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India Today
2 days ago
- Politics
- India Today
Rahul Gandhi claims he was gagged as Parliament session kicks off amid chaos
As the first day of Parliament's Monsoon Session descended into chaos, adjournments and walkout, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi alleged bias, saying he was not allowed to speak in the Lok Sabha despite being the Leader of the Opposition."Defence Minister and others from the government are allowed to speak, but Opposition leaders are not allowed to speak. I am the Leader of Opposition, it is my right to speak, but they don't let me speak," Gandhi told reporters outside Parliament after the house a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Gandhi said he "ran out of the House in a second". "The debate will happen if they allow it, but the issue is that the victim states that if the people from the government say something, we should also be given space. We wanted to say two words, but the opposition was not allowed," he said. Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, who also spoke to the media outside Parliament, slammed the move, saying Rahul Gandhi should be allowed to speak. "If they (the government) are ready for discussion, they should let the Leader of the Opposition speak. He has stood up to speak, so he should be allowed to speak," she ADJOURNMENTS AND WALKOUT ON DAY 1Uproar erupted in both Houses of Parliament soon after proceedings began, with the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha adjourned twice following the Opposition's demand for an immediate discussion on Operation the Lok Sabha, Opposition leaders raised slogans and staged a protest in the Well of the House as proceedings began. The Speaker assured them that a discussion would be held after Question Hour, which led to chaos. When the House resumed after an adjournment, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju urged the Opposition members to raise their demands at the meeting of the Business Advisory Committee (BAC) scheduled for 2.30 pm on Monday."The Government is ready to respond to all issues that the Speaker agrees to take up at the BAC meeting. But raising slogans and disrupting the House on the first day of the Monsoon Session is unacceptable," Rijiju said in the Minister Rajnath Singh also assured Opposition MPs that the government was prepared for an extensive discussion on any issue approved by the Speaker. "The Government is willing to discuss any topic the Opposition wishes. Whatever time they need, the Government is ready to answer all their questions," he the Opposition continued sloganeering, after which the Speaker asked them to "go outside the House for sloganeering" and adjourned the the Rajya Sabha, Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge led the Opposition's charge, raising concerns over Operation Sindoor and former US President Donald Trump's repeated claims of mediating between India and Pakistan. Amid loud sloganeering, BJP President JP Nadda responded, reaffirming the government's willingness to hold a have given notice under Rule 267 regarding the Pahalgam terror attack and Operation Sindoor. The Pahalgam attack occurred on April 22, and to date, the terrorists have not been caught or neutralised. All parties had extended unconditional support to the government. The government must inform us about the developments," Kharge added, "US President Trump has claimed 24 times that the ceasefire happened solely because of his intervention. This is an insult to our country."Responding to this, JP Nadda said, "We are willing and eager to discuss Operation Sindoor". "There should be no impression that we are avoiding the discussion. There has never been an operation like this, the kind carried out under the leadership of Prime Minister Modi. The Indian government is fully prepared to provide all details and engage in a thorough discussion on Operation Sindoor," he Opposition members staged a walkout from the Rajya Sabha as the discussion continued.- EndsTune InMust Watch IN THIS STORY#Parliament
Economic Times
07-07-2025
- Business
- Economic Times
Peace time is nothing but 'illusion': Rajnath Singh
ANI Defence Minister Rajnath Singh Peace time is nothing but an "illusion", and India must remain prepared for uncertainty even during periods of relative calm, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said while hailing the armed forces for the valour they displayed during Operation an address at an event, Singh said the performance of the indigenously built equipment and platforms in the operation increased the global demand for India-built military products."The world is looking at our defence sector with new respect. A single delay or error in financial processes can directly affect operational preparedness," he said."Most of the equipment we once imported is now being made in India. Our reforms are succeeding because of the clarity of vision and commitment at the highest level," he said. The defence minister was addressing the Controllers' Conference of the Defence Accounts Department (DAD). "A single delay or error in financial processes can directly affect operational preparedness," he said, and called on the DAD to evolve from a "controller" to a "facilitator" in sync with increasing participation of the private sector in into the larger geopolitical situation, the defence minister cited an analysis by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, which said the global military expenditure reached USD 2.7 trillion in opens up tremendous opportunities for India's indigenous defence industries, he defence minister praised the DAD's new motto "Alert, Agile, Adaptive" and noted that these are not mere words, but a reflection of the work culture required in today's rapidly evolving defence urged officials to undertake internal reform through self-introspection, rather than relying solely on external audits or consultants. "Improvements made through internal evaluation create living organisations. These reforms are more organic, with fewer barriers. "Peace time is nothing but an illusion. Even during periods of relative calm, we must prepare for uncertainty. Sudden developments can force a complete shift in our financial and operational posture," he said."Whether it's stepping up equipment production or adapting financial processes, we must be ready with innovative techniques and responsive systems at all times," he urged the DAD to incorporate this mindset into their planning, budgeting and decision-making the increasing strategic and economic significance of the defence sector, Singh called for a shift in perception from defence spending as mere expenditure to an economic investment with multiplier impact. "Until recently, defence budgets were not seen as part of the national economy. Today, they are growth drivers," he added. Singh said India, along with the rest of the world, is entering a new phase of re-armament, marked by capital-intensive investments in the defence sector. The defence minister called upon the DAD to incorporate defence economics in their planning and assessments, including social impact analysis of R&D projects and dual-use technologies.
India Today
11-06-2025
- Politics
- India Today
A month into India-Pakistan ceasefire, Uri on LoC declares: ‘Bunkers a necessity now'
Broken walls, shattered windowpanes, damaged rooftops, tattered floor covers, broken utensils, ripped blankets, torn books, hollowed out wardrobes and suitcases—these sum up the scene in shelling-hit Gingal village of Uri in north Kashmir, some 16 km from the Line of Control (LoC) with amidst the ruins of her two-storied home, destroyed in the long-range artillery fire by Pakistan on the night of May 9, 39-year-old Misra Begum is still unable to reconcile with the loss. 'We're homeless now; our valuables of an entire lifetime are gone. My husband is a labourer; how will we build a new one (home)?' says Begum, recounting to INDIA TODAY the family's relentless struggles over the years to put together their over a month now, Begum, her husband and children—13-year-old son and seven-year-old daughter—have been staying at a relative's home nearby. Their devastated home symbolises the carnage caused by long-range shelling in the village of around 750 households between May 8 and 10, when Pakistan responded to India's Operation the vicinity, retired armyman Mohammad Naseer's home has been left with broken windows and holes in the roof. Some 300 metres away, a tw0-storied house has had its left wing, comprising four of the total eight rooms, damaged completely. 'The shelling shook our bodies; it felt like our ears were being torn apart. Had we not gathered in the kitchen, which is on the other side of the house, we would've been dead,' says 38-year-old Zahida Banoo, holding her two children. Her husband works in the Jammu and Kashmir like thousands of others in Uri, had fled her home to safer places when intense shelling by Pakistan wreaked havoc on the villages of Gangil, Lagama, Gharkote, Salamabad, Paranpilla, Bandi, Lagama and Dachi, among others. She returned after spending a week at her sister's home in Baramulla and another at a rented house in which hosts the head office of National Hydroelectric Power Corporation (NHPC), overlooking the 480 MW Uri-I power project on the Jhelum river flowing beneath into Pakistan, was perhaps the worst hit. Some 30-40 artillery shells, as per locals, landed in the village. Four homes were completely damaged and another 87 partially. The highly-guarded NHPC office, spanning over six acres, was also hit by shells—the damages caused to its residential buildings.'Windowpanes broke. There was fear all over; we hid inside bunkers,' informs E. Srinivas, deputy general manager at the NHPC installations near the LoC were put on high alert during the India-Pakistan offensive, owing to a potential threat from Islamabad in the backdrop of New Delhi suspending the Indus Waters Treaty after the terror attack in Pahalgam on April though, says Uri-I, the 240 MW Uri-II and 330 MW Kishanganga projects were fully secured and power generation was Naseer, a 33-year-old woman, shudders at the mention of 'war'. The four-day horror, May 7 to May 10, has left her with nightmares. She blames the media for the war hysteria at the cost of people's lives. 'Take us out of Uri and engage in the war, as much as you can. It looks easy from inside newsrooms; if you've the guts, exchange places with us,' she says, fighting been a month since the post-Operation Sindoor ceasefire with Pakistan, yet the residents of Uri grapple with fear and uncertainty. In recent years, the border villages here have had travellers trooping in, thanks to the tourism push by the government. Now, it has all come to a standstill.'The bullet has no eye to distinguish or differentiate. The deadly shells have damaged our buildings and left us all with lifelong trauma. We have lost sleep,' says Hafiz Zahid Hussain, a Bihar-origin moulvi at Gingal's mosque for the past 32 recall past wars between India and Pakistan, but say the use of long-range artillery this time and the damage it caused is unprecedented. According to an official assessment by the district administration of Baramulla, Uri tehsil suffered damage to 513 buildings—60 homes and five cowsheds were razed to the ground while 436 homes and 12 cowsheds were partially Karnah, in north Kashmir's Kupwara, over 100 buildings were damaged. Overall, in Jammu and Kashmir, Poonch in Jammu suffered the most, with thousands of structures reported to have been damaged. Of the 21 lives lost, 16 were in Poonch conflict has also triggered a bunker crisis in the border areas. Except for a few places like Salamabad and Gharkote, the villages in Uri are largely without bunkers, making them vulnerable to Ali, a resident of Paranpilla village, plans to construct a bunker in his farmland by taking advantage of its terraced design. 'We'll dig through the height of this land from tomorrow and concretise the hole, followed by cementing,' says Ali, sitting in his farmland by a flowing serenity of the surroundings belies the complexity of the situation. 'Bunkers are a necessity now,' decides to India Today Magazine
Economic Times
24-05-2025
- Politics
- Economic Times
All-party delegations meet top leadership in Russia, Japan, UAE; Convey India's strong anti-terror stand
Following the Pahalgam terror attack, Indian parliamentary delegations engaged with top officials in Russia, the UAE, and Japan, conveying India's firm stance against terrorism. They sought to bolster cooperation in counter-terrorism efforts and combat radicalism, emphasizing a unified message against cross-border attacks and advocating for a zero-tolerance approach to terrorism. Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Indian Parliamentary delegations on Friday put across New Delhi's 'zero-tolerance' policy on terrorism to top officials in Russia, the United Arab Emirates and Japan and exchanged views on furthering cooperation in counter-terrorism and combating radicalism following Operation Sindoor . "#TeamIndia sends a strong and united message on combating terrorism," External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, who is on a three-nation tour of Europe, said in a post on is sending out seven multi-party delegations to 33 global capitals to reach out to the international community on Pakistan's designs and India's response to terror in wake of the Pahalgam terror attack after which India launched Operation Moscow, the all-party delegation led by DMK MP Kanimozhi Karunanidhi met Deputy Foreign Minister of the Russian Federation Andrey Rudenko to sensitise the Russian side about terror emanating from Pakistan, a month after the Pahalgam attack that left 26 people dead. In Japan, the delegation led by JD(U) MP Sanjay Jha held a "focused and lively" press engagement held at the Indian Embassy in Tokyo where the MPs "briefed the Japanese media on India's 'New Normal' against cross-border attacks, zero tolerance for terrorism , and all parties resolve to stand united in all matters of national interest," the Embassy said in a post on the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the delegation led by Shiv Sena MP Shrikant Shinde, sent a "strong message of harmony, tolerance and peaceful coexistence - the values shared & cherished by India and UAE," the Indian Embassy in Abu Dhabi delegation paid obeisance at the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, BAPS Hindu Temple and Guru Nanak Darbar Gurudwara, the Embassy said in a post on all party delegation met Nikolay Mladenov, Director General of Anwar Gargash Diplomatic Academy and "exchanged views on furthering India-UAE cooperation in counter-terrorism and combating radicalism."The Indian MPs in Moscow earlier had a detailed exchange of views at a round-table meeting with all-party members of the Russian Federation Assembly (Parliament) led by the Duma (lower house) International Affairs Committee chair Leonid Slutsky of Liberal-Democratic delegation also met with First Deputy Chair of the Committee on International Affairs Andrey Denisov and other senators in the Federation Council of the Russian Federation, said a post from the Indian Embassy in Russia."The Russian side condemned the terrorist attack in Pahalgam and stated that Russia stands in solidarity with India for elimination of terrorism in all its forms and manifestations! Russia and India have a shared position in the fight against terrorism. Russia India | Together in the fight against terrorism!" it delegation in Tokyo also met Yasuhiro Hanashi, Acting Chairperson of the Research Committee on Counter-terrorism of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and former Minister of Justice. "India's unified and determined stance against terrorism in all its forms was highlighted. Both sides reiterated their zero-tolerance approach to terrorism," the Embassy of India in Japan said in another post on delegation also held fruitful interaction with Minoru Kihara, Former Defence Minister of Japan, and Shinako Tsuchiya, Director General of the International Bureau, Liberal Democratic Party (LDP).Tensions between India and Pakistan escalated after the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack that claimed 26 part of the Operation Sindoor in response to the Pahalgam attack, India carried out precision strikes on terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir in the early hours of May 7, following which Pakistan attempted to attack Indian military bases on May 8, 9 and Indian side responded strongly to the Pakistani actions and attacked air bases. The two countries reached an understanding to ceasefire on May 10.
Time of India
23-05-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
All-party delegations meet top leadership in Russia, Japan, UAE; Convey India's strong anti-terror stand
Following the Pahalgam terror attack, Indian parliamentary delegations engaged with top officials in Russia, the UAE, and Japan, conveying India's firm stance against terrorism. They sought to bolster cooperation in counter-terrorism efforts and combat radicalism, emphasizing a unified message against cross-border attacks and advocating for a zero-tolerance approach to terrorism. Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Indian Parliamentary delegations on Friday put across New Delhi's 'zero-tolerance' policy on terrorism to top officials in Russia, the United Arab Emirates and Japan and exchanged views on furthering cooperation in counter-terrorism and combating radicalism following Operation Sindoor . "#TeamIndia sends a strong and united message on combating terrorism," External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, who is on a three-nation tour of Europe, said in a post on is sending out seven multi-party delegations to 33 global capitals to reach out to the international community on Pakistan's designs and India's response to terror in wake of the Pahalgam terror attack after which India launched Operation Moscow, the all-party delegation led by DMK MP Kanimozhi Karunanidhi met Deputy Foreign Minister of the Russian Federation Andrey Rudenko to sensitise the Russian side about terror emanating from Pakistan, a month after the Pahalgam attack that left 26 people dead. In Japan, the delegation led by JD(U) MP Sanjay Jha held a "focused and lively" press engagement held at the Indian Embassy in Tokyo where the MPs "briefed the Japanese media on India's 'New Normal' against cross-border attacks, zero tolerance for terrorism , and all parties resolve to stand united in all matters of national interest," the Embassy said in a post on the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the delegation led by Shiv Sena MP Shrikant Shinde, sent a "strong message of harmony, tolerance and peaceful coexistence - the values shared & cherished by India and UAE," the Indian Embassy in Abu Dhabi delegation paid obeisance at the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, BAPS Hindu Temple and Guru Nanak Darbar Gurudwara, the Embassy said in a post on all party delegation met Nikolay Mladenov, Director General of Anwar Gargash Diplomatic Academy and "exchanged views on furthering India-UAE cooperation in counter-terrorism and combating radicalism."The Indian MPs in Moscow earlier had a detailed exchange of views at a round-table meeting with all-party members of the Russian Federation Assembly (Parliament) led by the Duma (lower house) International Affairs Committee chair Leonid Slutsky of Liberal-Democratic delegation also met with First Deputy Chair of the Committee on International Affairs Andrey Denisov and other senators in the Federation Council of the Russian Federation, said a post from the Indian Embassy in Russia."The Russian side condemned the terrorist attack in Pahalgam and stated that Russia stands in solidarity with India for elimination of terrorism in all its forms and manifestations! Russia and India have a shared position in the fight against terrorism. Russia India | Together in the fight against terrorism!" it delegation in Tokyo also met Yasuhiro Hanashi, Acting Chairperson of the Research Committee on Counter-terrorism of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and former Minister of Justice. "India's unified and determined stance against terrorism in all its forms was highlighted. Both sides reiterated their zero-tolerance approach to terrorism," the Embassy of India in Japan said in another post on delegation also held fruitful interaction with Minoru Kihara, Former Defence Minister of Japan, and Shinako Tsuchiya, Director General of the International Bureau, Liberal Democratic Party (LDP).Tensions between India and Pakistan escalated after the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack that claimed 26 part of the Operation Sindoor in response to the Pahalgam attack, India carried out precision strikes on terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir in the early hours of May 7, following which Pakistan attempted to attack Indian military bases on May 8, 9 and Indian side responded strongly to the Pakistani actions and attacked air bases. The two countries reached an understanding to ceasefire on May 10.
