‘Congress has sworn to insult her’: BJP on AI video of PM Modi’s mother; blames Rahul Gandhi’s ‘arrogance’
NEW DELHI: The BJP on Thursday slammed the Congress over an AI-generated video featuring Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his late mother Heeraben, accusing the party of taking a vow to “repeatedly insult” her. The clip was posted by the Bihar unit of the Congress. “The Congress has sworn to repeatedly insult the late mother of PM Shri Narendra Modi Ji. When they found nothing, they showed his mother in a fake video, making her say words that are a complete insult to her,” the Bihar BJP posted on X, alleging that such videos were being circulated at the behest of “arrogant” and “anarchic” Rahul Gandhi. The clip, shared on Wednesday, begins with an AI version of PM Modi going to sleep after declaring that the day’s “vote chori” (vote theft) is done. He then dreams of his mother, and the AI version of Heeraben appears. “First you forced me to stand in long queues during demonetisation and made a reel of washing my feet. Now you are doing politics in Bihar in my name. You are getting banners of my ‘insult’ printed. You are again doing drama in Bihar. How low will you stoop?” she asks, before “PM Modi” hurriedly wakes up. Gandhi has repeatedly accused the Election Commission of indulging in “vote chori” to benefit the BJP — a charge the poll body has firmly denied. This comes days after the prime minister was abused during a Congress-RJD rally in the poll-bound state, with his mother being mentioned. He hit back soon after, calling the remarks an insult not only to him but to “every mother, sister, and daughter of the country,” adding that the people of Bihar shared his anguish. Heeraben Modi passed away in December 2022 at the age of 99. Courtesy : TOI Note: This news is originally published on https:/timesofindia.com/bha and is used purely for non-profit/non-commercial purposes, especially human rights
Cong doesn’t rule out TMC alliance for 2026 elections
Kolkata: Congress on Thursday did not rule out a possible tie-up with Trinamool for the 2026 Bengal assembly polls. While the Congress high command left the question of an “alliance” to the opinion of state netas and “ground realities”, it said Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra would be part of the election campaign. Congress general secretary (organisation) K C Venugopal held a meeting with Pradesh Congress netas to assess the party’s strength in the districts. “The issue of a possible alliance will be discussed in Pradesh Congress first. They will assess the political situation and come forward with a solution. The party high command will take a call at that point in time,” Venugopal said. During the two-hour meeting with Congress’s Bengal minder Ghulam Ahmed Mir, state president Subhankar Sarkar, Malda South MP Isha Khan Chowdhury and seniors like Adhir Chowdhury and Deepa Dasmunshi, Venugopal listened patiently to diverging opinions. Congress, which secured 44 seats in the 2016 assembly polls, was reduced to zero in 2021. Its vote share in Bengal declined from 12% to 3% during this period. In the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, Congress’s seats were reduced from four to two. In both the assembly polls, Congress was in alliance with the Left Front. In the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, its seat tally was further reduced to one, and the party was able to retain only the Malda Dakshin seat. However, its vote share increased marginally by a little more than 4.5%. “The Congress high command wants the state unit to consolidate its strengths first. We will leverage that and decide the number of seats the party wants to contest,” a Pradesh Congress neta said. Courtesy : TOI Note: This news is originally published on https:/timesofindia.com/bha and is used purely for non-profit/non-commercial purposes, especially human rights
India gets new VP! CP Radhakrishnan takes oath as 15th vice-president; Jagdeep Dhankhar present
NEW DELHI: CP Radhakrishnan on Friday took oath as the 15th vice-president of India at a formal ceremony in Rashtrapati Bhavan. The oath was administered by President Droupadi Murmu.The swearing-in ceremony was attended by senior leaders including Prime Minister Modi, Amit Shah and Rajnath Singh. Former vice-presidents Jagdeep Dhankhar, Venkaiah Naidu and Hamid Ansari were also present at the ceremony. Odisha chief minister Mohan Charan Majhi, Karnataka governor Thaawarchand Gehlot, Andhra Pradesh chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu, Punjab governor and chandigarh administrator Gulab Chand Kataria, Jharkhand governor Santosh Gangwar, and Madhya Pradesh chief minister Mohan Yadav. After the ceremony, Radhakrishnan paid floral tribute to Mahatma Gandhi, at the Rajghat. Radhakrishnan, the NDA nominee, was elected as the vice-president on Tuesday, securing 452 votes against opposition candidate and former Supreme Court judge B Sudershan Reddy, who received 300 votes. September 12 was chosen for the ceremony as the time was found to be “auspicious by the pandit ji,” news agency ANI reported citing sources. The election was necessitated due to the sudden resignation of the then incumbent, Jagdeep Dhankhar, on July 21 over health issues. Courtesy : TOI Note: This news is originally published on https:/timesofindia.com/bha and is used purely for non-profit/non-commercial purposes, especially human rights
‘Completely misconceived’: Madras HC dismisses plea on Rahul Gandhi’s ‘vote chori’ charge; imposes Rs 1 lakh fine on petitioner
NEW DELHI: The Madras high court dismissed a public interest litigation (PIL) seeking directions to the Election Commission of India (ECI) to clarify leader of opposition Rahul Gandhi’s “vote chori” (vote theft) allegations, terming the plea “completely misconceived.” “The petition is vague, devoid of material particulars, lacks substantive evidence, and founded solely on political claims and counter-claims. It could not be a ground to compel the ECI to issue clarifications,” the bench observed in its order on Tuesday, according to ANI. The court imposed a cost of Rs 1 lakh on the petitioner, to be paid to the Tamil Nadu State Legal Services Authority. It underlined that dismissal of the PIL should not be construed as its opinion on the allegations themselves, and said the poll panel remains free to take its own decisions in this matter. Rahul Gandhi vs Election Commission On August 7, Gandhi alleged at a press conference that the 2024 Lok Sabha elections were “choreographed” by the Election Commission to benefit the BJP, mockingly calling it the only party “immune to anti-incumbency.” Citing Congress’s “research” on voting in Karnataka’s Mahadevapura assembly segment, he alleged “vote chori” of 1,00,250 votes. The ECI dismissed the charge as “baseless” and asked Gandhi to either file a sworn declaration or apologise for his “absurd” remarks. The Raebareli MP refused, saying he had cited ECI’s own data, and that had already taken oath to the Constitution as a parliamentarian. Addressing a rally in poll-bound Bihar’s Patna on September 1, he hinted at fresh disclosures, declaring he would drop a “hydrogen bomb” after the “atom bomb.” Courtesy : TOI Note: This news is originally published on https:/timesofindia.com/bha and is used purely for non-profit/non-commercial purposes, especially human rights
Savarkar’s kin files plea in court seeking Rahul Gandhi’s clarification on withdrawn claim of ‘threat to life’
Pune: The lawyer representing Satyaki Savarkar, the grandnephew of Hindutva ideologue Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, in a fresh application to the special MP/MLA court in Pune on Wednesday sought directions to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi to personally attest or countersign every application, pursis (written statement), and proceeding filed in the ongoing defamation case to “avoid any miscarriage of justice”. The case relates to Gandhi’s alleged remarks against the Hindutva ideologue in his March 2023 speech in London. On Aug 13, Gandhi’s lawyer, Milind Pawar, claimed through a pursis that the Congress MP faced a threat to his life. However, a day later, Pawar withdrew the pursis after Gandhi expressed his strong disapproval of its contents. Satyaki’s lawyer, Sangram Kolhatkar, in his fresh plea, also sought the court’s directions for Gandhi’s personal presence and an affidavit confirming whether the earlier pursis filed by his counsel was made under his instructions. He further demanded that a “strict and stern warning” be issued to prevent any further filing without Gandhi’s instructions. “We told the court that if Gandhi filed similar applications earlier through his lawyer, why did he find only the one dated Aug 13 objectionable?” Kolhatkar told TOI, adding that he told the court that it was necessary to clarify matters at this stage, as Gandhi might later claim that his lawyer filed applications without consulting him. Kolhatkar said while he concluded his argument on Wednesday, Gandhi’s lawyer is yet to submit his response or argue on this demand, and it is likely to happen in the next hearing on Sept 22. In an earlier plea filed on Aug 13, Satyaki sought the court’s directives to officials at the Vishrambaug police station to submit information obtained from a social media platform. He also urged the court to direct Gandhi not to delete the video from the platform. Pawar, in his reply before the court, argued that the plea was “misconceived” and “not maintainable and devoid of merit”. Pawar told the court that police had already submitted their final report and there was no provision in law allowing the complainant to seek an additional report. He argued that the demand to restrain Gandhi from deleting the video was “wholly baseless, speculative, and unsupported by any provision of law.” Pawar further submitted that since the matter pertained to criminal proceedings under the IPC and not a civil suit, the court had no jurisdiction to restrain or stay the personal liberty of the accused. Courtesy : TOI Note: This news is originally published on https:/timesofindia.com/bha and is used purely for non-profit/non-commercial purposes, especially human rights
Why ‘premier-like’ protocol for Rahul in Rae Bareli, asks UP min
Lucknow: UP horticulture minister Dinesh Pratap Singh on Wednesday accused the Rae Bareli district administration of giving extraordinary protocol to Congress MP and leader of opposition Rahul Gandhi during the latter’s visit to his parliamentary constituency. In a letter dashed to UP BJP chief Bhupendra Chaudhary – copies were marked to BJP national president JP Nadda, home minister Amit Shah, chief minister Yogi Adityanath, principal secretary (home) and DGP – Singh said that the Rahul was given a treatment “as if he was a premier” of a country. The development came hours after Singh led a group of BJP workers in Rae Bareli to protest the use of derogatory words for PM Narendra Modi’s mother during a recent Congress meeting in Bihar. Singh said that the administration diverted traffic in and around Rae Bareli for 70 km, forcing commuters to take a longer route. Likewise, he said, the vendors and small shopkeepers were forcibly evicted from the crossings. “This caused grave resentment amongst the public, especially the small-time shopkeepers,” he said. “The arrangements seemed to ensure that no poor were visible on the streets of Rae Bareli. The administration terrorised the marginal and poor,” he said. The minister clarified that the intention of the party workers was not to disrupt traffic during Rahul’s visit, but stage a simple protest. “Party workers had even put up banners saying that the road was open to the people,” Singh said. Accusing the district administration of “misbehaving” with the party workers, Singh alleged, “Even a microphone which was being used to regulate the traffic by party workers was snatched.” Singh said that the “insult” of the party workers prompted him and his supporters to intervene and join the protest. In political circles, the development is seen as Singh’s attempt to wheel out a narrative portraying Rahul’s presence as elitist, disruptive, or against the interests of common people. The letter aimed to project Gandhi as an entitled leader enjoying “VIP culture,” contrasting him with BJP’s pro-poor image. Singh, who was formerly with the Congress, had shifted loyalty to BJP in 2018. He even contested against Congress leader Sonia Gandhi in 2019 but lost. The BJP subsequently routed him to the legislative council and later inducted in the Yogi Adityanath cabinet. He contested against Rahul Gandhi in 2024 Lok Sabha poll, too Courtesy : TOI Note: This news is originally published on https:/timesofindia.com/bha and is used purely for non-profit/non-commercial purposes, especially human rights
CP Radhakrishnan wins VP race: Rooted in RSS, non-confrontational – meet new vice president of India
NEW DELHI: National Democratic Alliance’s (NDA) candidate, CP Radhakrishnan, was elected as India’s 15th Vice President after securing 452 votes in Tuesday’s election. His rival, Justice B Sudershan Reddy of the INDIA bloc won 300 votes and 15 votes were deemed invalid. The contest, held in Parliament House in New Delhi, came just weeks after the resignation of Jagdeep Dhankhar on health grounds in July. Voting took place between 10am and 5pm, followed by counting in the evening. Prime Minister Narendra Modi cast the first ballot, with senior ministers including Amit Shah, Rajnath Singh and JP Nadda also voting. Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi, Mallikarjun Kharge, Sonia Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra were among those representing the opposition. The NDA’s numerical strength made Radhakrishnan’s victory almost certain. Several parties chose to abstain from the voting. The Biju Janata Dal and the Bharat Rashtra Samithi abstained, while the Shiromani Akali Dal boycotted the poll. Who is CP Radhakrishnan? Born on October, 20 1957 in Tiruppur, Tamil Nadu, he began as an RSS swayamsevak and joined the Bharatiya Janasangh in the 1970s. Twice elected MP from Coimbatore (1998, 1999), he chaired the Standing Committee on Textiles and served on finance and PSU committees. He was also part of delegations to the UN General Assembly and Taiwan. As BJP’s Tamil Nadu president (2004–2007), he led a 93-day, 19,000 km ‘Ratha Yatra’. Later, he became the party’s in-charge for Kerala (2020–2022). As Coir Board chairman (2016–2020), he oversaw record exports worth ?2,532 crore. Held gubernatorial roles in Jharkhand, Maharashtra, Telangana, and Puducherry, where he was known for extensive outreach. Regarded as a seasoned organiser with over four decades in public life and deep roots in Tamil Nadu’s political fabric. Courtesy : TOI Note: This news is originally published on https:/timesofindia.com/bha and is used purely for non-profit/non-commercial purposes, especially human rights.
After the Voter Rights Yatra in Bihar, Congress is busy campaigning to keep the atmosphere hot against the government, released a newsletter
Bihar Assembly Election 2025: After the Voter Rights Yatra in Bihar, now the Congress is publicizing the purpose of this journey. It is accusing the BJP of vote theft and tampering with the voter list through SIR. Patna: Congress has started publicizing its purpose after Rahul Gandhi’s Voter Rights Yatra in Bihar. After the journey, the Congress released a newsletter. It tells about Rahul Gandhi’s nationwide campaign to “expose vote theft and protect democracy”. Regarding Rahul Gandhi’s visit to Bihar, the Congress has said that this journey was done to protect the rights of voters. This journey passed through 25 districts. The process of assembly elections in Bihar is likely to start after mid-October. Before this, the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and India Alliance (INDIA Bloc) are putting all their strength to create an atmosphere in their favor. Congress said – will protect the rights of voters Congress has told about Rahul Gandhi’s campaign against “vote theft” in a post on X. Congress has said that the purpose of his Voter Rights Yatra in Bihar is to protect the rights of voters. Congress said, “Our campaign against vote theft has exposed how BJP is stealing votes and rigging elections in connivance with the Election Commission.” Congress has urged people to read the newsletter so that they can get more information. The newsletter explains in detail the campaign against electoral malpractices. It says that Rahul Gandhi exposed “voter fraud and the role of the Election Commission (ECI) in helping the BJP” for months. It also says that the real turning point came when he caught more than one lakh fake votes in Bangalore Central. After this, he started the Voter Rights Yatra in Bihar to convey the message directly to the people. Voter rights claim to become mass movement The newsletter claims, “What started as a leader’s fight has now become a mass movement to protect our right to vote.” It said the yatra highlighted the disenfranchisement of lakhs of voters through the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter lists. The yatra covered 1300 km in Bihar and included 18 rallies. These were attended by All India Alliance leaders like RJD leader Tejashwi Prasad Yadav, CPI-ML’s Dipankar Bhattacharya and VIP’s Mukesh Sahni. The newsletter also said that Rahul Gandhi had a tea party with Bihar residents declared “dead” in the Election Commission’s SIR draft voter list. He participated in harvesting makhana with farmers in Purnia. He also traveled on a Bullet with his sister Priyanka Gandhi and Tejashwi. The newsletter alleged that BJP people are “stealing votes” in five ways. These methods are – fake and invalid addresses, misuse of Form 6, duplicate voters, bulk voters at the same address and invalid photographs. Curated by: Suryakant Pathak About the author Suryakant Pathak is a consultant at Navbharat Times Online. He has been doing journalism for the last 31 years. He writes news, analysis and blogs on India’s international relations, political-social developments in the country and the world. He started as a reporter in Dainik Bhaskar in 1995. Courtesy: Hindi News
‘Punjab is struggling with floods, this gentleman is touring Malaysia’: AAP’s Anurag Dhanda hits out at Rahul Gandhi
NEW DELHI: Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national media in charge Anurag Dhanda on Sunday took a jibe alleged that Congress leader and Leader of Opposition (LoP) Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi was “touring Malaysia” at a time when Punjab was reeling under floods. In a post on X, Anurag Dhanda shared, “If there are elections in Punjab, this person will show up asking for votes, but today when Punjab is struggling with floods, this gentleman is touring Malaysia?” As of Saturday, 46 people have lost their lives due to floods in Punjab, according to the officials. Punjab finance minister Harpal Singh Cheema said that nearly 2,000 villages and over four lakh people have been affected. He said that 24 teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and two teams of the state disaster response force (SDRF) are on the ground, supported by 144 boats and a state government helicopter. Earlier BJP IT Department in-charge Amit Malviya launched a scathing attack on Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, accusing him of going on a “clandestine vacation” to Langkawi, Malaysia, amidst the Bihar Assembly elections. Malviya took to the social media platform X to share a picture of Gandhi, questioning the timing and purpose of his trip. In a post on X, Amit Malviya shared, “Rahul Gandhi has slipped away yet again–this time on a clandestine vacation in Langkawi, Malaysia. Looks like the heat and dust of Bihar’s politics was too much for the Congress Yuvraj, who had to rush off for a break. Or is it another one of those secret meetings that no one is supposed to know about? Either way, while people struggle with real issues, Rahul Gandhi is busy perfecting the art of disappearing and vacationing.” Earlier, Rahul Gandhi launched a newsletter, standing firm on his revelations of alleged “vote theft” against the Election Commission of India (ECI) and the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the Centre. “The opposition leader Rahul Gandhi’s campaign against ‘vote theft’ is exposing how the Election Commission and BJP are colluding to steal your vote and rigging the elections,” Congress posted on X while informing about the release of a newsletter that entails Gandhi’s “atom bomb” presser. In his press conference held on August 7, Gandhi alleged over one lakh fake voters in the Mahadevapura assembly constituency in Karnataka’s Bengaluru Central. The newsletter also highlights Gandhi’s ‘Vote Adhikaar Yatra’ in Bihar, where he was joined by his allies in the INDIA bloc, including Bihar LoP and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav. Courtesy : TOI Note: This news is originally published on https:/timesofindia.com/bha and is used purely for non-profit/non-commercial purposes, especially human rights.
Kharge chides farmer hit by flood, BJP says conduct ‘arrogant’
NEW DELHI: BJP and its allies on Monday lashed out at Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge over a viral video purportedly showing his interaction with a distressed farmer in Karnataka’s Kalaburagi, calling his conduct “arrogant” and unbecoming of a senior neta. BJP also criticised Rahul Gandhi over his reported trip abroad, describing him as “a casual politician” and saying it would have been good had the Congress neta visited flood-hit Karnataka and Punjab where farmers are in distress. The clip from Kalaburagi, which has circulated widely on social media, captures Kharge’s conversation with a farmer whose crop was damaged by the recent floods in the region. Slamming Kharge for allegedly chiding a farmer for telling him that he had lost the crop on his four-acre farm in Kalaburagi in Congress-governed Karnataka due to heavy rains, BJP functionary Ravi Shankar Prasad asked, “What kind of arrogance is this?” Kharge told the farmer from his traditional political turf that he himself had suffered damages at his 40-acre farm. Prasad also reminded Gandhi that there is no break in public life. “Best wishes to Rahul Gandhi when he is on vacation. When someone is a casual politician, it is bound to happen – ‘Now I have worked a lot. Let me take a break’. Let me gently remind Rahul Gandhi that there is no break in public life,” Prasad said. Meanwhile, JDS functionary and Union minister H D Kumaraswamy reacted sharply on X, saying, “Respected Mallikarjun Kharge, I was deeply disappointed by your behaviour towards the farmers. From a senior functionary, I certainly did not expect such conduct. If a farmer in distress cannot approach you and share his pain, then who else should he turn to? You are LoP in Rajya Sabha and the President of the AICC. Yet, you completely forgot these responsibilities while speaking!” Courtesy : TOI Note: This news is originally published on https:/timesofindia.com/bha and is used purely for non-profit/non-commercial purposes, especially human rights.