Page 23 - India Prime Minister

UPA lied to defend scams, my govt acting against corrupt: PM Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi asserted on Wednesday that earlier people used to question why the CBI and the ED did not act against powerful people, while those powerful and corrupt are now asking why the agencies are acting against them. Modi's apparent swipe at opposition leaders at News18 group's summit came amid their allegations that his government had been using probe agencies to target them. He cited massive hauls of cash from leaders belonging to parties like the Congress and the Trinamool Congress and said his government's tough action against corruption has rattled them into abusing him. These abuses will not make any difference, he said, asserting that he gets blessings of the poor who have been receiving all the benefits meant for them, unlike in the past when a huge chunk of welfare money used to be siphoned off. The government before 2014 was resorting to lies to defend its "scams" but the situation has reversed now as his dispensation is taking tough action against th

Looking forward to boost ties: PM Modi congratulates Putin on re-election

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday congratulated Russian President Vladimir Putin on his re-election to the top office and said that he is looking forward to further strengthening the "time-tested" ties between the two countries. "Warm congratulations to H.E. Mr. Vladimir Putin on his re-election as the President of the Russian Federation," Modi said in a post on 'X'. "Look forward to working together to further strengthen the time-tested Special & Privileged Strategic Partnership between India and Russia in the years to come," he said. Reports from Moscow said Putin won a historic fifth term as Russian President in a landslide victory. There has been criticism of the election process by some Western countries. "If we talk about the illegitimacy of elections in our country, then we should probably talk about the illegitimacy of those 87 per cent of the votes of the population...that were cast for President Putin. This is absurd," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told a media ..

PM Modi's 400 plus claim 'hollow', INDIA bloc will win majority: Baghel

Terming Prime Minister Narendra Modi's '400 paar' claim as "hollow", senior Congress leader Bhupesh Baghel on Tuesday said the BJP's Ram temple pitch "would not make much of a difference" in the Lok Sabha polls and exuded confidence that the INDIA bloc will get a clear majority to form the next government. In an interview with PTI, the former Chhattisgarh chief minister also claimed that the Lok Sabha polls will be Narendra Modi versus the "whole of India". He expressed confidence that the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) will get a majority to form the government at the Centre, while the Congress would be victorious in more than half of the 11 Lok Sabha seats in Chhattisgarh. Asked about whether the INDIA bloc was still strong enough to take on the BJP despite JD(U) chief Nitish Kumar switching over to the NDA and TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee deciding to go solo, Baghel said, "Our natural alliance partners are with us, in fact our alliance has expanded with t

Oppn asks EC to act against PM Modi's Whatsapp message on 'Viksit Bharat'

Raising the issue of people receiving Prime Minister Narendra Modi's letter on WhatsApp seeking support in building a 'Viksit Bharat', opposition leaders on Monday called on the Election Commission to act against what they said was a "blatant violation" of the model code of conduct. Congress MP Shashi Tharoor tagged a post of a person raising the issue of privacy over the prime minister's letter being received by persons living abroad. "Will the @ECISVEEP take note of such a blatant misuse of government machinery and government data to serve the partisan political interests of the ruling party?" Tharoor said on X. Another Congress MP Manish Tewari also posted on X the WhatsApp message which had the letter attached, as received by him on his phone. "This unsolicited WhatsApp message came at 12.09 AM today . It seems to be from @GoI_MeitY (Ministry of Electronics & IT). Is this not a blatant violation of the both Model Code of Conduct & Right to Privacy," Tewari said. "Where ...

PM Modi launches scathing attack on Rahul for 'destroying Shakti' jibe

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday launched a scathing attack on Congress leader Rahul Gandhi over his "Shakti" remark, saying the opposition INDIA bloc was trying to destroy it. At a public rally in this district headquarters town, Modi said, Yesterday in Mumbai Shivaji Ground (park), INDI Alliance made an announcement that they want to destroy Shakti'. If they want to destroy Shakti', then worshipping Shakti' is our resolve. Gandhi had said at Shivaji park in Mumbai after the conclusion of his 'Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra': Our fight against Modi is not on a personal level. Modi is a mask' who works for a shakti' (power). He is a shallow man who doesn't have a 56-inch chest." In his nearly half-an-hour-long speech, Modi said when he heard the announcement to eliminate Shakti from Shivaji Park, he thought how it would have hurt Shiv Sena supremo late Bal Thackeray's soul. The Prime Minister noted that the announcement of eradicating Shakti was made at Shivaji Park where every child

PM Modi holds roadshow in Coimbatore; pays tributes to 1998 blast victims

Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a roadshow here on Monday, amid non-stop chants of 'Modi, Modi' by BJP workers and he paid floral tributes to the portraits of 58 people killed here in the 1998 serial bomb blast. The roadshow, amid tight police security, comes days after the Madras High Court green-flagged the event, directing the police to allow it with reasonable conditions. The police had initially refused permission citing reasons, including the "communally sensitive" nature of the area, and the ongoing public exams in schools. As Modi began his roadshow in an open, flower-decked vehicle, people who gathered on both sides of the road showered flower petals on him, chanted slogans hailing him. While traditional music was played to welcome him, several of them danced and waved at him enthusiastically. This is the first time such a road show, on a grand scale, has been organised by the BJP in Tamil Nadu, which witnessed a good turnout. "Meendum Modi, Vendum Modi," (Once again Mod

LS elections 2024: PM Modi to address rally at Jagtial in Telangana today

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address a rally in Jagtial, part of the Nizamabad Lok Sabha constituency in the state on Monday. The meeting is also expected to have an impact on the neighbouring Karimnagar LS constituency as well. Both Nizamabad and Karimnagar are held by BJP in the outgoing Lok Sabha. BJP had won four out of the 17 Lok Sabha seats in Telangana in 2019 general elections and is looking to improve its tally in 2024, where it will be going solo. Winning more seats from Telangana forms part of BJP's plan to make significant electoral inroads in the south. Modi has already held a roadshow in the Malkajgiri Lok Sabha seat in Hyderabad and addressed a public meeting at Nagarkurnool in the state last week. In the rally at Nagarkurnool on March 16, a day after the arrest of BRS leader K Kavitha in a money-laundering case, Modi alleged that the BRS has entered into a partnership with other "hardcore corrupt parties", while asserting that no corrupt person will be able to

PM Modi to address public meeting in Yediyurappa's home turf Shivamogga

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday will address a public meeting at Shivamogga, the home turf of former Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa. This will be his second such meeting in Karnataka since the announcement of Lok Sabha election dates. The first was on Saturday at Kalaburagi, the home turf of Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge. BJP is expecting a huge turnout at the Allama Prabhu ground (Freedom Park) for the meet in the home district of Yediyurappa, who is a member of the party's all important Parliamentary board. Yediyurappa's elder son B Y Raghavendra is the BJP candidate for the Shimoga Lok Sabha constituency, where former deputy chief minister K S Eshwarappa has announced he will contest as an independent candidate as he is upset over the denial of ticket to his son K E Kantesh to contest from Haveri LS constituency. Eshwarappa has even announced that he will skip Modi's public meeting. The disgruntled leader had earlier stated that the Prime Minister "resid

Biggest festival of democracy here, BJP-NDA fully prepared: PM Modi

Asserting that the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance is fully prepared for the general elections, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday slammed the opposition as "rudderless" and "issueless" and expressed confidence about retaining power. Soon after the Election Commission announced the seven-phase schedule for the Lok Sabha polls, Modi, in a series of posts on X, highlighted the "glorious turnaround" India has seen in the 10 years of his government and said the ruling alliance will go to people based on its track record of good governance and service delivery across sectors. "The biggest festival of democracy is here! EC has announced the 2024 Lok Sabha election dates. We, the BJP-NDA, are fully prepared for elections," he said with the hashtag 'Phir Ek Baar Modi Sarkar' ('once again Modi government'). Reiterating his confidence about winning the polls, the prime minister said the war against poverty and corruption will go on at an even faster pace in his third term and the .

Beauty of democracy lies in 'Janbhagidari': PM pens open letter to citizens

In his address, Prime Minister Narendra Modi referred to the citizens as "dear family members," emphasizing that their partnership is on the brink of reaching a decade

PM Modi, Bhutanese counterpart agree to expand energy partnership

Hydro-power cooperation has been an important pillar of India-Bhutan bilateral economic partnership

MeitY's fresh advisory on AI does away with govt approval for AI platforms

The Ministry has also asked platforms to ensure that the biases arising out of their AI models or platforms do not hamper the electoral process in India

PM Modi lays foundation stone of two corridors under Delhi Metro's Phase 4

The project's total cost is estimated at Rs 8,399 crore, which will be sourced from the Government of India, the Government of Delhi, and international funding agencies

Disadvantaged sections biggest beneficiaries of govt schemes: PM Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Wednesday that people from disadvantaged sections like SCs, STs and OBCs are the biggest beneficiaries of his government's welfare schemes as he accused the previous Congress dispensations of neglecting them and never appreciating their role in the country's progress. Speaking at the launch of the PM-SURAJ national portal, he cited the election of Ram Nath Kovind and Droupadi Murumu, who come from Dalit and tribal communities respectively, as president to assert that the BJP's efforts to ensure that those from deprived sections reach top positions will continue. The opposition made every effort to ensure their defeat, he said. Taking a swipe at the Opposition, Prime Minister Modi asked the gathering that consisted of people from disadvantaged groups, "How can anyone say I have no family when I have brothers and sisters like you?" He said his government's schemes for toilets and cooking gas have benefited deprived sections of society. "SCs, STs,

Pokhran witness to trinity of India's 'aatmanirbharta': PM at Bharat Shakti

As awestruck spectators watched the 'Bharat Shakti' exercise here in Rajasthan on Tuesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said Pokhran has become witness to the trinity of India's 'aatmanirbharta', belief and self-pride. The integrated tri-service firepower and manoeuvre exercise was held for about 50 minutes at the Pokhran field firing range where India showcased the prowess of its indigenous defence equipment. Roars of LCA Tejas and ALH Mk-IV filled the air while Main Battle Tank Arjun, and K-9 Vajra, Dhanush and Sharang artillery gun systems ruled the firing ranges on ground. Platforms like Pinaka satellite system and a swarm of drones left the audience spellbound. Prime Minister Modi in his address on the occasion said that "the roar of aircraft mid-air, and valour displayed on ground during Bharat Shakti exercise is the call of a 'new India' (naye Bharat ka aavhan hai)". He recalled that it was at Pokhran that the India's nuclear test was conducted in the past. "Pokhran has be

PM Modi talks with UK counterpart Sunak to review progress of FTA

Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to his British counterpart Rishi Sunak on Tuesday as they welcomed the progress made in the ongoing discussion between the two countries for an early conclusion of a free trade agreement (FTA). During their telephonic conversation, they reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening the bilateral comprehensive strategic partnership, a statement said. In a post on X, Modi said, "Had a good conversation with PM @RishiSunak. We reaffirmed our commitment to further strengthen the bilateral Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and work for early conclusion of a mutually beneficial Free Trade Agreement." The statement said the two leaders expressed satisfaction over the progress made under the "Roadmap 2030" in diverse areas including trade, investment, defence, security, emerging technologies and others. "They assessed positively the progress made towards early conclusion of a mutually beneficial Free Trade Agreement," it said. The two leaders also excha

PM-chaired panel's meet to appoint 2 ECs advanced to March 14: Report

The prime minister-chaired high-powered committee on selecting election commissioners will now meet on March 14 to finalise the names of two new ECs, top sources said. They said that the Law Ministry has sent an amended communication to all panel members for the meeting to be held now at 12 noon on March 14. The meeting was earlier slated at 6 PM on March 15. Two vacancies of election commissioners came about following the resignation of Arun Goel on Friday and Anup Chandra Pandey's retirement on February 14. The selection panel is chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and has a Union minister and the Leader of the Congress in the Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury as its members. The election commissioners will be appointed by the president. The sources said the appointment of two new election commissioners is likely to be made by the same day or the next. They said the notice for the meeting to select one EC was earier sent on Saturday afternoon while Goel's resignation was not

Prime Minister Modi inaugurates Dwarka Expressway's 19km Gurgaon section

After nearly 18 years of contractional and operational delays, the 19km-Gurgaon section of the 28.5 km expressway has been inaugurated and made open to the public

Home ministry notifies rules for implementation of citizenship law CAA

The rules for implementation of the contentious Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019 (CAA) are likely to be notified on Monday to facilitate the granting of citizenship to undocumented non-Muslim migrants from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan, according to sources. Once the CAA rules are issued, the Modi government will start granting Indian nationality to persecuted non-Muslim migrants from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan -- Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, Buddhists, Parsis and Christians -- who had come to India till December 31, 2014. The CAA was passed in December 2019 and subsequently got the president's assent but there were protests in several parts of the country against it. The law could not come into effect so far as rules have to be notified for its implementation.

PM lays foundation stones of road projects in Gujarat costing Rs 1,500 cr

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday virtually laid the foundation stones of three highway projects costing Rs 1,575 crore in Gujarat at an event held in Gurugram in Haryana. Among the three projects is the construction of a six-lane elevated corridor of 10.630 km from Narol Junction to Sarkhej Junction and an 8-lane bridge to replace the existing Shastri bridge on Sabarmati river on National Highway-47 in Ahmedabad at a cost of Rs 1,295 crore, a government release said. "National Highway-47 from Narol to Sarkhej passes through Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation limits. The elevated corridor will help solve traffic problems and blackspots created due to cross traffic that causes accidents," the release said. A second project of converting two-lane National Highway-58 to four-lane on a 23-kilometre stretch from Satlasana to Kheralu has been sanctioned, the release added. "This 23 km road is currently two-lane and connects to four-lane roads on both sides. The entire route will ...