PM Modi slammed over BJP’s political agenda amid India-Pak tensions

Agencies
February 28, 2019

New Delhi, Feb 28: Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s address to one crore BJP workers on Thursday came under fire from the opposition, who accused him of pursuing a political agenda at a time when clouds of war were hovering over the nation.

Congress slammed Modi for carrying on with his ‘Mera Booth Sabse Majboot’ programme where he was set to address one crore BJP workers through video conferencing.

“It is a glaring case of misplaced priorities,” Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala said.

“132 crore Indians pray for safe and immediate return of India’s brave-heart Wing Commander Abhinandan but Modiji desperate only for re-election,” Surjewala said.

BSP supremo Mayawati termed Modi’s plans as “laughable” and aimed at playing with the emotions of the nation.

“At a time when war clouds are hovering and the nation is in dire need of leadership, Prime Minister Modi, instead of focussing on national security is worried about his party,” she said.

“His address to the BJP booth workers is not only laughable but also playing with the emotions of the nation,” Mayawati said.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal urged the Prime Minister to call off his political engagements for the day,

“I would urge the PM to postpone this. At this moment, we as a nation, need to spend all our energies and time to get the IAF pilot back safely and to sternly deal with Pakistan,” Kejriwal said.

Surjewala pointed out that the Congress had cancelled the meeting of the Congress Working Committee, the party’s top decision-making body scheduled for Thursday at Ahmedabad as well as the rally to be addressed by Rahul Gandhi.

“Pradhan Sevak hell-bent on creating a video conference record,” Surjewala said taking a dig at Modi using a sobriquet oft-quoted by Modi himself.

CPI(M) General Secretary Sitaram Yechury asked the BJP to introspect on the statement of 21 opposition parties who had asked the ruling party to refrain from politicising the Pulwama attack and its aftermath.

“BJP leaders have been doing election rallies, Modi has been attending party events, when CRPF jawans were martyred or when Pakistani jets were being taken on by our brave pilots,” Yechury said.

At a meeting of 21 opposition parties on Wednesday, senior leaders decided to train their guns at Modi, who they accused of driving political mileage from the Pulwama terror attacks.

The Congress also launched a social media campaign targeting Modi’s actions in the immediate aftermath of the Pulwama attack.

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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.

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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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News Network
March 20,2020

New Delhi, Mar 20: The government on Thursday said one Indian who tested positive for coronavirus has died in Iran while the other citizens infected with the disease are being provided treatment and taken care of by the Iranian government.

Noting that the virus tends to be more fatal for those whose immunity levels are low, a senior MEA official said the deceased, an elderly person, belonged to the vulnerable age group and had health-related complications.

The death was not because of lack of medical attention or care, he said.

"We have evacuated 590 people from Iran where the situation is very severe. The Indians infected with coronavirus in Iran have been segregated and taken care of very well by the government there. We believe they will recover and we will bring them back," the MEA official said, adding that 201 Indians were evacuated from Iran on Wednesday.

The official said closely knit families required some persuasion and counselling during the process of segregation to prevent the spread of the contagion.

The Indian ambassador and other officials explained the consequences of infected people not being separated from their families and were successful to a large extent in segregating the positive cases from the negative ones, he said.

"Some pilgrims and students are still there and our embassy and mission are in control (of the situation)," the official said.

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News Network
April 26,2020

Thiruvananthapuram, Apr 26: Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Saturday urged media houses not to resort to layoffs and pay cuts while the whole community is facing the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Chief Minister said the state government will also take necessary steps to test the media personnel in the state to ensure they have not contracted the deadly virus.

He also pointed out that the pandemic has severely impacted the media sector with many newspapers even reducing the number of pages.

"Journalists are among those who have been affected the most. Journalists on the field are also in danger. We have come to know about the reporters affected with coronavirus in other states. The government will take necessary precautions including testing to ensure that journalists don't contract the disease," Vijayan said.

He said the newspapers were not receiving advertisements these days because there are no social or public events resulting in less commercial activities in the society.

"I would like to urge the media houses not to engage in layoffs or salary cuts during this pandemic. Journalists are working shoulder to shoulder with health workers. During this pandemic, scribes are out in the field collecting news, despite the threat of disease and it was admirable," Vijayan said.

The chief minister said the government has asked the PRD to release the dues to various media houses.

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