Latest news with #RaeBareli
Mint
9 hours ago
- Politics
- Mint
‘Say Donald Trump is a liar': Rahul Gandhi dares PM Narendra Modi during Operation Sindoor debate
Rahul Gandhi, Leader of Opposition and Rae Bareli MP, has challenged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to publicly call US President Donald Trump a 'liar' for claiming credit for brokering a ceasefire between India and Pakistan following the tensions sparked by the Pahalgam terror attack. In his speech during a debate on Operation Sindoor in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi also targeting the Central government for lack of 'political will' in their attack on Pakistan. Referring to the targeted attack on terrorist establishments in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir (PoK), Rahul Gandhi accused the government of 'tieing the hands of the pilots'. 'I was listening to Rajnath Singh. The Defence Minister said that Operation Sindoor began at 1:05 am and it lasted 22 minutes. Then he said the most shocking thing. He said that ' we called Pakistan at 1:35 am and told them that we do not want to escalate, and we targeted only non-military targets'. You told Pakistanis what you will do. You went into Pakistan, and you told our pilots not to attack their air defence. It was bound that the aircraft would be downed. You tied the hands of our pilots,' Rahul Gandhi said.
India Today
14-07-2025
- Politics
- India Today
Robert Vadra: Politics is in the heir
(NOTE: This article was originally published in the India Today issue dated Feb 20, 2012)The oldest political dynasty in India has a new dynast. On February 6, Robert Vadra, 42, chose Rae Bareli, the headquarters of Gandhi Inc, political home of Indira Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi, to announce his ambitions. Astride a motorcycle, he declared: "If people want, I can join politics.'' The people did not reply; and the Congress party was a bit hesitant about its reaction. Most Congressmen were stunned. Loyalty lines were Gandhi, 41, was their chosen leader, and sister Priyanka, 40, a support rather than threat. What would her husband Robert constitute? In public perception, Rae Bareli had been allotted to Priyanka. She was seen as the natural successor to the family seat. Vadra has disrupted all calculations; the unspoken worry is that Vadra has developed prime ministerial ambitions and is now ready to voice who was campaigning in Amethi, 60 km away, blamed the media for asking her husband a golmatol (roundabout) question. She understood the implications, because a dynasty cannot have two heirs without Mughal-style war eventually breaking out. "He (Vadra) is a successful businessman and has no time for politics,'' she said. But her successful businessman refused to back down. In yet another interview, this time to a news channel, he reiterated his statement: "I think there is a time and place for everything. The day I feel that I can make a difference for the people, and the people would like me representing them... That calling will come at some stage, I feel.'' This was as plain as ambition can get. Suddenly Vadra, who has spent 15 years in the shadows, did not look apologetic about space in the limelight. His two children Raihan, 11, and Miraya, 9, came with him on this first solo foray into Rae Bareli. Since 1999, when he started accompanying the family on election campaigns. The man who once drove his brother-in-law Rahul's car seems to be seeking the driver's leaders are apprehensive about Vadra's move from Page 3 to Page 1. Adjectives like loose cannon are being used to describe Vadra, supplementing the familiar analogy between him and Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari, husband of the late Benazir Bhutto. Local Congress leaders in Rae Bareli have noticed the change in Vadra. Kalyan Singh Gandhi, 45, a Congress leader who has worked with the family for the past two decades, says Vadra wanted to create an impact in this election and asked for an individual event befitting his style. "So I organised the bike rally for him in Salon reserved constituency in Rae Bareli. Vadraji addressed two rallies before getting on the bike,'' Kalyan told India Today. The rally was officially in support of the local candidate Shiv Balak Pasi, who rode pillion on Vadra's bike. But it was in truth a coming-out also rode into controversy for violating the model code of conduct when the District Election Officer Pawan Sain stopped him. The 2005 batch IAS officer was promptly issued a transfer order even though the Election Commission (EC) claimed the order had been issued days earlier. However, the EC later said that Sain would stay on till the polls were has benefited from his association with the Gandhi family. Some privileges are minor but irritants in the public eye. For instance, the exemption from pre-embarkation security check at all the airports of the country. There are 31 categories of exemption, Vadra is the only one named, a category of his own. The remaining 30 are defined by rank and his marriage, Vadra's business has grown exponentially. His father Rajinder Vadra ran a brassware export business in Moradabad. Young Vadra started Artex, a handicrafts and fashion accessories business in 1997, the year he got married. In earlier interviews, he has spoken of how he went door to door selling samples. "It's not easy to set up a business from scratch. I went to Chawri Bazar and into the galis of Old Delhi to find my suppliers. I travelled the world with a bag of samples, went door to door to find buyers. I got pushed away many times but I persisted. And we have done very well. We have come a long way,'' he told a paper in brass-to-gold story is now in the public domain. In March 2011, a pink paper reported details about his "quiet and unheralded entry'' into the real estate business, including a partnership and wide-ranging transactions with the country's biggest realty firm, DLF. According to the paper, Vadra scaled up and diversified his business in 2007, acquiring tracts of land in Haryana and Rajasthan, a 50 per cent stake in a leading business hotel in Delhi, and attempting an entry into the business of charter aircraft. Several of his companies have received loans, some of them unsecured, from DLF Group responded to the report, saying that his association with DLF stemmed from a long-standing friendship with the family that controls the realty giant. "I have known the DLF people for a long time and they are friends of mine. I had wanted to invest in real estate and one thing led to another,'' he said. He took pains to clarify that he was doing things on his own. DLF claimed that the "business relationship of DLF Group with Vadra has been in his capacity as an individual entrepreneur and on a completely transparent and arms-length basis" So far, Vadra's growing empire has escaped public scrutiny because he has remained a private individual. If he becomes a claimant for legislature and office, he will have to abandon that returned to Delhi with Priyanka on the evening of February 6 after his news-making trip to Rae Bareli. Priyanka hit the campaign trail again on February 9. There is no word on Vadra's plans. Sources say the embarrassed Congress is looking for a way to rein in the son-in-law. "He has stolen the limelight from Rahul. Whatever gains Congress has made because of Rahul's efforts will come to naught if damage control is not done,'' rues a Congress has infused some life into a dead Uttar Pradesh Congress but Vadra has put the party on the backfoot. At the Centre too, the Congress leadership is not sure how to deal with Vadra; marriage creates obvious sensitivities. Questions remain in the mind: does Vadra have Sonia Gandhi's permission? Is he putting pressure on his wife? The official party line was offered by General Secretary Janardan Dwivedi and spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi. "People have interpreted Vadra's statement in a different context, I have nothing to add after Priyanka Gandhi's clarification on her husband's political ambitions,'' said Singhvi. He did not comment on Vadra's statements made in the wake of Priyanka's statements over the years, indicate that politics has always been a temptation, although his claimed focus is on his business, which he runs from his old 268, Sukhdev Vihar home in South Delhi. Maybe the time has come, in his calculation, for the crossover step. His business is flourishing and his persona familiar to media. He loves a party, whether it is at LAP night club or F-Bar at Ashok Hotel. He is not averse to being photographed in body-hugging black leather, which even earned him the Best Dressed Man Award from a city supplement in December 2011.A fitness fanatic, he is obsessed with his body, which he loves to display-be it in a fitness glossy or on his Facebook profile. He loves the toys that money can buy, and has an array of luxury cars, including a black 500 SEL Mercedes, a top-end BMW and a recently acquired Range Rover. Being protected by the Special Protection Group by virtue of marriage to Priyanka, he travels in style: his car is preceded by a pilot Gypsy with five Delhi Police commandos and followed by another Gypsy. In 2011, he purchased five top-end bikes-Hayabusa, Harley-Davidson and Ducati-though his friendly bike rides with brother-in-law Rahul have now has never been far from the headlines. Highs or lows, his life has been full of quirks and controversies. His uncle ran a school sponsored by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh at the family farmhouse in Moradabad. He disassociated himself from his father Rajinder and brother Richard through a public legal notice in January 2002. He alleged that they were promising jobs and favours using his name and association with the Gandhi family. His late father sued Vadra for April 2009, his father was found dead in a rundown Yusuf Sarai motel during the run-up to the Lok Sabha elections. The police said it appeared to be a suicide. Nothing was proven. His brother Richard committed suicide in September 2003 in Moradabad at the family's home. Vadra's sister Michelle died in a car accident on the Delhi-Jaipur highway in April is close to his mother Maureen, an Anglo-Indian of Scottish origin, who is a director in his five companies established after 2007. Priyanka was a founder-director in one of his companies, Blue Breeze Trading Pvt Ltd, set up in 2007 for chartering aircraft. However, she disassociated herself from the company and ceased to be a director in July 2008. Of late, Vadra has been spending a lot of time travelling, mostly to Dubai and England, leading some to claim that he might have acquired NRI status. When in India, he is said to divide his time equally between his luxury apartment at DLF Aralias in Gurgaon, and the couple's home in Delhi's Lutyens' Zone, Lodi who has earned herself the sobriquet of barsaati mendak (monsoon frog) seen only during elections, is focusing on bringing up their two children. She is trying to ensure a normal childhood for them, even saying in an interview that she loves baking cupcakes for them. She is a good, sensible mother. Studying in The Shri Ram School in Delhi, the children are believed to be well-behaved, disciplined and fuss-free. Priyanka makes it a point to attend all parent-teacher meetings and is active in the school's Parent-Teacher peace of mind, Priyanka has been practising Vipassana (meditation) for over a decade. She has also completed a master's degree in Buddhism. She also met Nalini, her father Rajiv Gandhi's assassin, in Vellore jail in 2008 "to make peace with the violence'' in her life. "I refuse to let anger and violence overpower me,'' she explained in an interview has, till now, been careful about separating the personal and the political but he has managed to inadvertently pit himself against Priyanka, the darling of the Congress, this time. The party would prefer Priyanka to become the candidate from Rae Bareli if Sonia Gandhi retires because of health reasons. In 2011, he told the paper that published his business links that he does "not try to benefit from my family". "I never take obligations from people because if I do, they will ask me for something bigger in return... People can imagine all kinds of things about me but people who matter to me know me and know how I am." Now, it seems he wants the world at large to know to India Today Magazine- Ends
News18
04-07-2025
- Science
- News18
'Seeing India From Space Was Emotional': Shubhanshu Shukla Interacts With Students
Last Updated: The interactive session was held at the CMS Auditorium, and it saw enthusiastic participation from students of several schools across Uttar Pradesh Shubhanshu Shukla, who is aboard the International Space Station (ISS) as part of NASA's Axiom Mission 4, interacted with the students of Lucknow. Shukla, who completed a week in space, appeared live on the screen holding a ball, captivating the students' attention as he answered their questions with excitement and warmth. The students were also thrilled and asked several questions about life in space. When asked how astronauts manage to stay fit while orbiting Earth, Shukla responded, 'We stay fit with yoga and regular exercise." Another student inquired about the view of Earth from space, to which he replied, 'Seeing India from space was an emotional moment." Notably, the interactive session was held at the CMS Auditorium, and it saw enthusiastic participation from students of several schools across Uttar Pradesh, including Rae Bareli, Hardoi, Sitapur, and nearby districts. Gaganyaan mission astronaut Angad Pratap Singh was also present at the venue, inspiring the next generation of space enthusiasts. The event took place with strict confidentiality — mobile phones and gadgets were collected from all attendees, and media personnel were not invited. On Wednesday, Shubhanshu Shukla completed a week in orbit. In just a week, the Ax-4 astronauts have already played a key role in advancing scientific research. Pilot Shubhanshu 'Shux" Shukla has been conducting experiments that explore how microgravity affects the growth and genetic behaviour of algae and how tardigrades, hardy microscopic creatures, survive and reproduce in space. First Published: July 04, 2025, 10:17 IST
Time of India
25-06-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Justice Sinha held Indira guilty of using govt official, machinery in poll campaign
With this address to the nation through the All India Radio on June 25, 1975, the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi proclaimed Emergency in the country. This was just 13 days after Justice Jagmohan Lal Sinha of Allahabad high court, in a momentous verdict, declared her election from Rae Bareli in 1971 Lok Sabha polls null and void, and disqualified her from holding any public office for six years. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now In his verdict, Justice Sinha found Indira Gandhi guilty of electoral malpractices on just two counts, rejecting a majority of charges levelled against her by her opponent in the 1971 election -- Raj Narain. Congress (R), the newly floated party, led by Indira Gandhi, had registered a landslide win in the 1971 elections -- 352 out of the 518 seats in the lower house. Indira herself won from Rae Bareli on March 10, defeating Raj Narain, the Samyukta Socialist Party candidate, by 1.1 lakh votes. However, feisty Raj Narain filed an election petition before the Allahabad high court within 45 days, challenging the election of Indira Gandhi, who was now the prime minister. Justice Sinha upheld the plea against Indira Gandhi on the basis of just two findings. He rejected a majority of charges levelled against her by her opponent. Charges Upheld 1. Use of govt official as an election agent Yashpal Kapur was her election agent for the Rae Bareli election. But he was also a Govt of India officer -- an OSD in the PM secretariat. Although he had resigned from his the PM office on Jan 13, 1971 and the secretariat issued a notification in this regard on Jan 25, 1971, the prosecution was able to prove that Kapur had delivered an election speech in favour of Indira Gandhi on Jan 7, 1971 at Munshi Ganj and another speech at Kalan on Jan 19, 1971, much before he was officially relieved from the PMO. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The court concluded that Gandhi obtained and procured the assistance of Kapur for the furtherance of her election prospects when he was serving as a gazetted officer with the government. This was in violation of Section 123(7) of the RP Act, Justice Sinha said. 2. Used Govt Machinery To Set Up Stage For Rally The second finding against Indira was that her election agent Yashpal Kapur, the DM of Rae Bareli, the superintendent of police and the home secretary of UP government arranged for rostrums, loudspeakers and barricades to be set up and for members of the police force to be posted in connection with her election tour on Feb 1 and Feb 25, 1971. This, the court said, amounted to a corrupt practice under Section 123(7) of the RP Act. Charges Dropped 1. Use of Armed Forces For campaigning It was alleged that at the instance of Gandhi, Air Force planes and helicopters had been arranged for her to enable her to address election meetings on two occasions. Justice Sinha turned down the charge. 2. Distribution of quilts, blankets, liquor It was alleged that quilts, blankets, dhotis and liquor were distributed by her agents and workers among voters. This allegation was also not upheld by the High Court. 3. Poll symbol – Cow politics It was argued that the Congress (R) symbol -- cow and calf -- was a religious symbol and an appeal to vote for the same amounted to an appeal vote based on religion. The HC, however, said that a cow and a calf are not religious symbols. 4. Election Expenses Indira Gandhi claimed she spent Rs. 12,892. Raj Narain was of the contention that she had spent Rs 1,28,700. He also claimed that Indira Gandhi spent Rs 1,32,000 for construction of rostrums for public meetings. The HC came to the conclusion that her total expenditure was Rs 31,976, beloe the precribed limit of Rs 35,000. SC's Partial Stay Indira Gandhi challenged the HC verdict in the Supreme Court, which allowed a partial stay on June 24, 1971. Indira Gandhi wanted a total stay on the HC order. The apex court order didn't satisfy her. A day later, she made the proclamation about the Emergency.
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First Post
25-06-2025
- Politics
- First Post
How Emergency gave rise to a new breed of Indian politicians
The Emergency, widely considered the darkest days of India's Independence, was imposed on June 25, 1975, by the then-Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. It lasted 21 long months till March 1977 when Gandhi was swept out of office. Then, a new generation of leaders emerged to lead India. Let's take a closer look at them read more In 1996, Atal Bihari Vajpayee became prime minister of India. Though his first term was short-lived, Vajpayee would go on to become one of India's most famous and accomplished leaders. Today (June 25) marks the 50th anniversary of the Emergency. The Emergency, widely considered the darkest days of India's Independence, was imposed on June 25, 1975 by then then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. Though emergencies had been declared in the past – in 1961 during the war with Pakistan and in 1971 in the war with China – this one was different. Politicians, writers and intellectuals jailed, the press clamped down on and rights of the common man suspended. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The Emergency would last long 21 months till March 1977. It ended with Indira being swept out of office and Morarji Desai coming to power as Prime Minister of the Janata Party-led government – the first non-Congress PM of the country. Let's take a closer look at how a new breed of politicians rose during the Emergency. Jayaprakash Narayan JP Narayan, also known as JP or Lok Nayak, was arguably the most important political figure of the Emergency. This without him ever once contesting political office. Narayan, a socialist politician, fought for India's freedom against the British alongside stalwarts such as Mahatma Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru. While he was close to Nehru, Narayan slowly began distancing himself from Indira. JP Narayan, also known as JP or Lok Nayak, was arguably the most important political figure of the Emergency. The irrevocable split occurred after Indira was found guilty of electoral malpractices by the Allahabad High Court. Narayan was among those who demanded that Indira resign. His call for Sampoorna Kraanti or 'total revolution' shook the foundations of Indira's government. Narayan, who called for a satyagraha at his famed speech at the Ramlila Ground rally in Delhi, stirred many into joining politics for the first time. Narayan was jailed at the outlet of the Emergency and released only when his health began failing. The Janata Party he helped form swept into power in 1977. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD However, Narayan would pass away just two short years later on Raj Narain Narain was arguably the man who set things in motion. After all, it was Narain, known as Lok Bandhu, whose disputed his loss to Indira Gandhi in Rae Bareli in 1971. The Allahabad High Court, siding with Narain, struck down Indira's win and barred her from contesting polls for over half a decade – though she remained prime minister. Narain was among the many leaders arrested during the Emergency. Raj Narain was arguably the man who set things in motion. Narain would ultimately get the laugh last over Indira – defeating her in the Rae Bareli election in 1977. Narain would pass away in December 31, 1986. 'As long as a person like Raj Narain is in this country, dictatorship can't grow here,' Ram Manohar Lohia said about Narain. Morarji Desai Desai made history as India's first non-Congress Prime Minister. Desai, a former Congress member, had been viewed by some as a successor to Nehru in whose Cabinet he had served. Though he served as deputy prime minister under Indira, he resigned after being removed as the finance minister. Desai joined the breakaway group known as Congress (O) after the split in the party. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Desai, who was arrested during the Emergency, was held in solitary confinement. Morarji Desai made history as India's first non-Congress Prime Minister. He would go on to join the Janata Party – and we know the rest. However, just two years later, the Janata Party coalition began coming undone. He was awarded India's highest honour, the Bharat Ratna, in 1991. He died in 1995 after a lifetime of staunch commitment to Gandhian principles. Atal Bihari Vajpayee Vajpayee, a member of the RSS, had joined the Bharatiya Jana Sangh in 1954. By 1975, he had served in both Houses of Parliament. He was among the first to protest the Emergency and among the first opposition politicians jailed. He would spend the entire Emergency in prison. Afterwards, the Bharatiya Jana Sangh joined the coalition that formed the Janata Party. In 1979, when the Janata Party was falling apart, Vajpayee was chosen as the president of the BJS – which lay claim to the mantle of the 'real Janata Party.' The Jana Sangh would later transform into the Bharatiya Janata Party – of which Vajpayee would be the first president. Vajpayee was elected to the Lok Sabha as a BJP member in 1991. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD In 1996, Vajpayee became prime minister of India. Though his first term was short-lived, Vajpayee would go on to become one of India's most famous and accomplished leaders. Prime Minister Narendra Modi with former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee. Source: PTI | File. Vajpayee retired from active politics in 2005. He would be awarded the Bharat Ratna in 2015. He died in 2018 at age 93. LK Advani Advani had served as the BJS president from 1973 to 1977 – when it joined the coalition to form the Janata Party. Arrested shortly after the Emergency was imposed, he was sent to Bengaluru's central jail. The Emergency's most famous quote, 'when asked to bend, they began to crawl," was attributed to LK Advani. Advani would go on to join Vajpayee as one of the founding members of the Bharatiya Janata Party. LK Advani was awarded the Padma Vibhushan in 2015 and the Bharat Ratna in 2024. He was one of the men on whose backs the BJP became a national political force. Though he would serve as home minister and deputy prime minister of India, he never got the top job. He was awarded the Padma Vibhushan in 2015 and the Bharat Ratna in 2024. George Fernandes Fernandes was a trade unionist and socialist leader. His foray into politics began in 1967 when he defeated Congress leader SK Patil. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The highlight of his political career came during the Emergency when he was forced to go on the run. Fernandes disguised himself as a fisherman and a Sikh to evade capture. He was ultimately arrested in June 1976 and lodged in Tihar Jail. From left to right, Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Defence Minister George Fernandes, India's 'missile man' APJ Abdul Kalam and Atomic Energy chief R Chidambaram display the victory symbol during a visit to the Shakti 1 test site, where India tested nuclear device in Pokhran. File image/AP In 1977, when elections were finally held, Fernandes ran from jail and won. He served as industry minister in the then Prime Minister Morarji Desai's government. Fernandes passed away in January 2019. He was 88-years-old. Fernandes received a posthumous Padma Vibhushan. Mulayam Singh Yadav By the time the Emergency was declared, Yadav was part of the Bharatiya Lok Dal. By now, he had served in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly. He was one of several opposition politicians swept up and arrested by the Indira regime in 1975. Mulayam Singh Yadav would also go on to form the Samajwadi Party and repeatedly serve as chief minister of Uttar Pradesh. Yadav, who spent 19 months in prison, later became minister of state in 1977 in the Janata Dal government. He would also go on to repeatedly serve as chief minister of Uttar Pradesh. He would also form the Samajwadi Party. Yadav passed away in 2022. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, condoling his death, described him as a 'key soldier' for democracy during the Emergency. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Lalu Prasad Yadav Yadav was among those who joined JP's protests against the Indira regime. Like the other politicians, he too was jailed during the Emergency – but would emerge stronger for the experience. Lalu Prasad Yadav would go on to form the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD). Yadav would go on to form the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), serve as Bihar's chief minister twice and work as the railway minister in the UPA coalition government. With inputs from agencies
