Rahul says PM got a woman to defend him on Rafale, Modi calls it insult to all women

Agencies
January 10, 2019

Jaipur/Agra, Jan 10: Congress president Rahul Gandhi Wednesday said the prime minister got a woman to defend him in Parliament as he couldn't do so himself, a remark that appeared to trigger a sharp retort from Narendra Modi who accused the opposition of insulting Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman.

Calling Modi a prime minister who claimed to have a broad chest, Gandhi said, the prime minister had "run away" from debate in Parliament on the defence deal.

The watchman with a 56-inch chest ran away and told a woman, Sitharaman ji, defend me. I won't be able to defend myself, defend me, he said at a farmers' rally in Jaipur.

For two and a half hours, the woman could not defend him. I had asked a straight question answer yes or no but she couldn't answer, the Congress chief said, using the word mahila' for a woman in his speech in Hindi.

Later in the address, he accused the prime minister again of running away from the debate, but this time did not refer to the defence minister in the same manner.

In his public meeting a few hours later in Agra, Modi accused Congress leaders of insulting the country's women.

He said Defence Minister Sitharaman had floored the Opposition in the Lok Sabha by coming up with "fact after fact" on the Rafale deal.

"They are bent upon insulting a woman defence minister," he said, without naming Gandhi.

"This is not an insult to a woman, but an insult to entire India's women power, for which these irresponsible leaders will have to pay the price," Modi added.

The prime minister said it was matter of pride that a woman had become defence minister for the first time in the country.

Former Rajasthan BJP president Arun Chaturvedi later demanded an apology from Gandhi for the manner in which he had referred to the defence minister.

Rahul Gandhi was addressing his first public meeting in Rajasthan since the Congress came to power there, and in two other Hindi heartland states, after the recent assembly elections.

The Congress leader reiterated his party's promise to waive farm loans if it forms the government at the Centre after the Lok Sabha polls later this year.

Gandhi repeated the Congress accusation of corruption in the deal for 36 Rafale aircraft being bought from French firm Dassault, an accusation constantly denied by the government.

The opposition leader claimed Modi failed to reply to the specific questions asked by him on the deal.

He said the prime minister went off to Punjab when the Lok Sabha was debating the deal.

Modi didn't step in the Lok Sabha for a minute because the chowkidar has committed theft, and ran away out of fear, he said.

He accused the prime minister of spreading hatred.

The BJP's ideology is different from that of the Congress. We will fight against them, but we will pay respect, be it to the prime minister, a chief minister or any minister, he said.

Wherever there is a need to pay respect to them, the Congress party will do that. But if in the Rafale deal Narendra Modi stole 30,000 crore, justice will be done, he said.

There will be no victimisation, but there will be justice, he said, in an apparent reference to the possibility of the Congress coming to power in the next elections.

Gandhi said a Congress government will waive farm loans if it comes to power at the Centre, but added this was not the final solution to the distress in the agriculture sector.

Loan waivers are just a small step towards helping farmers and a new green revolution is needed to address the problem, he added.

A new strategy and planning is the need. In Rajasthan, the work of setting up food processing units will be started in every corner. Mega food parks will be set up and we will link your farm with the world economy and big cities of the world. We will provide technology in your farm and change your world, he said.

The congress president said the recently concluded assembly elections have shown Modi the power of the farmers.

The farmers' power will have to be recognised, he said. India's biggest asset are the farmer and India's farmers can provide food to entire world, not only to India, he said.

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News Network
January 27,2020

Jan 27: Bollywood Film Director Anurag Kashyap, who has been vocal about his political views on social media, slammed Union Minister Amit Shah and accused him of being 'cheap'.

"How timid our Home Minister is. Its own police, its own goons, its own army and security increases and invades unarmed protestors. Amit Shah has crossed the extent of cheapness and inferiority. History will spit on this animal," Kashyap tweeted.

The film director has taken an active part in the anti-Citizenship Act protest rallies and was against the Jawaharlal Nehru violence. He also came in support of his contemporary Deepika Padukone when the latter faced backlash for showing up at JNU in support of the students.

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News Network
May 25,2020

New Delhi, May 25: India witnessed the highest ever spike of 6,977 positive cases in the last 24 hours, taking the total number of COVID-19 to 1,38,845, according to the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

India is now among the top 10 countries in the world regarding the total number of COVID-19 cases.

With 154 deaths reported in the last 24 hours, the total number of deaths due to COVID-19 now stands at 4,021 in the country.

Out of the total number of cases, 77,103 are active cases and 57,721 have been cured/discharged/migrated.

Maharashtra continues to remain the worst affected state with 50,231 COVID-19 cases, followed by Tamil Nadu (16,277), Gujarat (14,056) and Delhi (13,418).

The fourth phase of the nationwide lockdown imposed as a precautionary measure to contain the spread of COVID-19 is scheduled to end on May 31.

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News Network
January 9,2020

New Delhi, Jan 9: JNU students who tried to march towards the Rashtrapati Bhavan on Thursday protesting the violence on the university campus were stopped by police and later detained.

The police also resorted to baton charge to control the mob who tried to block the traffic at Janpath. Using loudspeakers, the police also appealed to the crowd to maintain peace.

Before the students tried to proceed towards the Rashtrapati Bhavan, a delegation of JNU Students' Union and JNU Teachers' Association also met Human Resource Development (HRD) Ministry officials and demanded the removal of Vice-Chancellor M Jagadesh Kumar from his post.

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