Latest news with #ManishTewari
India Gazette
9 hours ago
- Politics
- India Gazette
"Linking Aadhaar to Voter ID different from using it as ID proof," Congress's Manish Tewari responds to Amit Malviya
New Delhi [India], June 12 (ANI): Congress MP Manish Tewari has responded to BJP leader Amit Malviya's criticism of the Congress party's stand on Aadhaar-Voter ID linkage, stating there is a clear difference between linking Aadhaar to Voter ID and using Aadhaar, which contains biometric identifiers, merely as proof of identity. In a post on X, Manish Tewari wrote, 'It does not really require rocket science to figure out that there is a difference between linking the Aadhar ID to the Voter ID and the Aadhar ID that has biometric identifier's being used as proof of identity.' Earlier, BJP leader Amit Malviya hit out at the Congress over what he described as a 'shameless flip-flop' in its stand on Aadhaar and Voter ID linkage. In his post on X, Malviya pointed to Congress' protests in Parliament in 2021 against the Centre's proposal to link Aadhaar with Voter ID, and compared it to the party's current stand. '2021: Modi government proposes voluntary linking of Voter ID with Aadhaar. Congress protests inside Parliament with placards screaming: 'Aadhaar is just for targeted delivery of benefits. It can't be linked with Voter ID!' Malviya's post read. The post added, '2025: Congress now wants Aadhaar to verify Voter ID. Same Aadhaar. Same Voter ID. Just exposed hypocrisy. Anything for votes--even if it means shameless flip-flops!' Malviya's remarks came in response to an ongoing debate over the use of Aadhaar in the Special Intensive Revision of the electoral roll in Bihar. On Thursday, the Supreme Court allowed the Election Commission to continue with its exercise of conducting a Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls in poll-bound Bihar. The Election Commission launched the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) to update the state's electoral rolls. However, opposition parties have raised concerns, arguing that the short timeline and strict requirements could lead to the exclusion of many eligible voters. (ANI)
Time of India
04-07-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Chandigarh's airport puzzle: Old terminal may fly again as shortcut plan crashes
1 2 Chandigarh: Not getting its way on the shorter route to the Shaheed Bhagat Singh International Airport, the Chandigarh administration is now eyeing a throwback solution — reopening the old airport terminal. Attending the 'Northern Region Ministers Conference on Civil Aviation' in Dehradun on Friday, UT chief secretary Rajeev Verma formally proposed reviving the old terminal, which lies just 6 km from Sector 17, compared to the 21 km trek to Mohali's terminal. The move could dramatically cut travel time for city residents. The administration also sought more international flights from the airport. "It is the first time the administration has formally proposed reopening the old airport terminal. It will sharply reduce the distance for the city residents to the airport," said a UT official. The old airport terminal was shut down for civil passengers after the Shaheed Bhagat Singh International Airport (SBSIAC) Chandigarh, having a terminal in Mohali, became operational in 2015. The old terminal was a civil enclave within the Chandigarh Air Force Station. "The demand for the operationalisation of the old Chandigarh airport has been consistently made by different sections of city residents. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Is your tinnitus getting worse? Do this immediately (Watch) Hearing Magazine Undo The demand increased after the plans for the alternative shorter route to the international airport didn't take off," said the official. Chandigarh MP Manish Tewari has also been demanding the operationalisation of the old Chandigarh airport. He raised the issue in Parliament in 2024. In response to Tewari's question on the re-operationalisation of the old airport, on Dec 19, 2024, minister of state for civil aviation Murlidhar Mohol said there was no proposal to make the old terminal operational for passenger movement. The administration has been raising the demand for a shorter route to the new international airport for several years but with little success. The matter is also pending in the Punjab and Haryana high court. On the directions of the high court, a proposal for the shorter route to the new international airport was finalised, and even the land acquisition process was started by Chandigarh. But the proposed shorter route got a major setback when the Chandigarh International Airport Ltd (CHIAL) resolved that in the interest of the airport with respect to future growth for the next 30-40 years, the land in respect of the construction of the road from Chandigarh to the airport should be utilised for some other purpose which would be beneficial for the CHIAL as the proposal to construct an alternate route by the UT Administration would hinder future expansion/growth of the airport. Notably, previously, CHIAL had agreed to the proposal of the Chandigarh Administration to grant permission to use CHIAL land for the construction of the road from Chandigarh to the airport. Punjab has also been reluctant in pursuing the shorter-route project. The Chandigarh Administration had finalised a tentative proposal to provide an alternate route for SBSIAC Chandigarh from Purv Marg (Jn-63) having a total length of 3.5 km. The alternate route will reduce the travel distance from 11.6 km to 3.5 km (from the junction).
Indian Express
22-06-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
‘Clearly escalatory': Opposition on US strikes on Iran nuclear sites
Several opposition parties Sunday criticised the US strikes on Iran's nuclear sites, with the Congress saying that the government should uphold the 'inviolability of national sovereignty and the two-state solution' as they are two fundamental postulates followed by the country traditionally. Congress MP and general secretary of the party's foreign affairs department Manish Tewari told The Indian Express, 'The strikes are clearly escalatory and will further confound the dynamics in the Middle-East. It is unclear whether the strikes are in contravention of the US War Powers Resolutions, under which the authority to declare war is with the US Congress.' He said the strikes also undermine the negotiations between the US and Iran, which were being mediated by Oman, and between Iran and European nations. 'It is also unclear whether Iran had any nuclear weapons in its possession… There were ghost WMDs (weapons of mass destruction) which became the basis of the attack on Iraq in 2003. Or for that matter the mass graves that were the cause of purported action against Libya by European powers under the specious R2P doctrine,' said Tewari. The Congress has been vocal against Israel's strikes in Iran and its offensive in Gaza. CPP chairperson Sonia Gandhi Saturday criticised the government's silence on Israel's offensive in Gaza and Iran as 'not just a loss of its voice, but also a surrender of values'. In an article in The Hindu titled 'It is still not too late for India's voice to be heard', she said the Narendra Modi government had abandoned India's long-standing and principled commitment to a peaceful two-nation solution envisioning an independent Palestine along with Israel. She also criticized US President Donald Trump for following a 'destructive path' in West Asia. SP chief Akhilesh Yadav said, 'the Central government is confused about foreign policy'. 'The government should clarify its stand on foreign policy. A friend is recognised in bad times. Not standing with someone who has always supported you in bad times is a betrayal.' TMC MP Sagarika Ghose told The Indian Express that the 'need now is for diplomacy and de-escalation'. 'A volatile West Asia is not in anyone's interest. India can't just be a bystander…' she said. AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi called the US strikes a violation of international laws and Treaty on Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons. He said after the US bombing, some of the Arab countries in West Asia may go for nuclear weapons due to Israel's 'blackmailing and hegemony'. In a joint statement, the Left parties said, 'This is a grave violation of Iranian sovereignty and the UN Charter, and it will inflame global tensions, destabilise West Asia…'
India Gazette
11-06-2025
- Politics
- India Gazette
"Diversity of our discourse is strength, not weakness": Manish Tewari defends Rahul Gandhi
New Delhi [India], June 11 (ANI): Congress MP Manish Tewari has come in defence of Leader of Opposition (LoP) in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi over the latter's 'Narendra Surrender' jibe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying that the diversity of India's domestic discourse is 'strength, not weakness'. He said that the contesting opinions and narratives set India apart from Pakistan and other totalitarian states. He argued that people in a democracy have the right to articulate their opinions, given the freedom of speech and expression. 'The strength of our democracy is its diversity, and the contesting opinions and narratives distinguish India not only from Pakistan but from a large number of other totalitarian states. The diversity of our domestic discourse is actually a strength, not a weakness. The fact remains that in any democracy, everybody has the freedom of speech and expression, and people have the right to articulate their opinions,' Tewari told ANI. Speaking about the mission that multi-party delegations were tasked with, the Congress MP said that the delegations were able to put Pakistan in the dock of international public opinion. 'The objective of this mission was clearly to put Pakistan in the dock of international public opinion, and to that extent, the various delegations that fanned out across the world have been able to plant that seed,' Tewari asserted. Talking about his delegation's meeting with the Prime Minister, the Congress MP emphasised that it was an informal and freewheeling conversation. 'It was an informal interaction, and the members of various delegations shared their impressions with the Prime Minister, who heard everybody out. He conveyed his own impressions. On the whole, it was an informal and freewheeling conversation. Most importantly, everybody was able to share the inputs they had collected across various nations. It was a holistic and comprehensive conversation,' Tewari said. Furthermore, Manish Tewari asserted that this initiative (sending delegations abroad) would help proscribe all states that use terrorism as an instrument of state policy. 'Certain seeds have been planted by various delegations across the world. Now, it is for the foreign office to build on this initiative and to take it to the next level to proscribe Pakistan, which is a state sponsor of terror on the global stage. On the whole, the visits laid the foundation for forming an international coalition against state sponsorship of terror. This is an initiative, if taken to a logical conclusion, would definitely help in proscribing all those states which use terrorism as an instrument of state policy,' the Congress MP said. Tewari was part of a multi-party delegation led by Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) or NCP (SP) MP Supriya Sule. The delegation visited Egypt, Qatar, Ethiopia, and South Africa as part of India's Operation Sindoor global outreach. Apart from Sule and Tewari, the delegation had members including Rajiv Pratap Rudy (BJP), Vikramjit Singh Sahney (AAP, Anurag Singh Thakur (BJP), Lavu Sri Krishna Devarayalu (TDP), Anand Sharma (Congress), V Muraleedharan (BJP), and former diplomat Syed Akbaruddin. (ANI)
Time of India
07-06-2025
- General
- Time of India
MP Manish Tewari inaugurates redeveloped park in Sec 30
1 2 Chandigarh: Chandigarh MP Manish Tewari on Saturday inaugurated the newly developed green belt park in Sector 30-A. Addressing the gathering, the MP said that the development of the park marks a significant milestone in the city's efforts to provide inclusive, accessible, and eco-friendly recreational spaces. Spread across 3.5 acres, the park has been redeveloped under various funding heads, with a total investment exceeding Rs 77.65 lakh. He said as part of landscaping, the park now features three aesthetically designed huts for public rest, 40 durable steel pipe benches, and a wide variety of decorative plants, including golden cypress, ornamental shrubs, ground covers, and palm species — creating a lush, vibrant environment. While briefing about the features of the green belt, Cong councillor Taruna Mehta said a 1,250-meter-long cement concrete walking and jogging track, constructed under the ward development fund, promotes health and wellness among residents. A modern public toilet block has also been added, ensuring hygiene and convenience for daily visitors. She said additionally, the mayor development fund supported the construction of boundary wall (toewalls) beneath existing MS flat railings in various parts of the park, enhancing safety and visual appeal. Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Giao dịch vàng CFDs với mức chênh lệch giá thấp nhất IC Markets Đăng ký Undo She said to further encourage evening use, the entire area is now well-lit with 55 energy-efficient lights. A dedicated outdoor gym zone, equipped with 8 fitness units, has been installed to promote physical activity among all age groups. Sec 41 gets 22 CCTV cameras Chandigarh MP Manish Tewari also inaugurated CCTV cameras installed under the MPLAD scheme in Sector 41A in the presence of area councillor Hardeep Singh Buterla, senior officers of MC, and prominent residents of the area. Under this project, 22 high-resolution CCTV cameras have been strategically installed at various points in the locality to monitor the entry and exit of people and enhance overall safety. The system is supported by 5 digital video recorders (DVRs) at different locations to ensure continuous and reliable surveillance. The project has been executed at an estimated cost of Rs 5 lakh.
