Sidhu apologises to Manmohan, says his silence did what BJP's uproar could not

Agencies
March 19, 2018

New Delhi, Mar 19: Punjab minister Navjot Singh Sidhu was full of praise for a reticent Manmohan Singh on Sunday and said the former prime minister's silence did what the ruling BJP's uproar could not.

Addressing the 84th plenary session of the Congress here, Sidhu, a former BJP MP, who had often targeted Singh over his reluctance to speak out on issues, also apologised to the former prime minister.

Sidhu, in his speech peppered with poetry and witty remarks, also said that Singh was both Sardar (a Sikh) and asardar (effective)".

I want to apologise to Sardar Manmohan Singh and that too bowing down (before Singh). Sardar Manmohan Singh, your silence has done what the BJP's uproar could not. I realised this after 10 years, sir, said the cricketer-turned-politician, who joined the Congress before Punjab Assembly polls in 2017.

Lauding the Congress veteran, Sidhu said the economy galloped like an Arabian horse under his watch as the prime minister. Whereas, he said, under the BJP's rule, the economy is moving at the pace of a tortoise.

Sir, you worked hard silently in such a way that your success created an uproar. Sir, you are a Sardar and also asardar (effective), a comment which had former Congress chief Sonia Gandhi and senior party leader Ashok Gehlot, who flanked Singh, giggling.

Sidhu also hailed former party president Sonia Gandhi, party president Rahul Gandhi and Congress workers in his speech.

He said Rahul Gandhi is set to unfurl the tricolour from the ramparts of the Red Fort after becoming the country's prime minister post the 2019 general election.

Sidhu said the BJP's lies stood exposed after its four-year rule.

They (BJP) appear tall but are hollow like bamboo from inside. I have seen them from close quarters. And Rahul Bhai is like sugar cane, sweet from within and outside, he said.

Hailing Congress workers, Sidhu likened them to Sikandar (Greek emperor Alexander the Great) and said the party cannot be what it is without them.

If the Congress has lost, it may be due to some leaders, but you are the ones who help win (elections) friends. Sikandar (workers) does not bow before the situation...the workers are soul, life and identity of the party, he added.

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News Network
April 8,2020

Jamnagar, Apr 7: A 14-month-old baby boy, who had tested positive for coronavirus in Gujarat's Jamnagar district on April 5, died of multiple organ failure on Tuesday, said officials.

The toddler, son of a migrant labourer-couple having no recent travel history, died in the evening at a government hospital in Jamnagar, said an official release.

He was in a critical condition ever since he was admitted to the hospital, it said.

The boy, who tested positive for coronavirus two days ago, was as on ventilator support and eventually died due to multiple organ failure, said the release.

He becomes the youngest patient to succumb to COVID-19 in Gujarat, where the death toll has now gone up to 16.

The baby was the first and the only case of coronavirus infection so far in entire Jamnagar district and the youngest to be diagnosed with the disease in Gujarat.

Ever since he tested coronavirus positive, the authorities had been tracing the source of his infection.

His parents are from Uttar Pradesh and work as casual labourers in factories in the port city.

His parents, who have no travel history in the recent past, are asymptomatic (not showing symptoms) and kept under quarantine, officials said.

The locality where the couple resides in Dared village near Jamnagar city has been put under complete lockdown to check the spread of the virus, they said.

Gujarat has so far recorded 175 coronavirus positive cases and 16 fatalities.

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News Network
January 22,2020

New Delhi, Jan 22: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has assets worth Rs 3.4 crore, an increase of Rs 1.3 crore from 2015, according to his election affidavit.

Kejriwal's total assets were worth Rs 2.1 crore in 2015.

The cash and fixed deposits of Kejriwal's wife Sunita Kejriwal increased from Rs 15 lakh in 2015 to Rs 57 lakh in 2020.

A party functionary said Rs 32 lakh worth cash and fixed deposits have been received by Sunita Kejriwal as voluntary retirement benefits while the rest are savings.

The cash and fixed deposits of the chief minister increased from Rs 2.26 lakh in 2015 to Rs 9.65 lakh in 2020.

There was no change in the value of immovable assets of his wife while Kejriwal's immovable assets' worth increased from Rs 92 lakh to Rs 177 lakh.

The party functionaries said increase in Kejriwal's immovable assets' worth is due to the increased valuation of the same asset as in 2015.

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News Network
January 15,2020

Kolkata, Jan 15: The arrows of Mahabharata's Arjuna had atomic power, claimed West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar, drawing sharp criticism from academicians, even as he joined a long list of politicians who have in recent years given bizarre interpretations linking mythology with science.

Speaking at the 45th Eastern India Science Fair and 19th Science and Engineering Fair on Tuesday, Dhankhar also claimed that flying objects existed during the period of Ramayana.

"It is said that the plane was invented in 1910 or 1911, but if we delve into our old scriptures we will see in Ramayana, we had 'uran khatola' (aircraft)," he said.

"Sanjaya narrated the entire war of Mahabharata (to Dhitarasthra) not from TV. The arrows of Arjuna in Mahabharata had atomic power in it," Dhankhar said, asserting that the world can no longer afford to ignore India.

According to Sanskrit epic Mahabharata, Sanjay, even after staying away from the battlefield, had narrated what was happening there to Dhritarashtra, who was blind.

Dhankhar, who has been in news for clashes with the Mamata Banerjee government ever since he assumed office in July last year, joins politicians such as Tripura Chief Minister Biplab Deb and UP deputy chief minister Dinesh Sharma to give odd interpretations of mythology.

While Deb had claimed that the internet existed during Mahabharata, Sharma suggested that godess Sita was a test tube baby.

Recently, Puducherry Lt Governor Kiran Bedi was trolled online for sharing a doctored video that claimed, "NASA recorded sound of sun -- Sun chants Om".

Indologist Nrisingha Prasad Bhaduri said governors appointed by the BJP government at the Centre are delving into everything and behave "as if they are know-alls".

"They fail to understand one thing that great writers have very strong power of imagination," Bhaduri said.

Scientist Sandip Chakraborty said such comments only hurt the scientific progress in India at the global forum.

"The ancient writers described all these things based on their imagination. It is true that India made a lot of progress during the ancient period, but such comments only damages the progress made by our scientific community," he said.

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