PM Modi targets Rahul Gandhi: Did your Nana-Nani lay water pipes?

Dares Congress to make a non-Gandhi the party president for 5 years

PM Narendra Modi at a rally in Ambikapur on Friday.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday asked the Congress to give an account of what the four generations of the Nehru-Gandhi family did for the nation before asking for an account of his government’s four-and-half-year rule.

Targeting Congress chief Rahul Gandhi at a rally at Ambikapur in north Chhattisgarh, Modi said, “They are roaming around giving speeches here. What has (CM) Raman Singh done? He has not done this, not done that. I want to ask them. When did you realise that all this must happen? When you were sitting for four generations, why did you not do it? Did you lay a water pipeline somewhere? Did your Nana Nani Dada Dadi lay them? And Raman Singh uprooted them?… Why are you fooling the country? First you must give an account of why you did not do anything.”

The PM fired fresh ammo at the Congress over Shashi Tharoor’s ‘chaiwala’ remark. “They say that because… of Pandit Nehru, this tea seller (Modi) has become Prime Minister… If you think that because of your principles, because of your contribution to the Constitution, (and) because of Pandit Nehru, Modi has become Prime Minister… (then) just once for at least five years make a good Congressman from outside your family the Congress president. I will admit that Pandit Nehru left behind such a democratic culture that a dedicated Congressman has been able to become Congress president,” Modi said.

He said, “…that a tea seller could become PM, they (Congress) are not willing to give credit to people. It is a result of their undemocratic mindset that for that too they need to credit Nehru. If you have faith in democracy, then the credit for a tea seller becoming PM doesn’t go to Modi, it goes to the awareness of my 1.5 crore people, it goes to their patriotism.”

Targeting Ambikapur MLA and Congress Leader of Opposition T S Singhdeo, who is from the Surguja royal family, Modi said: “It will be good for India’s democracy if the country comes out of dynasty (politics). These (erstwhile) royal families that are sitting, it comes away from them…” Singhdeo is considered to be a frontrunner for the CM post if the Congress comes to power.

Sabarimala temple opens, women activists stopped at Kochi airport

Friday marked the beginning of the first annual pilgrim season, where lakhs of devotees from neighbouring states are expected to visit Sabarimala over two months.

Devotees enter the Sabarimala temple as it opens amid tight security

BJP’s Bellary Reddy now on ED radar for alleged money laundering

The case pertains to an alleged ponzi scheme floated by a company called Ambidant Marketing Pvt Ltd which, police said, received funds in the name of “halal investment” and offered investors returns to the extent of 144 per cent per annum.

G Janardhana Reddy and his former personal assistant Mehfuz Ali Khan accepted Rs 20 crore from the firm which duped hundreds of investors to the tune of Rs 600 crore.

Ayushman Bharat: FIR against owners of 89 websites spreading false information

The agency had reported the matter to Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, requesting them to shut these websites down.

Ayushman Mitras are deployed at every empanelled hospital to provide assistance about the scheme.

The National Health Agency (NHA), the apex body implementing the Ayushman Bharat Health Protection Scheme (AB-NHPM) has identified 89 fake websites and mobile applications providing false information about the scheme and lodged an FIR against owners/developers of these websites and applications.

According to officials, these websites and applications have been circulating false information about the scheme like hiring of Ayushman Mitras, wrongly enrolling patients for other schemes and providing a list of beneficiaries. Ayushman Mitras are deployed at every empanelled hospital to provide assistance about the scheme.

“There is no hiring agency for Ayushman Mitras. We have made the arrangements from our existing staff,” Dr V K Tiwari, medical superintendent, Ram Manohar Lohia (RML) hospital.

“These websites have been giving false information to the patients about the health scheme. Many of them claimed to get a beneficiary card for the patients through which one can avail the treatment under the scheme. There are no charges for registering under the scheme. Our team has been constantly monitoring these websites and an FIR has been registered against owners/developers of these websites and applications to block these websites,” said Indu Bhushan, CEO, NHA.

The agency had reported the matter to Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, requesting them to shut these websites down. The website for the scheme is https://www.abnhpm.gov.in/ and people can call official helpline number 1455 for other information

BJP MLA Sirsa slaps 1984 riots convict at Delhi court, claims he was provoked

In a video of the incident, Sirsa is seen slapping one of the accused and hurling abuses. Supporters of the convicts hurl abuses as well.

Sirsa (centre) filed a complaint of hooliganism, but police said nothing of the sort took place

JP MLA Manjinder Singh Sirsa slapped one of the two men convicted in a 1984 anti-Sikh riots case, at the Patiala House court on Thursday, alleging he was provoked. The incident took place right after the two men stepped out of Additional Sessions Judge (ASJ) Ajay Pandey’s court and were being taken to Tihar Jail by the 3rd Batallion of Delhi Armed Police.

In a video of the incident, Sirsa is seen slapping one of the accused and hurling abuses. Supporters of the convicts hurl abuses as well

Talking to The Indian Express after the incident, Sirsa said: “He (accused) first provoked me saying ‘bhool gaye ’84, yaad dilaun kya (have you forgotten 1984… should I make you remember)’…Then I couldn’t control myself.”

Convicting accused Naresh and Yashpal on November 14, ASJ Pandey had said they were part of an unlawful assembly that murdered Hardev Singh and Avtar Singh in 1984 in Mahipalpur. The court heard arguments on sentencing on Thursday and reserved its order for November 20.

Condemning the incident, Advocate H S Phoolka, who argued in the case, said: “…Such incidents are likely to adversely affect the case of the victim. Everyone should control their emotions and maintain peace within the court premises.”

DCP (New Delhi) Madhur Verma said: “Sirsa and others were raising slogans; police intervened after the incident.” He added that Sirsa has filed a complaint of hooliganism by the other party. “But nothing of that sort happened,” Verma added.

During arguments, the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the case sought death penalty for the convicts, stating that the murder was part of the “genocide” against members of a particular community, which fell under the “rarest of rare” category.

Surinder Mohit Singh, public prosecutor for SIT, submitted that it was a “brutal” and “planned” murder as the accused were carrying kerosene and sticks.

Phoolka also cited a Supreme Court case — Kishori vs State AIR 1999 SC 32 — wherein the apex court “converted the death sentence into life imprisonment”, stating that no witness said Kishori was leading the mob or played an active role.

“In the present case, it is a clear finding of this court that the accused were leading the mob and also playing an active role. Hence, the accused should be awarded the death sentence,” said Phoolka.

Opposing this, the defence counsel sought life imprisonment and said that the attack was not deliberate or planned, but a sudden flare up. “The Prime Minister of the country was shot dead by her own bodyguards belonging to a particular community… The present case was a sudden flare up. There was no pre-planning,” the defence said.

Of the 650 cases registered in connection with the riots in Delhi, 267 were closed as untraced by the Delhi Police. Of these cases, five were later taken up by CBI. The SIT found 60 cases appropriate for further probe and has filed “untraced reports” in 52 cases in the last one-and-a-half years.

J&K: Youth abducted, shot dead by militants in Pulwama

A statement issued by Jammu and Kashmir police said, "Terrorists in the intervened night forcibly abducted a civilian and later killed him in a brutal act of terror at Pulwama."

Police said his bullet-riddled body was retrieved by police from Kilora in Pulwama.

BJP, SAD don’t interfere in each other’s affairs, says Punjab unit chief Shwait Malik

Malik was in Ludhiana to meet party workers. He said, “As of now, we will be contesting on three seats of Gurdaspur, Amritsar and Hoshiarpur as per the old arrangement.”

Shwait Malik said, “The SIT should nab the real culprits in these cases rather than politicising this sensitive issue”

Punjab: Panchayat elections postponed at least till January

Several party MLAs feel that the government should amend the Act and extend the term of the panchayats and the elections should only be held after LS elections.

PM Modi to inaugurate Multi-Modal Terminal in Varanasi next week

The Rs 5,369-crore project is the first of the three Multi-Modal Terminals and two Inter-Modal Terminals, which are being constructed on the river as part of the central government's Jal Marg Vikas project.

The Rs 5,369-crore project aims to promote inland waterways for cheaper and environment-friendly transportation of cargos

One killed in multiple stabbing incident in Melbourne

One person was arrested and is in a critical condition after he was a shot by police as he lunged at officers with a knife at the busiest Bourke Street mall in Melbourne.

Police have also urged the public to avoid the Street after witnesses describe a car bursting into flames.

BSNL telephone exchange scam case: Madras HC rejects Maran brothers’ plea to quash CBI charges

Marans brothers were charged with causing a loss of Rs 1.78 crore to the exchequer by using 700 telecom lines allegedly installed at Maran’s residences in Chennai city, one at the Boat Club and the other at Gopalapuram.

Dayanidhi Maran (L) and his brother Kalanithi Maran

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England vs Sri Lanka: England win rain-marred fourth ODI to bag series

England beat Sri Lanka by 18 runs via the D/L method in the rain-marred fourth ODI on Saturday to take an unassailable 3-0 lead in the five-match series

England’s Joe Root (R) plays a shot next to Sri Lanka’s wicketkeeper Niroshan Dickwella