Hundreds of people raised pro-Congress slogans as party leader Rahul Gandhi on Sunday addressed them amid heavy rains and asserted that nothing can “stop us to unite the country” through the ongoing Bharat Jodo Yatra.

Soon after Gandhi arrived at the venue for the public meeting on the outskirts of Mysuru, a sudden burst of rain greeted him and the gathering.

As the Wayanad MP chose to continue his speech, the crowds cheered for him, even as many were seen holding up chairs to ward off the torrential rain.

“This journey will continue from Kanyakumari to Kashmir and will not stop. It is raining, but the showers have not stopped this yatra. Heat, storm, cold can’t stop this yatra.

“This river-like journey will persist and in this river you will not find any trace of hate or violence. There will only be love and brotherhood as this is India’s history and DNA,” Gandhi told the gathering.

Earlier, during the day, Gandhi walked for over 10 kilometres from Badanavalu to Mysuru and was welcomed by a beeline of bystanders on both sides of the road. The police were seen struggling to manage the crowd and maintain order amid Congress supporters beating drums in their leader’s welcome.

While roadsides were dotted with young people eager to catch a glimpse of the Congress leader, women were seen on the terrace of their houses to watch Gandhi.

At the venue of the public meeting in Mysuru later, the Congress leader said nothing can deter the Bharat Jodo Yatra which was aimed at “stopping hatred and violence spread by the BJP-RSS”.

On a day the Enforcement Directorate issued summons to Karnataka Congress president DK Shiva Kumar for appearance on October 7 in the National Herald case, Gandhi told the Mysuru gathering, “No matter how much hate and violence the BJP spreads, this yatra will achieve its goal and will unite people.” The former Congress president also attacked the BJP government in Karnataka over graft charges, accusing Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai of crossing all limits of corruption.

“This 40 per cent (commission) government is taking bribes even from BJP people who are unable to pay up, and despite contractor association writing to the prime minister, no action has been taken,” he said.

Moments after the Mysuru rally, Congress leaders took to Twitter to laud Rahul Gandhi’s rain-soaked moment as a sign of his resilience. Twitteratti drew parallels between Gandhi’s address and a similar speech NCP supremo Sharad Pawar delivered amid incessant rains during the Maharashtra elections in 2019.

 AICC general secretaries Jairam Ramesh and Randeep Surjewala took to the microblogging site to say Gandhi was undeterred by rains and was committed to his resolve of uniting India.

“On the evening of Gandhi Jayanthi, undeterred by a downpour in Mysuru, @RahulGandhi electrified a sea of people.

“It was an unequivocal declaration. No force can stop the #BharatJodoYatra from uniting India against hate, from speaking up against unemployment and price rise,” Ramesh said on Twitter while sharing Gandhi’s rally video.

In a tweet in Hindi, Surjewala said, “The resolve to stop hate and to fight against violence shall continue…neither rains nor storm will be able to stop this,” Surjewala said.

A host of Congress supporters also tweeted Gandhi’s Myrusu rally images bearing the caption, “Barsaat ho ya aandhi…nahi rukega yeh Gandhi…(Rain or storm, this Gandhi will not stop).”

Gurugram: Former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister and Samajwadi Party (SP) leader Mulayam Singh Yadav's health deteriorated on Sunday and he was shifted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at Medanta hospital in Gurugram.
The 82-year-old SP leader was admitted for several days but on Sunday he has been shifted to the ICU after his condition deteriorated. Meanwhile, Akhilesh Yadav left for Delhi from Lucknow as soon as he received the news of his father's health.
Mulayam Singh referred to as Netaji- founded the Samajwadi Party. He currently represents the Mainpuri constituency in the Lok Sabha.
Earlier, Samajwadi Party patriarch's wife Sadhna Gupta passed away in July this year.
She was undergoing treatment at a private hospital in Gurugram for a lung infection.
Sadhana Gupta was Mulayam Singh Yadav's second wife. His first wife, Maalti Devi passed away in 2003. Maalti Devi was the mother of Akhilesh Yadav.

Amid growing concerns about the environment in the national capital region, the Noida Police has sought a fleet of electric vehicles for patrolling and other duties in city areas, according to officials.

Besides this, the police have written to the local authorities with a request for replacing over 60 vehicles with newer models, highlighting their dilapidated condition and maintenance costs of over Rs 2 crore so far. The commissionerate currently has around 400 vehicles, including those on emergency 112 service. The request to local authorities is for replacement of 66 vehicles which are in bad shape while the EVs have been sought from the state government in addition to the existing fleet. The commissionerate currently has around 400 vehicles, including those on emergency 112 service.

Police Commissioner Alok Singh said a proposal for introducing electric vehicles has been discussed with concerned government bodies and their approval is awaited. Electric Vehicles are the way forward and as a responsible police force we certainly do not want to leave behind carbon footprint. The EVs would be used for patrolling in urban areas and could also be put for other duties as suited, the Noida police chief told PTI. Electric Vehicles are the way forward and as a responsible police force we certainly do not want to leave behind carbon footprint.

Separately, he said his department has written to the local Noida Authority as well as the Greater Noida Authority for replacing a fleet of vehicles which were provided by them nearly a decade ago. Officials said the police have asked for replacement of a total of 66 vehicles which are older than eight years and most of them having clocked almost two lakh kilometers.

Moreover, the police have spent around Rs 2 crore in maintenance of these 66 vehicles which now frequently report breakdown and stay out of use, according to the letters. The vehicles that need a replacement include Toyota Innova, Maruti Gypsy, Mahindra Bolero. At least five vehicles were taken off road in 2020 while the rest are being used by the police in a poor condition, officials said. The vehicles that need a replacement include Toyota Innova, Maruti Gypsy, Mahindra Bolero.

Chandigarh, October 2

The Punjab Police on Sunday arrested a Haryana resident and seized more than 2.5 lakh pharma opioids from his possession.

Deputy Inspector General of Police, Anti-Gangster Task Force-cum-Ropar Range, Gurpreet Singh Bhullar said the arrested accused has been identified as Ranjit Goswami of Batra Colony in Sonepat, Haryana.

Police have seized 2,37,000 tablets of alprazolam and 14,400 of the pyeevon spas capsules from his car which he was smuggling from Haryana," an official statement quoted Bhullar as saying.

This is the third such inter-state pharmaceutical drug racket busted by the Fatehgarh Sahib district police in less than three months, he said.

Earlier, Fatehgarh Sahib police had recovered as many as seven lakh tablets/capsules of pharma opioids on July 14, 2022, while, 1.17 lakh tablets/capsules of pharma opioids were recovered on September 4, he said.

The DIG said, acting on a tip-off, police teams from Crime Investigation Agency, Sirhind and Khamano Police Station, intercepted a car bearing a Haryana registration number at Khamano, which was being driven by the accused.

During checking, the police teams seized a huge quantity of pharma opioids, he said.

Fatehgarh Sahib SSP Ravjot Grewal said the arrested accused was into transport business in Delhi and Amritsar.

The accused has confessed that he has been supplying pharma opioids in Punjab for the last few years and most of his customers are in Moga and Ludhiana," she said.

She said the police have got three days remand of the accused after producing him in the court.

Meanwhile, an FIR has been registered under the provisions of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act at Fatehgarh Sahib Police Station. 
 

 Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday promised Rs 40 per day for the upkeep of every cow in Gujarat and a shelter home for non-milching cattle in every district of the state if the Aam Aadmi Party is voted to power. Kejriwal's announcement is a renewed push to counter the ruling BJP in Gujarat and attract Hindu voters, as per political experts. 

The Aam Aadmi Party national convener also claimed that the BJP and opposition Congress have united to "cut into the AAP votes" as according to an "IB report", his party will form the next government in the state. 

"In Delhi, we give Rs 40 per cow per day. The Delhi government gives Rs 20 and another Rs 20 is given by the municipal corporation. If the AAP is voted to power in Gujarat, then we will provide Rs 40 per cow per day for their upkeep," Kejriwal said at a press conference in Rajkot. 

Panjrapole (shelters homes for cattle) will be constructed in every district for non-milching cows and those roaming on roads, Kejriwal said and also assured that the AAP government will take all necessary steps for the benefit of cows in the state.

 Mangaluru,  (PTI) The Karnataka government has taken a policy decision to construct 'Rangamandiras' in all districts to showcase the rich heritage of the respective regions, state Minister for Kannada and Culture V Sunil Kumar said Sunday.

Speaking after laying the foundation stone for the Rangamandira in Udupi, he said it was surprising that Dakshina Kannada and Udupi, which have a rich cultural heritage, did not have centres for performing arts till now.

The minister said at present, 13 districts did not have Rangamandiras and the government is taking steps for construction of the centres in all the districts. A grant of Rs 5 crore will be provided for district-level Rangamandiras and Rs 2 crore for taluk-level centres, he said.

Kumar said Rs 2.5 crore will soon be released for the Udupi centre, while the construction of a Rangamandira in Mangaluru will start soon. Various cultural forms of the region, including Yakshagana, can be promoted through such centres, he said.

Udupi MLA K Raghupathi Bhat and Karnataka coastal area development authority chairman Mattar Rathnakar Hegde were among those present. PTI 

 Una, SEPTEMBER 30

AICC spokesperson Alka Lamba today called the Agnipath scheme an insult to armed forces.

Alka, while addressing mediapersons here, said national security had been made a contractual arrangement where soldiers would work only for three to four years. The Agnipath scheme is a big flop. The Congress is committed not only to opposing the scheme, but also reviving the traditional service system on forming governnment at the Centre.

He said people were reeling under the pressure of inflation and unemployment. She questioned what interventions Union minister Anurag Thakur, who represents the Hamirpur segment, had made to address issues and why the much-publicised Una-Hamirpur railway line project had received only a token budget.

Alka said Union ministers Smriti Irani and Meenakshi Lekhi were likely to visit Una for election campaigning. Local women should ask them why the cost of LPG refill had crossed Rs 1,100. She added 10 lakh youth in Himachal Pradesh were unemployed and the state was under a debt of Rs 70,000 crore despite the BJP rhetoric of a double engine development model.

Alka said the Chief Minister should ask the Centre for debt relief and the Congress would also support him. She said the mining mafia had been rampant.

Leader of the Opposition Mukesh Agnihotri said late Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh was a towering personality. He added the leaders, who left the Congress to join other parties, should exercise restraint on their language.

Agnihotri said the Congress MLAs were being pressured by the government in the name of investigating agencies, a fact which was supported by Kasumpti MLA Anirudh Singh.

 Chandigarh, October 1

The Punjab government has sought financial assistance from the Centre for the solarisation of agriculture pump sets with up to 15 horsepower on the pattern of northeast and hilly states.

In a letter written to RK Singh, Union Minister for Power and New and Renewable Energy, Punjab Minister Aman Arora said the ministry has made a provision for providing central financial assistance (CFA) to farmers of northeast and hilly states for their pumps up to 15 HP capacity last month.

But, this facility is available only for up to 7.5 HP agri-pumps in Punjab, he pointed out.

The financial assistance is given under the PM-KUSUM (Pradhan Mantri Kisan Urja Suraksha evam Utthan Mahabhiyan) scheme.

"Punjab was the pioneer state in the green revolution, which is rightly known as the food bowl of India. Thus, farmers of the state also need hand-holding of the Central government and they also deserve to avail benefits of the scheme.

"Punjab is predominantly an agrarian state, and around 14 lakh electric motor pumps and 1.50 lakh diesel pump sets are being utilised for irrigation in the state," Arora said in the letter.

The minister said the capacity of the majority of pumps ranges from 10 HP to 15 HP in the state.

The cost to solarise these pumps would be very high and out of the reach of the farmers. Hence, to bring the cost of these pumps into the ambit of the farmers, financial assistance is required to be provided for higher capacity pumps, he said.

In the letter, he mentioned that the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) has been providing 30 per cent CFA for the solarisation of agriculture pump sets of capacity up to 7.5 HP under the PM-KUSUM scheme

 Vadodara, October 1

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar arrived in Gujarat’s Vadodara city on Saturday with at least 50 ambassadors and high commissioners to participate in the ongoing Navratri festival.

Vadodara, known as the cultural capital of the state, is famous for its 'garba' events, which are attended by thousands of people who dance in a synchronised way to music and traditional songs in praise of the goddess.

“Great to see Ambassadors and High Commissioners in Vadodara for the Navratri experience. Look forward to participating in the celebrations tonight,” Jaishankar, a Rajya Sabha MP from Gujarat, tweeted on his arrival here.

He told reporters nearly 50 Ambassadors and High Commissioners have come with him to "enjoy garba tonight".

 New Delhi, October 1

There will be a direct contest between Mallikarjun Kharge and Shashi Tharoor for the post of Congress president with papers of the third candidate KN Tripathi, former Jharkhand MLA of the party, rejected on Saturday following scrutiny.

Chairman of the Congress Central Election Authority Madhusudan Mistry after the scrutiny committee meeting on Saturday said the authority had received 20 nomination forms of which four have been rejected for variation of proposer signature and repetition and smudging of proposer signatures.

All rejected forms pertain to Tripathi, Mistry said announcing that there are now two official candidates in the fray for the party president post.

“The last date for withdrawals is October 8. If none of the candidates in the fray withdraw, we will proceed with formalities of voting and election,” said Mistry.

The election if required would be held on October 17, a first in 22 years. The last election saw Sonia Gandhi defeat late Jitendra Prasad, the father of UP BJP leader Jitin Prasad who switched over to the saffron side earlier.

Kharge, a nine time Karnataka MLA and a third term MP is tipped to be the Congress president as an official nominee of the Gandhis.

Tharoor, a Lok Sabha MP from Thiruvananthapuram has meanwhile decided to continue his bid saying he won’t withdraw even as his own G-23 colleagues on Friday called for consensus and backed Kharge.

Kharge will be the first non-Gandhi to head Congress in 24 years after Sitaram Kesri who demitted office in 1998 when Sonia Gandhi came in to become the longest serving party chief.