My Opinion

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi ignited another controversy on Tuesday with a sharp jibe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi. While addressing a rally in Bhopal, Rahul Gandhi said, US President Donald Trump rang up Modi and told him, “Narendra, surrender” and the PM complied. Rahul Gandhi went on to say that BJP-RSS people have this habit of surrendering whenever they are pushed to a corner.
Already Pakistani media is using clips of Rahul and his party leaders to sell the narrative that opposition parties in India are themselves questioning the success of Operation Sindoor. Rahul Gandhi is occupying constitutional post, he should have been careful with the choice of words.
No harm in asking questions. Nothing wrong in demanding a special session of Parliament. But exactly what are the leaders of opposition looking for? Are they going to listen to the tales of valour of our armed forces, Or will they pose themselves as heroes by questioning Prime Minister Modi? They will be telling Parliament that Modi “surrendered” to Trump, his diplomacy failed and India stands isolated in the world. These leaders will praise the armed forces, but will insult the leader who gave the army a free hand to deal with the enemy.
The question is, whether this will help India in the long run? Will these questions boost the morale of our jawans and officers ?
As far as “surrendering” at the behest of Trump is concerned, our Chief of Defence Staff Gen Anil Chauhan, our army, our External Affairs Minister and our Prime Minister said the same thing that it was Pakistan army’s DGMO who initiated the move by requesting his Indian counterpart for cessation of hostilities.
Congress MP Shashi Tharoor explained the difference between mediation and facilitation. Salman Khursheed said that India didn’t permit and will never allow a third country to mediate. But Rahul Gandhi and his party leaders are unwilling to listen to Shashi Tharoor or Salman Khursheed. Both Tharoor and Khursheed have worked as External Affairs Ministers during Congress regime. They know the nitty-gritty of foreign policy, but their remarks do not suit Rahul Gandhi.

How Pakistan folded up in 8 hours instead of 48 hours

In his special lecture on “Future Wars and Warfare” organised by the Department of Defence and Strategic Studies of Savitribai Phule Pune University, Chief of Defence Staff Gen. Anil Chauhan revealed, “On the 10th of May, at about 1am, its (Pakistan’s) aim was to get India to its knees in 48 hours. Multiple attacks were launched and… They escalated this conflict…we actually hit only terror targets, but (Pakistan) also (got) into the military domain. From their perspective it would have been rational, in the sense, they would have said you used military means to hit these (terror) targets. But it was also rational on their part that operations, which they thought would continue for 48 hours, folded up in about 8 hours…Then they picked up the telephone and said they wanted to talk.”
Gen Chauhan said, “The decision to fold up operations in eight hours may have stemmed from two things. One, they must have assumed that if they continued, they were likely to lose much more. Hence, they picked up the telephone. And the second thing is that since they had stuck us at multiple fronts, they still did not have the benefit of understanding what they had stuck…So they must have thought that they must have struck and hence it’s time to talk. If they didn’t, they would lose more.”
On Tuesday, an analysis made by the Indian Air Force revealed that, six Pakistan Air Force fighter jets, two high value aircraft, over 10 UCAVs(unmanned combat aerial vehicle), one C-130 transport aircraft along with multiple cruise missiles were destroyed by Indian air-launched cruise missiles and surface-to-air missiles. One US made C-130 Hercules transport aircraft costs $165 million (Rs 1400 crore). The UCAVs were Pakistan’s counter drones that were destroyed. The world has already seen how Indian missiles destroyed 11 Pakistani air bases.
Gen Chauhan said, wars today are not only being fought on land, sea and air, but also in space, cyber and electromagnetic fields. He said, earlier battles used to be fought within a range of five to 10 km, now the sphere has extended far. Almost the whole of Pakistan has come within strike range of our weapons and we have displayed our capability of pinpoint strikes at locations 600 km away from our border.

Pakistan on tenterhooks about next Indian action

Pakistan People’s Party chairman Bilawal Bhutto, leading a delegation of MPs to the US, has circulated a dossier in which it has been alleged that Indian armed forces carried out strikes in all its provinces except Balochistan. Bilawal Bhutto said, while India has claimed to have hit only 20 locations, the reality is that 28 locations were attacked by IAF. The dossier says, Indian drone strikes took place in Attock, Bahawalnagar, Gujrat, Jhang (Punjab), Peshawar (Khyber Pakhtoonkhwa), Chhor and Hyderabad (Sindh).
Speaking to member states of OIC (Organization of Islamic Cooperation), Bilawal Bhutto said, despite a ceasefire, Pakistan is living in a less secure world because of conflict between two nuclear powers.
Bilawal Bhutto is saying what he has been told to speak by Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir. The ground reality is that Pakistan is still reeling from the severity of air strikes undertaken by India.
The latest satellite image of Bholari air base shows the air strip and hangar covered with tarpaulin and repair work going on. Pakistan is fearing another attack from India and it is for this reason that it has sent its parliamentary delegation to meet leaders of different countries. Bilawal Bhutto said, Pakistan is facing severe crisis after India suspended Indus Waters Treaty.
Pakistan Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has told a Pakistani news channel that he apprehends a more severe Indian attack on Pakistan in the coming days.
After going through the Pakistani dossier and the disclosures made by our CDS Gen Anil Chauhan, five points are clear:
One, Pakistani army suffered more losses than what was disclosed by Indian army during the conflict.
Two, entire Pakistan is now within the range of our weapons.
Three, Indian army is far ahead of Pakistan in new age warfare that involves drones, electronic data, sensors, hypersonic missiles.
Four, it was the Pakistan army’s Director General of Military Operations who phoned Indian army DGMO and requested for a halt to firing and military action, but India did not take the decision in a hurry. After much deliberations, Operation Sindoor was halted and there was no question of American pressure on India.
Five, Pakistan had to fight an information war after the four-day conflict and it used remarks made by some Indian political leaders to suit its own ends.

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Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s comments on Operation Sindoor are creating controversies in India, but they are grabbing eyeballs and headlines in Pakistani media.
On Monday, Rahul Gandhi stepped up his attack on External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar by tweeting: “EAM Jaishankar’s silence on ‘informing’ Pakistan isn’t just telling – it is damning. So I’ll ask again: How many Indian aircraft did we lose because Pakistan knew? This wasn’t a lapse. It was a crime. And the nation deserves to know”.
A day earlier, Rahul Gandhi had tweeted : “Informing Pakistan at the start of our attack was a crime. EAM has publicly admitted that the GOI did it. Who authorised it? How many aircraft did our air force lose as a result?”
The External Affairs Ministry, in a statement, said: “The EAM had stated that we had warned Pakistan at the start, which is the early phase after Op Sindoor’s commencement. This is being falsely represented as being before the commencement. This utter misrepresentation of facts is being called out.”
Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri also told Parliament Standing Committee how the minister’s remarks were wrongly interpreted. It was made clear that Pakistan was informed after the air strikes on terror hideouts were carried out.
The Director General of Army Air Defence Lt. Gen. Sumer Ivan D’Cunha has raised a valid point. He said, had Pakistan prior knowledge of attacks, would more than a hundred terrorists remained hiding in Lashkar and Jaish hideouts? All these terrorists were killed in air strikes.
I am surprised Rahul Gandhi is unaware of the basic norm that when non-military targets are attacked, the enemy is informed after the attack to convey the fact that no civilian or military installation was targeted.
When US Navy SEAL commandos killed Al Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden near Abbottabad cantonment, the US had duly informed Pakistan after the operation was over. After 2019 Balakot air strike, our DGMO had informed Pakistan about the attack.
I do not understand in which world is Rahul Gandhi living. Secondly, can anybody dream that the Foreign Minsiter of India would inform Pakistan in advance about the targets that our air force is going to attack? To wake them up and get ready?
Such scenes are scripted in films, where the hero informs the villain in advance to be prepared and face bullets on his chest. Somebody should ask Rahul Gandhi, if Pakistan knew about Indian air strikes, why did it leave more than a hundred terrorists to be slain in their hideouts in Bahawalpur, Muridke and other places? Were the terrorists lying there to be blown to bits? Why didn’t they flee?
I think Rahul Gandhi’s childish comments need not be taken seriously. He had done similar blunders after 2019 Balakot air strike and 2016 surgical strike. Rahul Gandhi’s party had to face losses in elections because of his comments.
People at large are watching. They are also watching how Narendra Modi’s government is sending all-party delegations to different world capitals, while Congress is also objecting to the choice of candidates in general, and Shashi Tharoor, in particular.

How did Pakistan create a web of spies ?

Eleven informers have so far been arrested from Haryana, Punjab and UP for providing info about army movement and military installations to Pakistan. The Pakistani High Commission had become a den of spies. Free visa, money and other inducements were being given to Indian nationals to spy on our army.
Mohammed Tareef, arrested from Nuh, Haryana, disclosed how a High Commission staff Asif in 2018 asked him to bring two SIM cards for getting a visa. Later, he was also offered money for procuring SIM cards. One Pakistani officer Jaffer offered him lakhs of rupees for sensitive info and pictures about Indian Air Force installations.
Informers arrested include a female vlogger Jyoti Malhotra from Hisar, Arman and Tareef from Nuh, Noman Ilahi from Panipat and Devinder Singh from Kaithal. UP ATS nabbed Shehzad from Rampur, while Punjab police arrested Ghazala and Yameen Mohammed from Malerkotla, and Sukhbir and Karanbir Singh from Gurdaspur.
There are now demands for packing off the Pakistan High Commission from India. The activity of Pakistani diplomats have been suspicious since long. Their movement must be put under surveillance as they have become a security threat. I hope, authorities will soon come out with details of espionage by Pakistani diplomats and their informers.

Exposed : Pakistan’s diabolical plot to attack Golden Temple

Pakistani army had hatched a diabolical plot to attack the Golden Temple in Amritsar during the recent conflict and put the blame on India. Pakistan fired drones and missiles targeting Golden Temple in retaliation to Operation Sindoor, but our air defence systems foiled this conspiracy.
Maj. Gen. Kartik C. Seshadri, GOC, 15 Infantry Division, said, on May 8, Pakistan army carried out a massive air assault with unmanned aerial weapons like drones and long-range missiles, but our alert Army air defence gunners shot down all drones and missiles targeted at the Golden Temple.
You may remember, during the conflict, Pakistan had alleged that India had fired missiles at Gurdwara Nankana Sahib, but it proved to be a lie. Pakistan wanted to incite Sikh community, but its conspiracy was foiled through timely action.
The head granthi of Golden Temple allowed anti-aircraft guns to be deployed inside the premises and all temple lights were switched off to evade aerial attacks.
When these attacks failed, Pakistan army spokesman Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry told a brazen lie at a 2.30 am press briefing that it was the Indian army that fired missiles at the Golden Temple. Lt Gen Chaudhry claimed, India fired six missiles, out which five fell inside Amritsar.
This is a clear proof of Pakistan’s deceit and deception. The main objective was to sow seeds of disharmony among Sikhs by blaming Indian army.
Pakistani army chief Gen Asim Muneer has been trying hard to create communal divide between Hindus, Muslims and Sikhs, because he believes in ‘two nation theory’. Hindu tourists were singled out for massacre in Pahalgam. This was the first step.
As a second step, pro-Khalistan separatist Gurpatwant Singh Pannu was asked to circulate four videos on social media. In one video, Pannu promised to give Rs 35 lakh each to the kin of Lashkar, Jaish terrorists killed in Indian air strikes. In another video, Pannu says, Sikhs would side with Pakistani army to fight India and create separate Khalistan. Pannu’s tricks failed to cut any ice among the Sikhs, both in India and abroad.
I would like to remind what Retd Air Commodore Ashminder Singh Bahal said recently. He said, on April 16, Gen Asim Muneer said “Hindus and Muslims are two separate nations, both distinct from each other”. On April 22, 26 Hindu tourists were singled out in Pahalgam and killed by terrorists because of their religion. This was followed by Pakistan firing missiles and drones at Golden Temple.
Bahal said, “Pakistan has probably forgotten that it was Maharaja Ranjit Singh’s army which repelled ‘lashkar’ invaders and pushed them up to the Khyber pass.” What Army Maj. Gen. Seshadri has disclosed exposes Pakistan’s conspiracy to create communal divide in India.
Such incidents clearly show that the generals calling the shots at Pakistan Army GHQ are muddle-headed. They have no idea of the innate strength and unity of India and its people. They plan conspiracies which are bound to be nipped in the bud.
You might have noticed, at a time when our armed forces were wreaking havoc on Pakistani air bases and destroying terror hideouts, Pakistani army and ISI were busy circulating baseless rumours on social media using its agents that include Gurpatwant Singh Pannu. Pakistan expected Hindu-Muslim and Hindu-Sikh divide to happen in India, but Gen. Muneer’s army was proved wrong.

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The successful completion of Maha Kumbh has brought the Sanatan Dharma to centre stage for the second time in two years. Last year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi consecrated the idol of Ram Lala at the grand temple in Ayodhya, where celebrities from all spheres were invited. Maha Kumbh marked the assertion of Sanatan faith by more than half a billion Hindus who came to Sangam on their own, as pilgrims. The Ram Lala Pran Pratistha event was ceremonial, but the Maha Kumbh was a grand event for all commoners. Celebrities and VIPs also came to Maha Kumbh, but they were practically lost among the multitudes of devotees. Crores of people came from all corners of India to the Maha Kumbh, which became a platform for expression of deep faith. The coming of more than half a billion Indians to a single event has caused reverberations across the globe. While CM Yogi Adityanath gave a pay hike and bonus to sanitation workers, the Railways have promised to reward those staff who worked untiringly. There was no difference between the rich and poor at Maha Kumbh. Small shopkeepers earned handsomely from devotees, while the rich donated with abandon. There are examples of a tea vendor earning Rs 5000 daily, while those offering ‘Chandan Teeka’ for Rs 10 each, earned upto Rs 65,000. Those selling tooth powder and ‘neem’ sticks, earned upto Rs 40,000, while a YouTuber earned Rs 3 lakh by selling lemon tea to devotees. Some collected huge amounts of coins thrown by devotees in river Ganga. Top corporate Coca Cola recycled plastic bottles and distributed 21,000 life jackets to sanitation workers and boatmen. Mankind Pharma hosted free medical camps, while Eveready gave away nearly 5,000 siren torches and batteries to the local police. Billionaire Gautam Adani provided free meals to nearly one lakh devotees daily. While top corporates and donors packed up soon after the Maha Kumbh was over, small and medium level shopkeepers had tears in their eyes when they started packing up. They were worried about their earnings in the coming months. Experts say, Yogi’s claim about the Maha Kumbh providing Rs 3 lakh crore turnover to the state economy will surely benefit thousands for whom this event was a big source of earnings. Maha Kumbh will surely give a boost to UP’s economy and Prayagraj will emerge as a top tourist destination. And now a look at political fallouts: Both Modi and Yogi will get credit for the successful hosting of Maha Kumbh, while the opposition will be worried. Akhilesh Yadav took a lot of time to gauge the feelings of millions of devotees who were coming to Prayagraj. He initially raised questions and when he found the crowds swelling, he went silently and took a holy dip himself. This was because he wanted to avoid anybody asking him later why he did not visit the Maha Kumbh. In Congress, there were two camps: Leaders like D.K.Shivakumar and Abhishek Manu Singhvi took their holy dip, but the Gandhi siblings were absent. I am surprised why Rahul Gandhi did not come to Maha Kumbh. Heavens would not have fallen if he had come and taken a holy dip in Ganga. If he thinks this was a personal matter, he must be prepared to face the political consequences for his absence. Arvind Kejriwal said on camera that he would go to Maha Kumbh after Delhi elections, but both he and his party lost the elections. This will give a handle to Yogi, who will be going to tell the people that leaders like Rahul Gandhi, Arvind Kejriwal and Tejashwi Yadav are all “Chunaavi Hindus” (Election time Hindus). These leaders will find it difficult to respond to such a jab.

Why is Mamata’s nephew publicly swearing loyalty to her ?

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had described Maha Kumbh as “Mrityu Kumbh” (Death Cauldron). On Thursday, Mamata Banerjee described BJP’s Hindutva as “fake” and said, BJP guys are actually “Gerua Comrades” (Saffron Leftists). When BJP made an issue about cancellation of holiday on Vishwakarma by Kolkata Municipal Corporation, Mamata Banerjee challenged BJP and asked how many holidays does the Centre give for Durga Puja, Kali Puja and Saraswati Puja? She then alleged that BJP was adding names of people from Haryana, Gujarat, Bihar and Punjab in Bengal electoral lists. Mamata warned that she would not allow such a “formula” to be applied in Bengal, as was done in Haryana, Delhi and Maharashtra. She also alleged that the Election Commission was packed with pro-BJP people, and unless the EC works impartially, it will continue to face allegations. Meanwhile Mamata’s nephew Abhishek Banerjee said he was not a “traitor” and he has no differences with his aunt. Abhishek said, he was a disciplined party worker and he would never dream of joining the BJP. “I will rather die but I will not leave Mamata Banerjee. Even if you slit my neck, I shall shout Mamata Zindabad.”, he said. Why did the nephew say such things? Actually, for the last few days, rumours were rife that Abhishek Banerjee is trying to form a separate lobby in Trinamool Congress to grab the leadership. Rumours were floated that Abhishek may join BJP because of his fear about his pending cases. But Abhishek has realized that one cannot challenge Mamata in Bengal and his own existence depends on the goodwill of his aunt. This was the reason why the nephew swore his loyalty publicly for his aunt.

A teacher is suspended for using cuss words against Bihar

Uploading videos on social media can cause problems to those who hurl abuses and insults. Deepali Shah, a female probationary teacher appointed at the Kendriya Vidyalaya in Jehanabad, Bihar, has been suspended. She posted two videos of herself on social media platforms where she used offensive language against Bihar and its people. A resident of Delhi, Deepali Shah crossed all limits of decency. In her videos, she described Bihar as “India’s worst region” and said she was willing to work in Bengal, Goa, Odisha, even Ladakh and in the South, except Bihar. In another video, she was heard saying “Bihar is not a place fit to live and the people here have no civic sense”. Samastipur MP Shambhavi Chaudhary has demanded that the Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan must terminate her services. What Deepali Shah said about Bihar and its people is totally unjustified. She submitted an apology in writing to the local police, but since she has posted both objectionable videos on social media, she must tender apology on social media too.

What is Trump offering for a Rs 44 crore Gold Card ?

US President Donald Trump has come up with a new idea. If you have Rs 44 crore, you can get yourself settled in the US. In the Gold Card Visa scheme, those “aliens” interested in doing business in the US should buy a Gold Card for $ 5 million (Rs 44 cr) and settle in the US. Trump has said that his government has set a target of selling one million Gold Cards. He said, America’s doors will be opened to nationals of all countries including Russia, China and India. Details of this scheme will be made public soon. Till now, the US government had been following a policy of giving long-term visa to foreigners who invest $ 1 million (Rs 8-9 cr). Other countries too have come up with similar offers. Turkey grants citizenship if one invests Rs 3.5 crore, and Greece offers citizenship for investment starting from Rs 2.25 crore. But Trump is a “pucca businessman”. He has upped the ante to $ 5 million. Those willing to invest Rs 45-50 crore in the US can dream of getting American citizenship.

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A day before BJP swept to power in Delhi after 27 years after getting an emphatic mandate in the assembly elections, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was in Mumbai, where he demanded that the Election Commission must have over to his party detailed list of voters of the 2024 Lok Sabha and assembly polls in Maharashtra.

Rahul Gandhi, along with NCP (Sharad) leader Supriya Sule and Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut addressed a joint press conference where he alleged that 39 lakh voters were added during the five-month period between the Lok Sabha and assembly polls in the state. Rahul Gandhi said, on the contrary, only 32 lakh voters were handed during the five years period from 2019 to 2024.

Rahul Gandhi claimed that the adult population in Maharashtra was 9.54 crore, as per government data, but the number of voters is 9.7 crore. “We want to know who are these new voters?”, Rahul Gandhi asked.

Sanjay Raut alleged that BJP has invented a new formula to win elections with the help of Election Commission. He said, the 39 lakh new voters in Maharashtra will now be added to the Bihar voter lists, since Bihar would be going to elections towards the end of this year.

“This is the floating voter, who move from one state to another, where elections are held. BJP wins elections with the help of these floating voters”, Raut said.

Supriya Sule demanded paper ballots to replace EVMs. She alleged that the EC never listens to opposition parties’ demand for repoll, nor listen to their demand for change in poll symbols. “The EC never replies to our complaints. If you want to save democracy, the EC must reply to all our queries”, she said.

The fact is, Rahul Gandhi never sticks to figures whenever he makes allegations. In the last three weeks, he had raised the allegation of malpractices in electoral lists at least thrice. Every time, he changes his figures.

On January 18, while addressing a rally in Patna, Rahul Gandhi said, the number of voters in Maharashtra rose by one crore in the last five months. On February 3, while speaking in Lok Sabha, he put this figure at 70 lakhs. On Friday, he said the figure was 39 lakhs. It is now difficult for anybody to decide which figure could be correct.

The Election Commission on Friday said, it would respond to Rahul Gandhi’s charges with full facts and figures. In a tweet on X, Election Commission said, it “would respond in writing with full factual and procedures matrix uniformly adopted across” India.

Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis said, since Congress is going to be decimated again in Delhi elections, Rahul Gandhi is trying to prepare a ground for giving excuses for his party’s impending defeat.

Fadnavis said, “it would be better if Rahul Gandhi introspects, otherwise the Congress party is bound to sink”.

Deputy CM Eknath Shinde said, the defeat in Maharashtra assembly polls has acted as an electric shock for Maha Vikas Aghadi and Rahul Gandhi is unable to reconcile with reality. “He is only making excuses. It will be better if Rahul Gandhi forgets the past and prepare for fresh elections”, Shinde said.

Maharashtra minister Nitesh Rane compared Rahul, Sanjay Raut and Supriya Sule with the “3 idiots”. He said, “earlier Congress and its allies used to get en bloc Muslim votes and the Hindu votes used to be divided. This time Hindus voted unitedly and MVA got a shock. If Rahul and Supriya Sule have problems with EVMs, they should first resign from Parliament and tell the people that they do not want to remain MP by becoming elected on the basis of EVMs.”

I think, Rahul Gandhi sometimes speaks whatever is given to him in writing. He does not do research on his own. I have seen the Election Commission figures. The Congress was in power in 2009. From 2009 to 2014, 75 lakh new voters were added in Maharashtra electoral lists. From 2014 to 2019 assembly elections, 63.1 lakh new voters were added. From 2019 to 2024, 71.84 lakh voters were added.

The pattern is the same. I have given here the figures. It is for the people to decide whether the charges of manipulation in electoral rolls can stand close scrutiny.

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In a no-holds-barred attack on AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal and Gandhi-Nehru dynasty, a day before Delhi elections, Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke about “jacuzzi in Sheesh Mahal” and “photo-ops with poor in huts”. He was alluding to Kejriwal and Rahul Gandhi respectively in his jibes.

Modi said, nowadays it has become a fashion to speak about caste census and some leaders are moving around with a copy of Constitution in their pockets, yet they are ignorant about its real spirit. Alluding to the presence of Sonia, Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi in Parliament, Modi posed a question, “How many scheduled castes, scheduled tribes and other backward classes have three members from the same family simultaneously serving as MPs?”

On Rahul Gandhi’s recent remarks that “we are fighting the RSS, BJP and the Indian state”, Modi, without naming him, replied: “ “These people who speak the language of urban Naxals, who declare war against the Indian State, can neither understand the Constitution nor about the country’s unity.”

On Sonia Gandhi’s “poor thing” remark about President Droupadi Murmu, Modi said, “After the President’s Address, she is a woman President, daughter from a poor family, if you cannot respect her, it is up to you. But why is she being insulted? What is the reason?”

In his speech, Modi first took up the issue of poverty since Rahul and other opposition leaders had alleged during the debate that his government was working in favour of industrialists. Modi replied in detail, how his government worked to bring 25 crore people above the poverty level, ensured they got food, provided 12 crore toilets, supplied piped drinking water, built more than 4 crore houses and provided electricity connections.

Without naming Rahul Gandhi, Modi said, those who do photo-sessions with the poor inside their huts will not feel the pain of being poor. He said, those who were giving the slogan “Garibi Hatao” for decades, will surely find the President’s speech about eradication of poverty as “boring”.

Modi then took up the issue of corruption and reminded the House how former PM Rajiv Gandhi used to say that out of one rupee sent from the Centre, only 15 paise reached the poor. “There is no more sleight of hand now, and Rs 12 lakh crore has been saved by plugging loopholes” by removing crores of fake names from ration cards.

Without naming Arvind Kejriwal, Modi said, “Some people who came to power have installed jacuzzi and imported showers and built Sheesh Mahal with people’s money.” He was referring to crores of rupees spent on rebuilding and renovating the Delhi Chief Minister’s residence.

Towards the end of his speech, Modi made a meaningful remark. He said, “our third term has only begun. We will continue to work for building a Viksit Bharat”.

To understand the nuances from Modi’s speech, one can divide it into three parts.

One, he targeted Rahul Gandhi and Kejriwal. By mentioning the SC, ST MPs, he targeted Sonia and Priyanka Gandhi and exposed Rahul Gandhi’s double standards. He also explained to people about those who find the President’s address as “boring” and those who “speak the language of urban Naxals”. By mentioning jacuzzi showers inside the Sheesh Mahal, he raised questions about Kejriwal’s “neeti and neeyat” (policy and intent).

Modi’s second focus was on poverty. Citing facts and figures, he explained how his government worked for the betterment of the life of poorer sections, saved money that was being siphoned off, and provided houses, toilets, piped water, cheap medicines and cheap education. He also explained how his government saved crores of rupees by saving electricity through promotion of LED bulbs. He explained how his government plugged all loopholes and ensured that every rupee sent from the Centre reached the poor through DBT (Direct Benefit Transfer).

Modi’s third focus was on the youth. He mentioned how the space, defence, semi-conductor, nuclear energy sectors have been opened up to create fresh job opportunities. How gaming and robot technology is being encouraged to create new opportunities. How Startup India has helped youths to stand on their own legs. Modi was, in effect, replying to all questions raised by Rahul Gandhi.

Modi’s final comment must have caused heartburn to Rahul Gandhi. He said, “our third term has only begun. You will have to wait.” Picture Abhi Baaki Hai.

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In his one-hour long speech in Lok Sabha on Monday, Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi levelled several allegations, like China “sitting over 4,000 sq km of our land”, and External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar visiting the US “to get an invitation for Prime Minister Modi” to attend Donald Trump’s inauguration event.

However, his most serious clear charge was related to the recently held Maharashtra assembly elections. Rahul Gandhi alleged that “between the Lok Sabha polls, which the INDIA bloc won, and the assembly elections, the number of nearly 70 lakh voters, equivalent to the population of Himachal Pradesh was added in the Maharashtra electoral rolls during the period of five months.

Rahul Gandhi alleged, “more voters were added in five months compared to the last five years in Maharashtra.”

He cited an example alleging that nearly 7,000 new voters were added in one building in Shirdi after the Lok Sabha polls. Rahul Gandhi said, “we have repeatedly requested the Election commission to give us the Lok Sabha voters’ list and that of the Vidhan Sabha. We are telling the Election Commission to ‘please give us names and addresses of voters of all booths from the Lok Sabha elections and the assembly elections’, so that we can calculate who these voters are.”

The Leader of Opposition alleged that the new voters were added mostly in those constituencies where the BJP candidates eventually won. He demanded that the Election Commission must give the data about Maharashtra elections to the Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT) and NCP(Sharad Pawar) parties, so that these parties can check exactly where new voters were added and where names of voters were deleted.

Rahul Gandhi said, “in order to safeguard our Constitution, the entire opposition is requesting data from the EC on Maharashtra electoral rolls”.

The Congress leader also raised the issue of selection of Election Commissioners. “Earlier, the selection committee consisted of the PM, the Leader of Opposition and the Chief Justice of India, but later the government removed the Chief Justice from the committee, and added the Home Minister. This raises a crucial question for the Prime Minister. Why was this change made?”

Rahul Gandhi went on: “In a few days, I will be attending the meeting of this selection committee where Mr Amit Shah and Mr Narendra Modi will be there, but it is like an uneven playing field, with a 2:1 ratio. What’s the point of my attending this meeting? Am I merely there to rubber-stamp what Modi ji and Amit Shah ji propose? .. The presence of the Chief Justice would have facilitated a more balanced discussion… To remove the CJI from the committee seems to be part of a deliberate strategy.”

The moot point is: Rahul Gandhi has questioned the results of Maharashtra elections by alleging that 70 lakh voters were added in the intervening period of five months between LS and assembly polls.

The Congress party had written a long letter to the Election Commission, and the poll body replied in 66 pages. The Election Commission countered the Congress’ charges regarding alleged addition of 50,000 electors between July and November 2024 in 50 Assembly constituencies (ACs), 47 of which were allegedly won by the Mahayuti coalition.

The Election Commission clarified that only six constituencies saw an increase of over 50,000 electors during this period. Therefore, the assumption that the results in 47 assembly constituencies were influenced by this factor is inaccurate, the EC said.

The EC also provided a detailed explanation of the transparent and regulated process of updating electoral rolls, which involves political parties at every stage. The Commission, in its reply to the Congress party, had said that preparation of electoral rolls was a meticulous, transparent, and participatory process. All political parties, including Congress, are involved at each stage of the updation process. Any additions or deletions of voters are carried out strictly in accordance with the rules, with full participation from political parties, the EC had said.

On the allegation that 70 lakh new voters were added, the Election Commission described the figure as inaccurate. The EC said, 41 lakh new voters were added, out of which 26 lakh new voters were those who had attained the minimum voting age. Among them, nine lakh voters were in the 18-19 years age group. They were young first time voters who had added their names in the electoral list.

The Election Commission analysed that out of nearly one lakh polling booths in Maharashtra, if 40 voters are added per polling booth on an average, then the figure of 41 lakh new voters cannot be described as surprising.

From time to time, Election Commission carries out revision of electoral rolls. In 2018, when the revision of electoral rolls took place, more than 28 lakh voters were added within two months in Maharashtra. Nobody raised any question at that time.

It is surprising that Rahul Gandhi had the point-wise rebuttal sent by the Election Commission in his hand, in which each query was answered, and yet he tried to make it an issue in his speech.

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Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has done it again. Two of his gaffes on Wednesday embarrassed the country’s oldest political party. His first gaffe: Rahul said, “Congress is not only fighting BJP, RSS, it is also fighting the Indian State”. His second gaffe: RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat “has the audacity” to say that India did not get real freedom in 1947. Congress leaders were quick to defend Rahul by explaining the true definite of ‘Indian State’. By that time, the arrow had left the bow and BJP grabbed the opportunity with both hands.

BJP chief J. P. Nadda said, it is now clear that Rahul Gandhi has openly admitted that he hates India and that he openly supports anarchy, like the ‘Urban Naxals’. Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said: “How can he say, his party is fighting the Indian State? Either it’s derailment of his mental coordinates or it is the George Soros toolkit. But how can any Indian say that he is against the Indian State? I think the several times re-launched leader, young at the age of 54, needs to do some serious introspection.”

BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad said, “I pity Rahul Gandhi. He neither understands India, nor the Constitution. His tutors seem to be Maoists and Rahul is speaking the language of Maoists”.

The occasion was the inauguration of the new national headquarters of Indian National Congress. The party has now shifted from a government bungalow to a newly built building complex. Congress leaders clapped when Rahul spoke, but later several of them realized the gaffe and they started defending Rahul.

I think the sole intent of Rahul Gandhi’s remarks was to target Narendra Modi. He is unable to accept the fact that Modi has become the Prime Minister for the third time. During the last ten years, Rahul tried all the means at his disposal to defeat Modi.

Firstly, he tried to go solo, undertook padyatra, and then assembled all anti-Modi parties on a single platform. He launched video wars, but could not succeed. Rahul also instigated farmers, supported the ‘tukde-tukde’ gang, levelled corruption charges in Rafale deal, but he could not stop Modi from winning.

In the second round, Rahul took help on foreign soil from those running anti-India campaign, and tried to corner Dalit votes by raising his voice in support of Ambedkar, reservation and Constitution. Yet, Modi won again.

The reason why Rahul could not succeed is: he is unable to understand Modi thoroughly. Rahul is on his one-track spree, and he refuses to watch the direction in which Modi is moving. Rahul Gandhi is now convinced that Modi wins elections because he has the Election Commission and judiciary under his control and that Modi strikes fear among politicians by misusing ED. Rahul believes that the media is under Modi’s control. But he is badly mistaken. No single person or party can control all these institutions, forget occupying them and winning elections.

If Modi won elections, it was because of his zeal and toil. Modi toils round the clock in politics. He has the capability to toil for his party. Modi’s government has worked superbly in the last ten years. I need not recount them here. Modi himself narrates them in most of his speeches.

On the other hand, Rahul Gandhi and his associates are so deeply entrenched in their opposition to Modi that they are unwilling to listen to anything else. To quote a proverb, they are hunting for a black cat inside a dark room. The fact is: the black cat is not there inside the room.

Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi is not in India now. He left for Vietnam by VietJet airlines flight no VJ896, according to reports. BJP and Congress leaders sparred over social media after news about Rahul’s holiday sojourn appeared. Even senior Congress leaders were not aware neither about his itinerary, nor about his present location.

BJP IT Cell head Amit Malviya tweeted: “At a time when there is national mourning over the demise of former PM Dr Manmohan Singh, Rahul Gandhi, who was pretending to be very distraught four days ago, has gone to Vietnam to celebrate the New Year.” Congress MP Manickam Tagore replied, “If Rahul Gandhi travels privately, why does it bother you? Get well in New Year…When will Sanghis stop this ‘take diversion’ politics?”

It is no secret that Rahul Gandhi often vanishes from public view. During New Year, he often goes to a foreign destination for rest and recreation. Nobody should have any objection to this. It is his personal right. He is free to go anywhere, any time for holidays, but his personal visits often become political issues.

There are two reasons behind this. One, he keeps his visits and destinations secret. This can be the norm for popular movie stars, but when political leaders keep their foreign visits secret, it gives ammunition to their political rivals. Two, Rahul Gandhi never bothers what is happening in the country when he goes abroad. Had former PM Dr Manmohan Singh not passed away last week, Rahul’s New Year celebration would not have become a big issue. Earlier, he gave a break to his Bharat Jodo Yatra for this reason. Rahul also left his campaign in the midst of assembly elections, when he went on a foreign visit.

Had any top BJP leader done this and gone on a secret foreign visit, Rahul Gandhi would have raised a big hue and cry. He would have gone to the extent of describing it as an insult to the Constitution. But now, he is the Leader of Opposition and it is a statutory position. It would have been better, had he disclosed his itinerary to the public.

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Maha Vikas Aghadi parties are not ready to accept the recent electoral mandate in Maharashtra. MVA leaders are now planning anti-EVM protests to demand replacing Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) with ballots. NCP founder Sharad Pawar and Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray met all defeated candidates on Wednesday and instructed them to file election petitions for matching EVM results with those of VVPATs. Plans are afoot to set up legal teams in the state and in Delhi.

Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge has already demanded that all EVMs should be replaced with ballots, with BJP leaders accusing that the Congress is now desperate and should rather replace Rahul Gandhi as its leader. Congress leaders argue that in June this year, MVA had won 30 out of 48 Lok Sabha seats in Maharashtra, but five months later, MVA won only 48 out of 288 assembly seats. How can this be possible, they ask.

Probably Congress leaders forgot that in June, 2019, BJP had won all 7 Lok Sabha seats in Delhi, but eight months later, BJP could win only eight out of a total 70 assembly seats in Delhi. If we go backwards, in 2014, BJP had won all seven Lok Sabha seats in Delhi by a huge margin, but a few months later, when assembly elections were held, Arvind Kejriwal’s Aam Aadmi Party registered a historic landslide win (67 out of 70 seats).

How voters can change their minds after such a short time gap can be illustrated from this year’s Lok Sabha results. BJP’s tally was 240 in this year’s Lok Sabha election. At that time, for the Congress, EVM was a boon. Nobody questioned about EVM battery, nor demanded matching with VVPAT results. Had BJP crossed the 300-mark, Congress would then have blamed its defeat on EVMs. Rahul Gandhi would, by now, have started his ‘Bring Ballots’ Padyatra.

Questions began to be raised after BJP’s victory in this year’s Haryana assembly election. Questions were raised about EVM batteries that were displaying 99 per cent charging. The Election Commission responded with a 1,500-page long reply. When questions were raised about VVPATs, EC replied that nearly 4 crore votes were matched with VVPAT results, and not a single result was found incorrect.

One interesting point to note is that, when the first complaints were raised about EVMs, Election Commission organized a Hackathon challenging anybody to come forward and hack an EVM. None came forward.

The issue was raised several times in the Supreme Court and every time, the apex court dismissed every petition. Anybody having any concrete proof or genuine grounds, can file petitions. Those who went to courts without any solid proof and put forth arguments based on surmises, had to return empty-handed.

To argue that EVMs worked correctly in Jharkhand and were fudged in Maharashtra is not a good thing for democracy. Seeding baseless doubts in the minds of people about the electoral process can create a situation as is being witnessed in neighbouring Pakistan.

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I am surprised why Congress leaders have not yet rejected the support extended to Rahul Gandhi’s remarks on Sikhs by pro-Khalistan activist Gurpatwant Singh Pannu, and why not a single reaction has emanated from the Congress party about Pannu. Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge is an experienced leader and he knows the history of his party.

After the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, despite deep-rooted anger among the Sikhs about Congress role, the party never allowed Khalistan supporters to take advantage of the situation. Congress never allowed those demanding separate Khalistan to rear their heads. Then why is Kharge trying to obfuscate? Pannu has described Rahul’s statement about ‘existential threat to Sikhs in India’ as ‘bold and pioneering’. Why is Kharge allowing Pannu to carry on with his agenda taking advantage of Rahul’s remarks? My question: Is the Congress President under compulsion to hide Rahul Gandhi’s mistake?

Similarly, Congress leaders have nothing to say about why Rahul Gandhi met Pakistan supporter US lawmaker Ilhan Omar. She has always spoken against India in public. This cannot be Congress party’s policy. Had any other Congress leader did the same and made certain remarks, it could have been a different matter altogether.

Congress is basically a nationalist organization. The party still considers Pakistan Occupied Kashmir as an integral part of India. Congress had even supported removal of Article 370. During Indira Gandhi’s and Rajiv Gandhi’s time, Congress never joined hands with those who worked on anti-India agenda. The party never supported those advocating the nefarious objectives of Pakistan.

Have the policies of Congress party undergone a change? Or has Rahul Gandhi brought some new commodity in his party’s shop? In Urdu there is a phrase loaded with meanings, “Yeh Hasrat, Yeh Nayi Ibaarat, Yeh Mulaaqaat” (Literal meaning: this desire, this new language, this rendezvous). The people of India will never like it.

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