Kargil marty's father slams Modi's slogan 'Yeh Dil Mange More’

April 29, 2014
Palampur/Mandi, April 29: BJP prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi Tuesday made a passionate appeal to voters to ensure his party's victory on 300 Lok Sabha seats, but his use of Kargil hero Vikram Batra's off-quoted phrase "Ye dil maange more" sparked a controversy with Batra's parents raising objections. vikram

Modi used the more than once during his three rallies in Himachal Pradesh to stir up the sentiments of the people of the hill state, where a large chunk of population comprises serving and retired servicemen.

Batra's septuagenarian father G.L. Batra, whose wife Kamal Kant is in the fray for the first time as an Aam Aadmi Party candidate from the Hamirpur seat, took strong offence to use of "Yeh dil maange more" slogan for soliciting votes.

"The BJP is just trying to take credit in politics at this point in time by politically using the slogan of a martyr," said Mr Batra.

Challenging Modi, he said: "If he is so indebted to the martyrs he must withdraw his party's candidate against my wife."

An emotional Kamal Kant clarified that they never approached the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for contesting the election.

"The AAP has honoured us by fielding me. We have never referred Vikram's name or slogan in the election campaign, then who is the BJP to do it? It has never thought about the martyr earlier," she added.

The mother of Kargil hero, who was posthumously awarded the Param Vir Chakra - India's highest war-time gallantry award, has been fielded by Arvind Kejriwal's AAP against sitting MP Anurag Thakur of the BJP.

But state BJP chief Satpal Satti clarified that Modi used this slogan in the context of winning more seats to have in place a stable government in the centre.

"We have a lot of respect for the soldiers and the martyrs. Even Modiji in his speeches highlighted the plight of families of the martyrs," he added.

Modi, at his first election rally in Palampur town of Kangra district, the hometown of Capt Batra, said: "When we take the name of Maj. Somnath Sharma (the first recipient of the Param Vir Chakra, awarded posthumously for his bravery in the November 1947 Kashmir operations) and Vikram Batra, we feel proud. Our mind says: 'Yeh Dil Mange More."

In his Mandi rally, Modi said: "Today, I ask you to make the lotus win with 300 seats because 'Ye dil mange more' just like Vikram Batra, who gave his life for the country in the Kargil war, using the same line.

Donning a Himachali cap, Modi appealed to the voters to "give us 300 lotuses and we will give India a strong government".

Appealing to voters in the age of 18 to 28, he promised: "We will fulfil your dreams ... broken in the last decade."

"You have given 60 years to the rulers in the country, you give just 60 months to this worker. Yeh dil mange 60 months."

"The PM (prime minister) says money does not grow on trees, but in the orchard of one man not apples but money grew. We need to free nation from corruption," he said in an attack on state Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh without naming him.

Praising the contribution of Himachalis, he said: "Today, if there is any terrorist activity in the country, be it a Maoist attack or a bomb blast, I can proudly claim that there must be at least one army man from Himachal, who would be there, fighting for the country."

In his last rally in Solan town, Modi assured the fruit growers, mainly apple, that they would get remunerative prices if the BJP government comes to power in the centre. "The government will take steps to check flooding of imported apples."

A total of 38 candidates are in the fray for the four Lok Sabha seats from the state that will go to polls May 7.

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News Network
January 1,2020

Jan 1: Two army personnel were killed in a gunfight with heavily-armed Pakistani infiltrators along the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir's Rajouri district on Wednesday, officials said.

The infiltrators were intercepted in the Khari Thrayat forest when they were trying to sneak into India from Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), they said.

"Two army soldiers martyred during cordon and search operation in Nowshera sector. The operation is still in progress and further details are awaited," Jammu-based Indian Army Public Relations Officer (PRO) Lt Col Devender Anand said in a statement.

The search operation was launched following information about the movement of suspected terrorists, the officials said.

The infiltrators opened fire on the troops and during a fierce gunfight, the two soldiers were killed, they said.

The officials said a massive operation is on in the area.

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News Network
July 1,2020

Jul 1: Gold prices in India hit an all-time high on Wednesday, tracking a global rally, as surging coronavirus cases in many countries raised the metal's safe-haven appeal.

Local gold futures hit an all-time high of Rs 48,871 ($646.66) per 10 grams in early trade, taking their gains to 25% in 2020 so far. The contract had gained nearly 25% in 2019.

However, this dampened the retail demand for gold in India, the world's second-largest consumer of the precious metal.

"Retail demand is negligible. Buyers are postponing purchases anticipating a correction in prices," said a Mumbai-based bank dealer with a bullion importing bank.

In thin trade, dealers were offering a discount of up to $22 an ounce over official domestic prices on Wednesday afternoon, up from the last week's $18. The domestic price includes a 12.5% import tax and 3% sales tax.

The country's gold imports in May plunged 99% from a year earlier as international air travel was banned and jewellery shops were closed amid a nationwide lockdown to curb the spread of coronavirus.

In overseas market, spot gold firmed near an eight-year peak on Wednesday, as a spike in coronavirus cases in the United and States and many other countries has cast a shadow on hopes for a quicker global economic recovery, driving inflows into safe-haven assets.

According to a latest Reuters tally, the coronavirus has infected more than 10.48 million people worldwide so far.

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Agencies
July 30,2020

Chennai, Jul 30: Tamil Nadu government on Thursday extended the Covid-19 lockdown till August 31, giving only a few relaxations like allowing delivery of non-essential goods by e-commerce sites. The ban on public transport has been extended till August 31, while availing of e-pass for inter-district and inter-state travel will continue to be in force.

In a detailed statement, Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami announced a “complete lockdown” during which only essential services would continue to be in force on all Sundays during the month of August across the state.  

In Chennai, restaurants will be allowed to open dine-in facilities at 50 percent of its total capacity from 6 am to 7 pm from August 1, while vegetable shops, grocery outlets and standalone commercial establishments will also be allowed to remain open from 6 am to 7 pm.

E-commerce sites have been allowed to begin delivery of non-essential goods from August 1, while the ban on public transport, temples in urban areas and towns, cinema halls, shopping malls, and gyms would continue till August 31.

It also said companies or factories in Chennai that have been allowed to function with 50 percent of staff can increase their strength to 75 percent from August 1.

COVID-19 Pandemic Tracker: 15 countries with the highest number of coronavirus cases, deaths

The government also asked companies to encourage its employees to work from home and advised commercial establishments to follow the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) as advised by it. Inter-state or inter-district travel will be allowed only with e-pass, while ban on metro and suburban trains continues.

The decision to extend the lockdown till August 31 comes as Tamil Nadu continues to grapple with an increasing number of coronavirus cases. The prevalence of the virus is no more limited to one city or region of the state with almost all districts reporting fresh cases, some of them over 200 new patients, every day.

On Thursday morning, Tamil Nadu’s Covid-19 tally was 2,34,114 including 1,72,883 discharges and 3,741 deaths. The active cases stood at 57,490.

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