No Modi wave like in 2014, BJP at loss: Raj Thackeray

Agencies
April 24, 2019

Mumbai, Apr 24: Maharashtra Navnirman Sena President Raj Thackeray on Tuesday claimed there is "no wave now like 2014" for Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Bharatiya Janata Party and its leaders are now bewildered what to do.

"Modi has said nothing about the promises he made in 2014 Instead, he grabs any issue to seek votes. Now, he's asking for votes in the name of the Easter Sunday terror strikes in Sri Lanka," he said at a rally in south Mumbai's Kalachowky area.

Alleging Modi has "only said lies and made fake propaganda" in the past five years, Thackeray showed a picture of the PM posing with a family ostensibly brought above the poverty line in a government ad.

To prove his point, he called on stage the entire family - amidst thunderous applause - and said their photo on a social media site was "simply picked up" and the PM's photo pasted alongside to produce the fake advertisement for the government campaign.

"Here they are - recognize them all. It was their family album photo which they had posted on a social site. Compare them with the picture in the Modi ad," Thackeray said as the crowds roared their approval.

The recent open support expressed by top industrialists and bankers to Mumbai South Congress candidate Milind Deora "is a hint to the entire country" that the BJP government is on way out, he claimed.

"This is unprecedented. I don't recall any such instance of the past when such top industrialists have come out and openly endorsed a particular candidate. Mark my words, this is not limited to just one constituency, but its a message to the whole country that Narendra Modi will not become the Prime Minister again," Thackeray claimed.

Charging the BJP of making fraudulent memorandums of understanding during the Make In India expo held in Mumbai over three years ago, catching local businessmen and creating inflated investment documents, he rued how Mumbai entrepreneur Amol Yadav - who designed and built a passenger aircraft on his building terrace - was promised huge land and investments of around Rs 35,000 crore, but nothing came out of it and now he's preparing to leave for the US.

Referring to attempts by the BJP to "gag" him for holding his rallies, the MNS chief said: "I just want them to answer my questions. But Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis is baffled as to what reply to give to me, so they attack me."

He touched on a variety of other issues, including playing videos of Modi who first praised Nationalist Congress Party supremo Sharad Pawar in most glowing terms barely three years ago, and his recent strategy vowing to politically "wipe out" the Pawar clan from Maharashtra.

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News Network
February 26,2020

Feb 26: In his first reaction to incidents of violence in Delhi which have left at least 20 people dead, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday appealed for peace and brotherhood, and said he has held an extensive review of the prevailing situation in various parts of the national capital.

He also said it was important that calm and normalcy was restored at the earliest.

“Had an extensive review on the situation prevailing in various parts of Delhi. Police and other agencies are working on the ground to ensure peace and normalcy,” Modi tweeted.

Stressing that peace and harmony are “central to our ethos”, Modi said, “I appeal to my sisters and brothers of Delhi to maintain peace and brotherhood at all times.”

At least 20 people have been killed since Sunday in communal violence in Northeast Delhi, triggered after clashes between pro and anti-CAA protestors over the Citizenship (Amendment) Act.

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Agencies
July 30,2020

Mumbai, Jul 30: Counterfeiting incidents have increased 24 per cent in the country in 2019 over the previous year, creating an over Rs 1 lakh crore hole in the economy, according to a report.

The report also said counterfeiters are having a free run due to the pandemic-driven disruptions to organised supply chains and the resultant spike in consumer demand.

According to the report by ASPA, a self-regulated industry body of anti-counterfeiting and traceability solutions providers, counterfeiting has risen steadily in the last few years, and exploiting the pandemic as a cover for their activities.

Between February and April 2020, over 150 incidents of counterfeiting cases were reported, mostly about fake PPE kits, sanitisers and masks taking advantage of the high demand for these products, it noted.

"There was a 24 per cent increase in counterfeiting in 2019 over 2018, leading to the loss of more than Rs 1 lakh crore to the overall economy," said Nakul Pasricha, president of Authentication Solution Providers Association.

The association works with global authorities like the International Hologram Manufacturers Association, Counterfeit Intelligence Bureau of the Interpol, and domestic industry lobbies like Ficci, he said.

Counterfeiting is a universal issue and is 3.3 per cent of global trade, according to the OECD data, impacting social and economic development across the world.

The report lists the currency, FMCG, alcohol, pharma, documents, agriculture, infrastructure, automotive, tobacco, lifestyle and apparel, as the 10 sectors impacted most by counterfeiting.

Among these, currency, alcohol and FMCG continue to be the top three sectors with the highest counterfeiting in the last two years. The FMCG sector is most vulnerable, as counterfeit incidents rose 63 per cent between 2018 (79) and 2019 when the reported cases jumped to 129.

Within the states, the fakers have a free run in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Bengal, Punjab, Jharkhand, Delhi, Gujarat, and Uttarakhand, calling for urgent actions to frame anti-counterfeiting policy measures.

According to the report, UP continues to be on top followed by Bihar, Rajasthan, and together these three states represent almost 45 per cent of all counterfeiting reported in the last two years.

What is more alarming is that counterfeiting is not limited to high-end luxury items today, as common everyday items as fake cumin seeds, mustard cooking oil, ghee, hair oils, soaps, baby care vaccines and medicines are aplenty in the markets.

"There is an urgent need for building and nurturing authentication ecosystems in the country with the active involvement and active participation of all stakeholders," said Pasricha.

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News Network
April 21,2020

New Delhi, Apr 21: Tablighi Jamaat leader Maulana Saad Kandhalvi, who has been booked by the Delhi Police for holding a religious congregation here during the lockdown, on Monday urged the followers of the organisation to pray at home in the month of Ramzan.

"I request all, both in India and abroad, to strictly follow the guidelines and instructions of the local or national governments and till the time restrictions are in place and please observe prayers at home. And even in this, we should not invite people from outside," he said in a statement.

Ramzan begins later this week.

While addressing an online briefing on Sunday, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal cited the Tablighi Jamaat congregation last month, a major hotspot, and the large inflow of travellers from other countries to Delhi as the reasons for the spread of the virus, and said the city was "fighting a difficult battle".

The Delhi Police crime branch, had on March 31, lodged an FIR against seven people, including the cleric, on a complaint by the Station House Officer of Nizamuddin police station for holding the congregation in alleged violation of the orders against large gatherings to contain the spread of coronavirus.

Later, the Indian Penal Code Section 304 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) was added to the FIR.

The cleric is wanted by the Delhi Police and he responded twice to them. He is currently under home quarantine.

In an audio message released earlier this month, Kandhalvi had said he was exercising self-quarantine after several hundreds who visited the congregation at Nizamudddin Markaz tested positive for coronavirus.

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