Saturday, January 17, 2026

Rahul Gandhi in US : Fight in India is whether a Sikh will be allowed to wear turban, go to Gurdwara

By
Tehelka WebDesk
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New Delhi- A highly controversial statement, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has said that the fight in India was not about politics but about religious freedom and regional identities.

While interacting with the members of the Indian community in Virginia, Rahul Gandhi asked a person his name and said that the fight was about whether he, as a Sikh, was going to be allowed to wear a turban in India and be able to visit a Gurdwara or a Tamilian allowed to speak in his language.

He said that the fight is not about politics.

“First of all, you have to understand what the fight is about. The fight is not about politics. It is superficial. What is your name? … brother …with the turban… Balinder Singh …The fight is about whether … he as a Sikh is going to be allowed to wear his turban in India… or he as a Sikh is going to be allowed to wear a kada in India… or he as a Sikh is going to be able to go to Gurdwara. That’s what the fight is about and not just for him, for all religions.”

“Fight is also about …I can see here in the crowd, people from Tamil Nadu, Punjab, Haryana, Telangana, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, and Kerala. When I say Kerala, …I have been a Member of Parliament for Kerala.. when I say Kerala…, Kerala is a simple word, and Punjab is a simple word, but these are not simple words. This is your history, your language, your tradition. Your entire imagination is in these words, ” the Congress leader said.

Rahul Gandhi attacked the RSS saying it does not believe in diversity.

“…And what the RSS is basically saying is that certain states are inferior to other states, certain languages are inferior to other languages, certain religions are inferior to religions, and certain communities are inferior to other communities… that is what the fight is all about .. we are of the opinion that whether you are from Punjab, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh.. all of you have your history, tradition, language.. and every one of them is important. What would you do if someone told you that you could not speak Tamil.. how would you feel…how would you react … that is the ideology of the RSS is … that Tamil, Marathi, Bengali, and Manipuri … are inferior languages… That is what the fight is about…, ” he said.

Gandhi further said, “Are we going to have an India where people are allowed to believe what they want to believe …people are allowed to respect what they want, say what they want to say, listen to what they want to listen …or we have India where only a few can decide… problem is they don’t understand what India is ..what India’s history is …”

PEDA invites applications for 20000 agriculture solar pumps

By
Tehelka WebDesk
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Chandigarh : In a move to harness solar power for greening the agriculture sector in Punjab, the Punjab Energy Development Agency (PEDA) has invited applications for 20, 000 solar pumps (Surface & Submersible) dedicated to agricultural use.

Disclosing this at a press conference in Sangrur, on Saturday, Punjab New and Renewable Energy Sources Minister Mr. Aman Arora said that farmers interested in installing solar pumps can now apply online at www.pmkusum.peda.gov.in from September 9th to September 30th, 2024. Farmers have the option to apply for solar pumps with capacities of 3, 5, 7.5, and 10 HP. A subsidy of 60% for General category farmers and 80% for Scheduled Caste (SC) farmers is available for the solar pump installations. Additionally, the state government has set aside 2000 solar pumps for SC farmers and 3000 for Gram Panchayats, he added.

In areas classified as dark zones (over-exploited ground-water blocks), these pumps will be allocated to farmers who already have micro (drip/sprinkler) irrigation systems installed on their bore-wells. Additionally, farmers and Panchayats utilising diesel pumps to extract water from village ponds, farm ponds, or canal water diggies are also eligible under the scheme, informed Mr. Aman Arora.

The cabinet minister categorically said that the farmers who have PSPCL electric motor connections or have installed solar pumps for irrigation in their names or in the name of their family members are not eligible to apply under this scheme.

Strike by over 2,500 doctors hit OPD services across Punjab

By
Tehelka WebDesk
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Chandigarh:  Medical services in state-run hospitals in AAP-ruled Punjab, largely in rural areas, were severely affected on Monday, following a strike by over 2, 500 doctors over demands, including reinstatement of the assured career progression scheme and safety measures.

However, emergency and intensive care units (ICUs) were exempted from the strike.

The indefinite strike call initially to keep outpatient departments (OPDs) shut for three hours from 8 a.m. till September 11 was given by the Punjab Civil Medical Services Association after the failure of the talks with the government.

The government has appealed to the doctors to defer the strike and sought some more time.

Dr Akhil Sarin, president of the PCMSA, has warned that if the government fails to address their demands, there will be a complete suspension of health services from September 12.

“Initially, we had planned to fully suspend the OPD services from September 9 but decided to limit it after the government’s request to moderate the strike until our meeting with the cabinet sub-committee, led by Finance Minister Harpal Cheema, on September 11, ” he said.

Last week the talks between the PCMSA and the government remained inconclusive over demands, including the issuance of notification on the reinstatement of the assured career progression scheme and provisions of security for healthcare workers.

Even meetings of the PCMSA with Health Minister Balbir Singh last week remained inconclusive.

According to the PCMSA, the reinstatement of the assured career progression scheme is non-negotiable as it is aimed at restoring the regular salary of the medical officers who had been part since the inception of the cadre.

The PCMSA says the current number of doctors in the state stands at 2, 800 against the sanctioned strength of 4, 600.

Security concerns are also a major issue, with the association noting that hundreds of primary health centres and community health centres are operating without a single security guard.

Maha BJP leaders meet Amit Shah, make case for contesting 160 Assembly seats

By
Tehelka WebDesk
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Mumbai:  Maharashtra BJP leaders have made a strong case for contesting about 160 seats in the upcoming state Assembly elections saying that the party should leave seats to allies Shiv Sena and NCP only after considering their respective strengths and winnability during seat-sharing arrangement.

Senior party leaders headed by Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis held a meeting late Sunday night with the Union Home Minister Amit Shah.

The leaders reiterated that the BJP should remain a big brother in MahaYuti (grand alliance) and three parties together after learning from the mistakes of the Lok Sabha elections should contest the ensuing Assembly election unitedly to defeat the Maha Vikas Aghadi.

The meeting was attended by state BJP chief Chandrashekhar Bawankule, Mumbai unit chief Ashish Shelar, former Union Minister Raosaheb Danve, state Higher and Technical Education Minister Chandrakant Patil, state Rural Development Minister Girish Mahajan, state Public Works Minister Ravindra Chavan, and party legislator Pankaja Munde.

The meeting took place when BJP had already launched a poll management plan for reaching up to 99, 000 booths across Maharashtra and contesting the election on the development plank. However, Amit Shah’s move to hold interaction with state party leaders deserves significance, especially, when the MahaYuti government is under attack from the Maha Vikas Aghadi over the collapse of the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj’s statue despite an apology from Prime Minister Narendra Modi and also over the spate of sexual abuse cases, including the Badlapur case where in two four-year-old girls from a reputed school were sexually assaulted.

According to BJP sources, Fadnavis and Bawankule briefed Home Minister Shah about the party’s informal talks with Shiv Sena and NCP but reiterated that the party should be careful while considering the allocation of seats about 70 plus each.

“BJP, which had won 105 seats in the 2019 election, should press for 160 seats leaving 60 each to Shiv Sena and NCP and eight to other smaller parties. Even though the MahaYuti will contest the upcoming Assembly polls under the leadership of Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, the party should strive to win maximum seats, ” sources said.

Sources said HM Shah has reportedly advised avoiding a war of words among the MahaYuti partners, giving ready-made ammunition to the Maha Vikas Aghadi.

The Union Home Minister reviewed the party’s poll preparations and directed the party leaders to avoid mistakes in fighting the election. He also took stock of the situation regarding the implementation of a slew of welfare and development schemes, including Mukhyamantri Majhi Ladki Bahin Yojana and how the MahaYuti will get the benefits of winning more seats.

A party leader, who was privy to the discussions, said that the chorus has been growing within the BJP for the CM’s post and for that, the party is eyeing 160 seats with victory over the maximum seats.

Another leader said that the BJP should contest the Assembly election with ‘Mission 125’ so that it will emerge as the single largest party in the 288-member state Assembly and a natural claimant for the CM’s post in the MahaYuti.

Meanwhile, Home Minister Shah will visit the residences of Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Dy CM Devendra Fadnavis for the Ganpati ‘darshan’ and later visit the famous Lalbagcha Raja and also Bandra before leaving for Delhi at 1.20 p.m.

Two terrorists killed in anti-infiltration operation in J&K’s Nowshera

By
Tehelka WebDesk
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The Indian Army has killed two terrorists and recovered a large cache of warlike stores  including two AK-47 rifles and a pistol in the Nowshera region of Jammu and Kashmir. 

In an ongoing anti-infiltration operation named “Operation Kanchi,” launched by the Indian Army on the night of September 8-9, was based on intelligence inputs from the Jammu and Kashmir Police and other agencies. 

The White Knight Corps confirmed that the operation is being conducted in the general area of the Lam region in Nowshera.

Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi arrives, to meet PM Modi

By
Tehelka WebDesk
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New Delhi:  The Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, arrived in New Delhi on his first official visit to India at the invitation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Sunday.

Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal received the visiting dignitary at the airport and accorded a ceremonial welcome.

This is Zayed Al Nahyan’s first visit to India as the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and he is accompanied by several Ministers from the UAE government and a business delegation.

The Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi is scheduled to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi on September 9 and hold discussions on a wide range of areas of bilateral cooperation.

He is also scheduled to call on President Droupadi Murmu and will visit Rajghat to pay tribute to Mahatma Gandhi.

On September 10, the visiting Crown Prince will visit Mumbai to participate in a business forum, in which business leaders from both countries will participate.

“India and UAE share historically close and friendly ties. In recent years, the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between India and UAE has deepened in a wide range of areas including political, trade, investment, connectivity, energy, technology, education, and culture. The Crown Prince’s visit will further reinforce strong India-UAE bilateral relations and open avenues for partnership in new and emerging areas, ” the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) stated, earlier this week.

In January, UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan visited India and explored ways to further build upon the strategic partnership between the two countries during his discussions with PM Modi. He also attended the 10th edition of the Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit.

In July 2023, PM Modi visited the UAE – his fifth visit to the country since 2015 when he became the first Prime Minister of India to visit the UAE in 34 years.

The India-UAE relationship was formally elevated to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership during the visit of Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan to India in 2017.

According to the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), India-UAE trade rose to USD 85 billion in 2022, making the UAE India’s third-largest trading partner for the year 2022-23 and India’s second-largest export destination. India is the UAE’s second largest trading partner.

Congress appoints vice-presidents, general secretaries of APCC

By
Tehelka WebDesk
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Amaravati: All India Congress Committee (AICC) has appointed office-bearers of the Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC).

AICC President Mallikarjun Kharge approved the appointment of vice presidents, general secretaries, presidents of the district/city Congress committees and heads of various cells of the APCC.

The party named 13 vice-presidents, 37 general secretaries, 25 DCC presidents, and 10 City Congress committee presidents.

The vice presidents are Kota Sathyanarayana, Valiboyina Gurunadham, Sripathi Prakasam, K. Venugopal Reddy, M. Surya Nayak, Udatha Venakata Rao Yadav, K. Vinaya Kumar, M. Venkata Siva Prasad, K. Shivaji, S. Martin Luther, K. Srinivasu, Vegi Venkatesh and D. Rambhupal Reddy.

The appointment of the APCC office-bearer came nearly eight months after Y. S. Sharmila Reddy was appointed the APCC president.

Sharmila led the party in the simultaneous elections to the state Assembly and Lok Sabha held in May. However, in the third consecutive election, the Congress party drew a blank in both the Assembly and Lok Sabha.

Mallikarjun Kharge on January 16 had appointed Sharmila as APCC president, a few days after she merged the YSR Telangana Party (YSRTP) with the Congress party.

Sharmila is the sister of former Andhra Pradesh chief minister and YSR Congress Party president Y. S. Jagan Mohan Reddy and daughter of former chief minister late Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy, who was popular as YSR.

While joining Congress, Sharmila had recalled that her father YSR not only served the Congress party his entire life but also gave his life serving the Congress party.

Sharmila, who had actively campaigned for YSR Congress Party in the 2019 elections, felt sidelined by Jagan after the party came to power with a landslide victory.

In 2021, she entered politics in Telangana and floated the YSRTP.

However, she did not contest the recent Assembly elections in Telangana. She claimed that since Congress stood a chance of winning in Telangana, she graciously withheld YSRTP from contesting Assembly elections as she did not want to divide anti-KCR votes.

The Congress party was virtually wiped out in 2014 as the party failed to win a single Assembly or Lok Sabha seat due to public anger over the bifurcation of the united Andhra Pradesh. The party lost several senior leaders who joined either YSRCP or TDP.

The party failed to open its account in 2019 as well. There were hopes that Sharmila’s appointment as state party chief would change the party’s fortunes in 2024. However, it once again failed to open its account.

SC grants bail to ex-Bhushan Steel  MD Neeraj Singal in money laundering case

By
Tehelka WebDesk
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New Delhi:  The Supreme Court on Friday ordered the release of Bhushan Steel Ltd’s former Managing Director Neeraj Singal on bail, who was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with a money laundering case linked to an alleged bank fraud of Rs 46, 000 crore.

A bench presided over by Justice Sanjiv Khanna was hearing a special leave petition filed by Singal against the decision of the Delhi High Court dismissing his bail plea and upholding the validity of his arrest by the federal anti-money laundering agency.

Taking into consideration the fact that conclusion of the trial is unlikely in the near future and Singhal has suffered a long incarceration pre-trial, the Bench, also comprising Sanjay Kumar, directed Signal to be released on bail on such terms and conditions as may be set by the trial court.

The apex court added that the former MD of Bhushan Steel will have to surrender his passport and will not leave India without the permission of the court.

In January this year, the Delhi HC dismissed Singal’s plea challenging his arrest on June 9, 2023, stating that at that time, oral communication of the grounds of arrest was considered proper compliance with Section 19(1) of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

A bench of Justice Vikas Mahajan of the High Court took into account the Supreme Court’s ruling in Pankaj Bansal vs. Union of India, delivered on October 3, 2023, which mandated providing written grounds for arrest, but only with prospective effect.

It said that at the time of Singal’s arrest, the law, as per the Moin Akhtar Qureshi case, did not require written grounds, adding that Singal’s arrest predated the Pankaj Bansal ruling and was thus in compliance with the existing legal provisions.

The subsequent Supreme Court ruling in Ram Kishor Arora vs. Union of India clarified that non-furnishing of written grounds until the Pankaj Bansal judgement would not be deemed illegal.

The ED initiated the investigation based on a prosecution complaint filed by the Serious Fraud Investigation Office (SFIO) against Bhushan Steel Limited, invoking scheduled offences under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) 2002.

The investigation revealed that Bhushan Steel and its Managing Director, Neeraj Singal, formed shell companies to rotate funds, causing wrongful loss to the State Bank of India and Punjab National Bank.

The ED alleged that the promoters, directors, and officials of Bhushan Steel engaged in fraudulent activities, including forging documents and making false representations to banks.

Funds were misappropriated through fabricated Letters of Credit in favour of JSW Steel Limited and Hindustan Zinc Limited.

PM Modi to launch ‘Jal Sanchay Jan Bhagidari’ initiative in Surat

By
Tehelka WebDesk
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New Delhi:  Prime Minister Narendra Modi will launch the ‘Jal Sanchay Jan Bhagidari’ initiative at Surat in Gujarat on Friday through video conferencing.

In a post on X (in Hindi), PM Modi said, “Our government is committed to giving new strength to water security through water conservation. In this direction, today at around 12.30 p.m., there will be an opportunity to participate in the inauguration programme of ‘Jal Sanchay Jan Bhagidari Initiative’ in Surat, Gujarat through video conferencing.”

PM Modi will address the programme marking the launch of the initiative.

The initiative aligns with the ongoing Jal Shakti Abhiyan — Catch the Rain campaign — reinforcing PM Modi’s vision of collaborative water management to ensure long-term water security.

The initiative seeks to mobilise citizens, local bodies, industries, and stakeholders in Gujarat to implement rainwater harvesting structures.

Under this programme, approximately 24, 800 rainwater harvesting structures across the state are being constructed with community partnerships. These recharge structures will be instrumental in enhancing rainwater harvesting and ensuring long-term water sustainability.

“In furtherance to the PM’s vision of water security, the initiative seeks to conserve water with a strong emphasis on community partnership and ownership and is driven by a whole-of-society and whole-of-government approach, ” an official statement mentioned.

“Building on the success of the Jal Sanchay initiative led by the Government of Gujarat, the Union Ministry of Jal Shakti, in collaboration with the state government, is launching the Jal Sanchay Jan Bhagidari initiative in Gujarat. The Government of Gujarat has endeavoured to mobilise citizens, local bodies, industries and other stakeholders to ensure a water-secure future, ” the statement further said.

The launch of the initiative is being viewed as a landmark moment, designed to inspire other states to replicate these efforts.

The Prime Minister has often highlighted water conservation as a national mission, reflecting his long-standing advocacy for sustainable water management.

Wrestlers Vinesh Phogat and Bajrang Punia join Congress

By
Kavita
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New Delhi : Two prominent and popular Olympian wrestlers, Vinesh Phogat and Bajrang Punia, today joined the Indian National Congress. They were inducted into the party by the general secretary in charge of organization KC Venugopal in presence of several other senior leaders.

Welcoming them into Congress, Venugopal said, it was a moment of great pride for INC that the two great Olympian wrestlers and medallists had joined the party.

He said, the two Olympians had not only made their mark in the field of sports, but had also participated in social causes like fight against sexual harassment, protest against three farm laws and fight against the Agnipath scheme.

Venugopal said they had chosen the Congress party as it stood by them in their fight for justice. “Indian National Congress is proud to accept them into the party”, he said.

The Congress general secretary criticised the Railways Department for issuing show cause notices to Phogat and Punia over their meeting with Rahul Gandhi. He asked whether it was a crime to meet the Leader of the Opposition. He asked the Railways Department that they must relieve the two players without creating any difficulties.

Speaking on the occasion, Vinesh Phogat said she was thankful to the Congress Party for providing her the chance to serve the nation. She promised that just like she remained committed and dedicated towards wrestling, she will continue to dedicate herself to serve the nation.

She said the Congress Party, unlike the BJP, had supported them during their fight for justice. She promised that she will ensure that no athlete meets the same fate as they met, adding that many athletes do not reveal everything that happens to them.

Replying to a question about the allegations of conspiracies which led to her disqualification, she said, she did not want to go back to the emotional trauma again at this stage and would speak about it at the right time.

Bajrang Punia said, he was thankful to the entire Congress leadership for providing him the chance to serve the people. He said, like he worked in the field of sports and stood for farmers’ interests and scrapping of the Agnipath scheme, he will continue to work for the nation.

In an oblique dig at the BJP’s IT cell, he said, some people in “the IT cell celebrated Vinesh Phogat’s disqualification”.

Among those present on the occasion were AICC General Secretary in-charge for Haryana, Dipak Babaria; Chairman of the AICC Media and Publicity Department Pawan Khera and PCC president Udai Bhan.

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