" through their votes. "When the new government headed by Tejashwi Yadav is formed in Bihar, it will check out-migration of common people and force the BJP to migrate from the state," he said. He exuded confidence that the INDIA bloc will form the government in Bihar and the Samajwadi Party will emerge victorious in the 2027 Uttar Pradesh assembly elections. "Tejashwi Yadav's government will ...
Flagging the issue of air pollution in Delhi, Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Sunday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav and Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta to intervene and take immediate steps for clearing the "filthy smog" people are breathing. The BJP hit back at the Congress general secretary, claiming she never spoke up about Delhi's pollution situation during the rule of her party or Aam Aadmi Party but has chosen to comment when the BJP government is working round the clock to fight both air and water pollution. In a post on X, Priyanka Gandhi said that while returning to the Delhi air from Wayanad first, then Bachwara in Bihar is truly shocking. The pollution enveloping this city is like a grey shroud thrown over it, she said. "It's really about time all of us get together regardless of our political compulsions and do something about it. The central and state governments need to act immediately, we will all support and cooper
The Aam Aadmi Party and the ruling BJP in Delhi sparred over the pollution in the Yamuna on Sunday, with the opposition party's Saurabh Bharadwaj alleging the river has returned to its polluted state after the Chhath festival. The BJP was quick to hit back, saying the opposition has scored a self-goal by "admitting" the Yamuna has "returned" to the same condition the AAP government had left it. Days after Chhath Puja ended, AAP's Delhi unit chief Bharadwaj visited the Vasudev Ghat on Sunday and alleged that workers were dismantling the pipeline that had secretly supplied filtered water to the "fake river the BJP had created" for the festival. In a video, he was seen holding the Yamuna's black water in his palms. "After being caught red-handed, the BJP government is now erasing every trace of the fake Yamuna it created," he said. Bharadwaj had earlier alleged that a section of the river was filled with clean water at the Vasudev Ghat for Chhath Puja. "At the Vasudev Ghat, the BJP i
Countering the NDA's 'jungle raj' charge, the Congress on Sunday sought to corner Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on paper leaks, "displacement" of families in search of employment and alleged rise in heinous crimes in Bihar. Attacking the ruling alliance, Congress general secretary in-charge of communications, Jairam Ramesh, cited criminal incidents and asked the prime minister whether this is the "so-called Mangal Raj" of his "trouble engine government". The NDA has been warning voters in Bihar that a return of Magathbandhan to power in Bihar will bring back the era of "jungle raj" under the RJD rule, where, it alleged, criminals "acted with impunity". In a post in Hindi on X, Ramesh said that on the same streets of Patna where young people were lathi-charged almost every month for demanding jobs and fair recruitment exams, the prime minister and chief minister are holding roadshows for votes. "That's why today we want to ask them three direct questio
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address public rallies and attend a roadshow in Bihar on Sunday. The PM will address public rallies in Ara and Nawada and will attend a 'mega roadshow' in Patna. Elections to the 243-member Bihar Assembly will be held in two phases on November 6 and November 11. In the first phase, 121 assembly segments will go to the polls. This will be the third roadshow in Patna by the PM since last year's Lok Sabha polls. Modi had held a roadshow earlier this year, soon after 'Operation Sindoor'. Elaborate security arrangements have been made for the PM's roadshow. Before the roadshow, Modi will pay floral tributes to Rashtra Kavi Ramdhari Singh Dinkar in the state capital. The PM's roadshow will start from Dinkar Golambar in the evening and pass through Thakurbari Road, Bakarganj and will conclude at Udyog Bhawan near Gandhi Maidan. Later in the evening, Modi will offer prayers at Takhat Sri Harimandir Ji Patna Sahib Gurudwara. Union Home Minister Amit Shah
Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Saturday claimed the results of the Bihar elections will shake the foundation of the BJP-led government at the Centre. Addressing an election rally in support of the INDIA bloc candidates in Purnea district, Yadav said that just like the people of UP defeated the BJP in Awadh, the people of Bihar will vote the party out of Magadh. "The results of the Bihar elections will rattle the BJP-led government at the Centre. The government there is not going to last long," he claimed. The allusion was to the BJP's dependence on Bihar CM Nitish Kumar-led JD(U), which, along with Andhra Pradesh CM Chandrababu Naidu's TDP, provided the much-needed support to form the third Narendra Modi government after last year's Lok Sabha elections. Yadav said it is up to the people of Bihar to not just "improve the future of the state, but also the entire nation". "Just like UP's voters defeated the BJP in Awadh, the people of Bihar will defeat them in Magadh," he ..
Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Saturday dismissed promises made by the ruling NDA in poll-bound Bihar and exuded confidence that the INDIA bloc will win the assembly elections. She briefly interacted with journalists at the Patna airport before launching her election campaign in the state. When her views were sought on promises like "1 crore jobs" in the manifesto released by the BJP-led coalition a day ago, Vadra said, "Why now? What have they been doing all these years?" Notably, CM Nitish Kumar, the JD(U) president, has been in power in alliance with the BJP since 2005, barring a few brief hiatuses on account of his own stepping down or short-lived alliances with arch rival Lalu Prasad's RJD and Congress.
RJD MP Manoj Jha wrote to the Election Commission (EC) on Friday, accusing the Bihar government of violating the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) by transferring money to women under the Mukhyamantri Mahila Rojgar Yojana on October 17, 24 and 31. Jha also said the next proposed date for disbursement is November 7 -- four days before the second phase of polling in Bihar. "I am writing to lodge a formal and strong protest against the brazen violation of the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) by the government of Bihar through the direct cash transfer of Rs 10,000 to beneficiaries on 17, 24 and 31 October, 2025 under the Mukhyamantri Mahila Rojgar Yojana," Jha said in his letter to the EC. "Besides, as the enclosed schedule suggests. The next proposed date for disbursement is 7 November...," he added. The Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader said the action constitutes a clear and deliberate breach of the MCC provisions that came into effect on October 6, following the announcement of the Bihar ...
As Bihar heads for polls on Nov 6 and 11, data shows active questioning by opposition MLAs and fluctuating assembly sittings under the NDA-Mahagathbandhan tenure
Taking a swipe at the BJP-RSS on Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel's birth anniversary, the Congress on Friday said selfless icons would have been horrified by their misappropriation by an ideology that, in the words of Patel himself, had created an atmosphere that made the ghastly tragedy of Mahatma Gandhi's assassination possible. Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh took a swipe at the Modi government and claimed that since 2014 especially, history has been subject to brazen misrepresentation and distortion by "G2 and their ecosystem". "Today as a grateful nation celebrates Sardar Patel@150 we must also recall that on February 13, 1949, Jawaharlal Nehru had unveiled a statue of Sardar Patel in Godhra, where the Iron Man of India had started his legal practice. Nehru's speech on that occasion must be read and re-read to get an insight into their powerful and profound partnership of over three decades," Ramesh said on X. "In a message on the eve of Sardar Patel'
Senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh has alleged that Mohammad Ali Jinnah and Hindutva ideologue V D Savarkar caused India's partition in 1947, while the ruling BJP is currently dividing the cities and neighbourhoods. He made the claim on Thursday in response to questions concerning media reports about the alleged exodus of Hindus from two Muslim-majority localities in Sagar city in the state. Jinnah (founder of Pakistan) and Savarkar divided the country, and now the BJP is dividing every city and every neighbourhood, the Rajya Sabha member told reporters in Indore. To a question about the BJP's Run for Unity' on Friday (October 31), marking the 150th birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, the Congress leader said, We welcome this event, but don't forget that October 31 is also a martyrdom day. He was referring to former prime minister Indira Gandhi, who was assassinated by her bodyguards on the morning of October 31, 1984. Singh also said that proofs of citizenship are
While the NDA has promised jobs to 10 million youth, its rival INDIA bloc has promised one government job per family if elected to power in Bihar
The Karnataka State Tourism Development Corporation's (KSTDC) social media post promoting Wayanad in neighbouring Kerala as a tourist destination has drawn criticism from opposition BJP, which has hit out at Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, calling it "high command appeasement" to save chair. Congress top leader Priyanka Gandhi is the Member of Parliament from Wayanad. The KSTDC's post on 'X' on October 28, promoting its two-night and three-day tour package to the hill station said, " Seeking thrill or tranquillity? Find both in Wayanad! Trek scenic trails, chase waterfalls & meet the wild with KSTDC. Your perfect nature escape awaits." Reacting to this, BJP leader and Leader of Opposition in Assembly, R Ashoka asked Siddaramaiah as to how long will Karnataka tolerate a Chief Minister who behaves like "Wayanad's District Collector and fund raiser"? "You (Siddaramaiah) signed off Rs 10 crore of Karnataka taxpayers' money to Wayanad at lightning speed. You gave away Rs 15 lakhs to the ..
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday charged the BJP with running the government in Bihar "through remote control", using the face of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar. The leader of the opposition in the Lok Sabha made the remark in Muzaffarpur district, where he addressed his maiden election rally in the state. "I agree with Tejashwi Yadav, who spoke just before me, that the government in Bihar is being run through remote control. They are simply using the face of Nitish Kumar," claimed Gandhi. The former Congress president also lambasted the ruling BJP at the Centre for being "against social justice" and pointed out that it was at the opposition party's insistence that the Narendra Modi government agreed to a caste census. Gandhi alleged, "Two Indias are emerging. One belongs to the common people, and the other to five or 10 billionaires. This is the reason that places like Bihar suffer in poverty, with its vast potential remaining untapped." "You all must have seen the drama th