Category: National

PTI

Congress’ Dalit face Charanjit Singh Channi was elected the leader of the Congress Legislature Party in Punjab on Sunday and will be the next chief minister, succeeding Amarinder Singh who resigned a day ago following a bitter power tussle in the party.

AICC general secretary Harish Rawat said in a tweet, It gives me immense pleasure to announce that Sh. #CharanjitSinghChanni has been unanimously elected as the Leader of the Congress Legislature Party of Punjab.”

Channi (58), a minister in the outgoing Amarinder Singh cabinet, comes from the Dalit community.

Channi’s selection assumes significance as the dissension-riven Congress faces the Assembly polls in less than five months.

The BJP had earlier announced that if voted to power in Punjab, it will make a Dalit the chief minister, while the SAD, which is fighting the coming polls in alliance with the BSP, had said that its Deputy Chief Minister would be from the Dalit community.

Channi met the Punjab Governor and staked claim to form government, sources said, adding that Rawat and the party’s central observers Ajay Maken and Harish Chaudhary accompanied him.

Amarinder Singh said he hopes that Channi is able to keep the border state of Punjab safe.

“My best wishes to Charanjit Singh Channi. I hope he’s able to keep the border state of Punjab safe and protect our people from the growing security threat from across the border,” he said.

Earlier, senior Congress leader Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa was said to be the frontrunner for the post.

However, after Channi’s name was announced, Randhawa said, “I welcome the decision of the party high command.”

Another senior leader, Brahm Mohindra, too welcomed the election of Channi, who is considered close to state Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu.

Early in the day, hectic talks were held to finalise the name of new leader of the CLP, a day after Amarinder Singh resigned as the chief minister amid a bitter power tussle with Sidhu.

Rawat, Maken and Harish Chaudhary who have been camping at a hotel here held discussions with the MLAs and took their feedback.

PTI

Daily new cases of coronavirus in India continued to remained below 30,000 with the country recording 27,176 fresh COVID-19 cases, while 284 new fatalities were recorded, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Wednesday.

With the fresh cases, India’s total tally of COVID-19 cases rose to 3,33,16,755, while the death toll has climbed to 4,43,497, according to the data updated at 8 am.

The active cases declined to 3,51,087 comprising 1.05 per cent of the total infections, while the national COVID-19 recovery rate was recorded at 97.62 per cent, the ministry said.

A reduction of 11,120 cases has been recorded in the active COVID-19 caseload in a span of 24 hours.

As many as 16,10,829 tests were conducted on Tuesday taking the total cumulative tests conducted so far for detection of COVID-19 in the country to 54,60,55,796.

The daily positivity rate was recorded at 1.69 per cent. It has been less than three per cent for last 16 days

The weekly positivity rate was recorded at two per cent. It has been below three per cent for the last 82 days, according to the ministry.

The number of people who have recuperated from the disease surged to 3,25,22,171, while the case fatality rate was recorded at 1.33 per cent.

The cumulative doses administered in the country so far under the nationwide vaccination drive has reached 75.89 crore according to the ministry.

India’s COVID-19 tally had crossed the 20-lakh mark on August 7, 2020, 30 lakh on August 23, 40 lakh on September 5 and 50 lakh on September 16. It went past 60 lakh on September 28, 70 lakh on October 11, crossed 80 lakh on October 29, 90 lakh on November 20 and surpassed the one-crore mark on December 19.

India crossed the grim milestone of two crore on May 4 and three crore on June 23.

The 284 new fatalities include 129 from Kerala and 52 from Maharashtra.

A total of 4,43,497 deaths have been reported so far in the country including 1,38,221 from Maharashtra, 37,529 From Karnataka, 35,217 from Tamil Nadu, 25,083 from Delhi, 22,884 from Uttar Pradesh, 22,779 from Kerala and 18,599 from West Bengal.

The ministry stressed that more than 70 per cent of the deaths occurred due to comorbidities.

“Our figures are being reconciled with the Indian Council of Medical Research,” the ministry said on its website, adding that state-wise distribution of figures is subject to further verification and reconciliation.

PTI

Engineers’ Day: PM Narendra Modi says human progress incomplete without their innovative zeal

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday greeted engineers on Engineers Day, saying no words are enough to thank them for their pivotal role in making our planet better and technologically advanced.

Engineers Day is observed on September 15 to mark the birth anniversary of M Visvesvaraya, a civil engineer and Diwan of Mysore known for his pioneering works.

Modi tweeted, “Greetings on #EngineersDay to all hardworking engineers. No words are enough to thank them for their pivotal role in making our planet better and technologically advanced. I pay homage to the remarkable Shri M. Visvesvaraya on his birth anniversary and recall his accomplishments.

PTI

New Delhi: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday attacked the BJP-led Centre, saying they sold everything in seven years that the Congress-led governments set up in 70 years.

Addressing the national executive of the Congress-affiliated National Students’ Union of India (NSUI), he said Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was dubbed a weak PM at the time of the Mumbai terror attacks but the media did not question Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the time of Pulwama attacks.

“The Congress has always been a building block for the country and all our hard work of 70 years has been sold by the BJP in mere seven years. When the Mumbai attacks had happened, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was called a weak PM by the media. The media did not raise questions at the time of Pulwama attacks,” he said.

He also praised NSUI members for working hard during the coronavirus period.

Congress general secretary and Rajya Sabha MP K C Venugopal also praised the NSUI members for their hard work.

“I myself have been a part of the NSUI family and used to sit at the same place where the members are today. We can change the government for good,” he added.

While addressing the executive, Rajya Sabha MP Deepender Singh Hooda said democracy in the country is in danger at present.

The BJP government is not listening to farmers and constantly trying to silence the voice of the opposition, he said.

Rajya Sabha MP Shaktisinh Gohil said even when the BJP had two MPs “we respected them as opposition” but today the BJP is working to suppress the opposition and is not giving a chance to speak in Parliament.

BJP national spokesperson Sambit Patra hits back at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for accusing it and the RSS of “trying to break the composite culture of Jammu and Kashmir”, alleging all vexing issues of the region are the “legacy of the Gandhi family”.

In a press conference, alleged the Congress, for its petty vote bank politics, sacrificed not only the Kashmiri Pandits but also the development of the region.

A day after paying obeisance to Mata Vaishno Devi in Katra, Gandhi accused the BJP and the RSS of “ruining” the love and brotherhood that existed among people of the Union Territory.

Reaching out to displaced Kashmiri Pandits, the former Congress chief said he and his family belong to this community and promised them all help.

Gandhi said he himself belongs to the Kashmiri Pandit community and feels their pain.

Training his guns at the Gandhi scion, the BJP spokesperson dubbed him “immature and irresponsible”.

He said, “Problems of Jammu and Kashmir are the legacy of the Gandhi family. It was Jawaharlal Nehru who was responsible for the problems of Kashmir.”

Astonishingly, Rahul Gandhi “very conveniently forgot that the woes of the Kashmiri Pandits were because of the politics of appeasement of the Congress and like-minded parties”, Patra said.

Hailing the Narendra Modi government and Union Home Minister Amit Shah for the abrogation of Artice 370, he said it ended all discriminations against women, Schedules Castes and “refugees” from Kashmir.

“Under the leadership of Prime Minister Modi, Kashmir is now moving in the direction of development and inclusiveness,” Patra said.

Meanwhile, J-K BJP chief Ravinder Raina in Jammu accused Rahul Gandhi of deliberately using his visit to the holy shrine for political purposes.

Raina in a statement said, “Rahul Gandhi and his family are not genuinely interested in Hindu religious activities but are frightened by good works of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.”

“The Congress has committed enough sins and now it is good that they want to seek mercy from the divine mother. But even now, the Congress blatantly displayed its flags on the Mata Vaishno Devi track which proves that the party is only indulging in false propaganda in the name of religion,” Raina said.

Raina further said Gandhi’s claim that he was not here to do politics is a white lie and the Congress has made a mockery of the sacred place.

With inputs from the Deccan Herald

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Kashmir Today staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Amid concerns over possible fallout of the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan in Jammu and Kashmir, US Congressman Michael Waltz has said the insurgent group’s links to Lashkar-e-Taiba could create serious militancy issues in the Union Territory.

Over the past several weeks, top diplomats and defense experts have raised concerns that the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan could impact the security situation in Jammu and Kashmir, owing to the insurgent group’s close ties to Pakistan’s ISI and regional militant outfits. Now, lending further credence to these apprehensions, US Congressman Michael Waltz has said a resurgent Taliban means an escalation of militancy-related violence in the Union Territory.

In an exclusive interview with India Today TV, Michael Waltz, a Republican representing Florida’s 6th Congressional District, said that with the Taliban in power in Afghanistan, “there will be Al Qaeda 3.0. The Taliban-Lashkar-e-Taiba links will create serious militancy issues in Kashmir.”

Waltz, a former Green Beret who served in Afghanistan, also made the oft-repeated claim that Pakistan was tacitly supporting the hardline Islamist group.

He also rued the strategic losses which the US had encountered with the pullout from Afghanistan. “Evacuating Bagram Airbase… US has lost a huge strategic space to China and Russia,” he added.

With inputs from India Today

SRINAGAR, SEP 10: ”The feeling of love, brotherhood, and composite culture exists among you all. I feel sad that the RSS and BJP are trying to break this culture,” Rahul Gandhi said in his address to Congress office-bearers and workers at a party function here on the second day of his two-day visit to Jammu.

He said that when I came to Jammu and Kashmir, I feel that I have come to my home. My family has an old connection with Jammu and Kashmir. Rahul said that I am happy to be here, but I am also sad. The reason for sadness is that here the spirit of brotherhood, RSS, and BJP are working to eradicate it.

Addressing Congress workers, Rahul Gandhi said that the economy, tourism, and business of Jammu and Kashmir have been hurt. Questioning the policies of the BJP, he said, “Due to demonetisation and GST in India, has the power of Maa Lakshmi Ji decreased or increased? Has the power of Durga Maa decreased or increased due to the three black laws made by the farmers?

“When an RSS person is installed in every institution, college, and school in India, does the power of Mother Saraswati decrease or increase? The answer is – it happens. Rahul Gandhi said that all these powers had increased during the tenure of Congress.

He said, “On the other hand, when Congress party implemented MNREGA when Congress party gave 9% GDP growth to India, has the power of Maa Lakshmi, Maa Durga and Maa Saraswati decreased or increased? The answer is has increased.

Those who call themselves Hindus, insult these powers. “What did you do, attacked the brotherhood, love that existed between you, weakened you, and then took away your statehood. When your statehood is gone, the power of Lakshmi, Saraswati, and Durga has increased or decreased.”

“You should ask these questions to BJP that why are you destroying the powers of Durga, Lakshmi, Saraswati.” Comparing the symbol of the hand in different religions with the symbol of the Congress party, he said that the hand does not mean blessing but “it means do not be afraid, do not be afraid to speak the truth and that is why the Congress party is left.” He said that “BJP is afraid of the truth, BJP is afraid.”

He will also visit New York for the 76th session of the annual United Nations General Assembly (UNGA). Though no official date for PM Modi’s visit has been announced, the first day of the high-level general debate is scheduled for September 21.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to visit the United States at the end of September, according to a report by Hindustan Times’ sister website Livehindustan. As per the report, PM Modi will visit Washington where he is likely to hold a bilateral meeting with President Joe Biden.
He will also visit New York for the 76th session of the annual United Nations General Assembly (UNGA). Though no official date for PM Modi’s visit has been announced, the first day of the high-level general debate is scheduled for September 21.
This will be PM Modi’s first official visit to the US and a first in-person meeting with Biden, since the latter took over the presidency in January this year.
According to a report by news agency ANI, the preparations for the visit are already underway. PM Modi last visited the US in 2019 during Donald Trump’s presidency. He had addressed a massive diaspora event in Houston, titled “Howdy Modi”.
The development comes in the backdrop of US withdrawal from Afghanistan and seizure of power by the Taliban.
The US and its Nato allies withdrew forces from Afghanistan last week, plunging the country into a major crisis. Thousands of people are now rushing to the borders to flee the Taliban rule, known for its brutal and radical justice system.
After the Taliban captured the capital city of Kabul on August 15, the US had supported India with the evacuations of its citizens. The US has also been extending help to India in the Covid-19 crisis by sending medical supplies.
India is a non-permanent member of the UN security council and its month-long presidency has just ended. During the upcoming UNGA session, Afghanistan is expected to be a key topic of discussion.
Meanwhile, the 2+2 dialogue between India and the United States would be held in November later this year, foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla announced earlier in the day. He is currently in Washington and has been holding discussions with several senior officials of the Biden administration including Secretary of State Anton Blinken and Deputy Secretary Wendy Sherman.
“We’re looking at the 2+2 which will happen in November. The exact dates are not yet worked out,” Shringla told a group of Indian reporters at the conclusion of his three-day visit.
The last meeting of the 2+2 dialogue was held in New Delhi and the next meeting is to be hosted by the US in Washington DC.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has also held a series of telephonic conversations with his counterpart Blinken.

SRINAGAR, AUG 30: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Monday said the government is closely monitoring the ongoing situation in Afghanistan and is taking steps to ensure that anti-India forces use developments there to promote cross-border terrorism in India. Don’t take advantage

Delivering a talk on national security as part of the late Balramji Das Tandon lecture series, the Defense Minister said that development in Afghanistan posed new security challenges. He said the government was committed to ensuring the safety of Indians in Afghanistan.

“The safety of Indians is a matter of concern for the government. We also do not want the anti-India forces to take advantage of the evolving Afghan situation for cross-border terrorism.

The Indian security establishment has expressed concern over the spread of terrorism from Afghanistan to Jammu and Kashmir via Pakistan after the takeover of the Taliban. Last week, Chief of Defense Staff General Bipin Rawat said that India is concerned about terrorist activities in Afghanistan spreading in the country after the takeover and had contingency plans in place to deal with the scenario.

On 25 August, Rawat, the country’s most senior military commander, said that India feared the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan, but its rapid pace was astonishing.

The Taliban captured Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan, on 15 August, rapidly capturing most of the country’s major cities.

In an assessment as recently as last month, the Indian side concluded that the Taliban would shift their operations from rural areas to capture urban centers and provincial capitals by the end of August, prompting the withdrawal of US forces. After completion of. . The Indian side also expected air support for Afghan security forces from the US if the Taliban entered urban areas. Assessments made by both the Indian and Afghan sides also suggested that fighting would continue for at least two to three months, until the onset of winter.

An Afghan woman MP has now claimed that she was deported from New Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport on August 20. Reports said that Rangina Kargar who represents the Faryab province in Afghanistan flew in India from Istanbul, however, she was not allowed to step out of immigration and was later sent back to Istanbul via Dubai on the same airline, reports said.

“They deported me, I was treated as a criminal. I was not given my passport in Dubai. It was given back to me only in Istanbul. I never expected this from Gandhiji’s India. We are always friends with India, we have strategic relations with India,” Rangina Kargar told the Indian Express.