100 days of Modi 3.0: Congress slams PM as 'weak', says running 'U-turn' govt
New Delhi, Sep 16: With Modi 3.0 completing 100 days, the Congress on Monday claimed that Narendra Modi in his third term had proven to be a "weak" prime minister who was dependent on crutches and setting new records for U-turns.
Congress spokesperson Supriya Shrinate said the past 100 days had weighed heavily on the nation's farmers, youth, women, infrastructure, Railways, and overall peace.
These hundred days have proven that Modi has neither a solution nor a vision for the country's problems, she said at a press conference at the AICC headquarters.
Modi's "habit" of turning a blind eye to issues and running away from challenges continues to persist, she claimed.
"Each moment of the government in these 100 days has been marked by instability, indecision and immaturity. There have been multiple attempts to inflate a punctured balloon but the thorn pricked by the public in the Lok Sabha elections has not given Narendra Modi any chance to rise again," she said.
"Do you remember the tall claims made during the election campaign that Narendra Modi was planning for the first 100 days? Where is that plan now? Because from day one, Modi has proven to be a weak prime minister, dependent on crutches, setting new records for U-turns," Shrinate said and cited alleged U-turns on issues of lateral entry in civil services, broadcast bill, Waqf bill, indexation and NPS.
Posing questions to the prime minister, Shrinate asked if he had any plan or vision for the next five years.
"Do you have a plan to improve relations with our neighbouring countries? Do you have a plan to address the economy, income inequality, unemployment, inflation, or women's safety?" Shrinate asked.
"Besides blowing the whistle on corruption, what have you done? In fact, all those you called corrupt are now in the BJP. Are you planning to legitimise corruption now? The Supreme Court has reprimanded you many times for misuse of agencies, will you continue to use agencies as the BJP's front, or do you plan to free them?" she said.
"You have nothing left. Your relationship with the RSS (Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh) has turned bitter, there's intense infighting within your party, and your government lacks direction. The flattery of a few yes-men may bring you comfort but you are disconnected from the reality of the country," Shrinate said.
She said during the last 100 days, there had been 38 train accidents with 21 deaths and more than 112 injuries.
From the Kanchanjungha train accident to frequent derailments, hardly a day passes without some train going off track, she said.
"Meanwhile, the Railways minister is busy making reels, dismissing these accidents as minor incidents," Shrinate claimed.
Alleging that the 100 days of the government witnessed "crumbling infrastructure" and corruption exposed, she said 56 major infrastructure projects, including airports, bridges, roads, and statues inaugurated recently, had collapsed.
"The Jabalpur airport, Delhi, and Rajkot airports couldn't withstand a single rain. Shivaji's statue broke within eight months. The leaking roof of the new Parliament building, with water falling into buckets below, is evidence of failure. Water is leaking inside the sanctum sanctorum of the (Ayodhya) Ram mandir. The Rs 18,000-crore Atal Setu has developed cracks. The Sudarshan Setu in Gujarat, inaugurated in February, now has cracks and potholes," she alleged.
Shrinate also raised the issue of terror attacks, saying 26 such attacks had taken place, with 21 soldiers martyred in the 100-day period.
She said 29 soldiers had been injured and 15 civilians died in the attacks.
Terror attacks are now happening in Jammu, with the law and order situation collapsing, she claimed.
Shrinate also alleged that crimes against women had increased and paper leaks and exam cancellations become rampant.
She claimed that the economic situation was deteriorating with the rupee at a historic low, foreign direct investment down 43 per cent and unemployment at an eight-month record high.
In the past 100 days, new revelations have come to light about the scandals involving the prime minister's "close associate, Adani".
"This time, serious allegations of corruption, conflict of interest, and misuse of power have been made against SEBI chief Madhabi Puri Buch. Yet, you stay silent. Why are you shielding Madhabi Buch? What secrets are you afraid might be uncovered?" she asked.
Shrinate claimed that Ladakh's herders had repeatedly warned about China's incursions but they were ignored.
"Now, thousands from Ladakh are marching towards Delhi -- what will you do now? Will you dig trenches and install fortifications in their path? Because you certainly don't have the courage to name China," she said.
Shrinate claimed that the government had left Manipur to "burn" with drones, rockets, and RPGs being used in the violence there.
She said 12 people died in the past two weeks and security forces were attacked but the prime minister had no time to visit Manipur.
"Perhaps it's too much to expect -- after 16 months of inaction, why would he visit now within 100 days?" she said.
"During the Lok Sabha elections, Narendra Modi's talk of a 100-day agenda was just rhetoric, just like his other slogans -- this too was a mere slogan. The truth is, he has no plan, no vision, and no agenda left. What remains is the desperate desire to cling to power by any means, filling the coffers of his A-1 and A-2, even at the cost of ruining several institutions," Shrinate said.
100 Days of Modi
— Supriya Shrinate (@SupriyaShrinate) September 16, 2024
👉 U-turn on decisions
👉 38 train accidents
👉 56 infrastructure collapse incidents
👉 26 terror attacks
👉 104 incidents of crime against women
👉 Exam paper leaks
👉 Historic fall in rupee value
👉 Foreign investment (FDI) down by 43%
👉 Unemployment… pic.twitter.com/8mRyZDg5Ym
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Israel launches first airstrike on Lebanon since ceasefire, accusing Hezbollah of breaching truce
Beirut, Nov 28: The Israeli military on Thursday said its warplanes fired on southern Lebanon after detecting Hezbollah activity at a rocket storage facility, the first Israeli airstrike a day after a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah took hold.
There was no immediate word on casualties from Israel's aerial attack, which came hours after the Israeli military said it fired on people trying to return to certain areas in southern Lebanon. Israel said they were violating the ceasefire agreement, without providing details. Lebanon's state-run National News Agency said two people were wounded.
The back-to-back incidents stirred unease about the agreement, brokered by the United States and France, which includes an initial two-month ceasefire in which Hezbollah members are to withdraw north of the Litani River and Israeli forces are to return to their side of the border. The buffer zone would be patrolled by Lebanese troops and UN peacekeepers.
On Thursday, the second day of a ceasefire after more than a year of bloody conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, Lebanon's state news agency reported that Israeli fire targeted civilians in Markaba, close to the border, without providing further details. Israel said it fired artillery in three other locations near the border. There were no immediate reports of casualties.
An Associated Press reporter in northern Israel near the border heard Israeli drones buzzing overhead and the sound of artillery strikes from the Lebanese side.
The Israeli military said in a statement that “several suspects were identified arriving with vehicles to a number of areas in southern Lebanon, breaching the conditions of the ceasefire.” It said troops “opened fire toward them” and would “actively enforce violations of the ceasefire agreement.”
Israeli officials have said forces will be withdrawn gradually as it ensures that the agreement is being enforced. Israel has warned people not to return to areas where troops are deployed, and says it reserves the right to strike Hezbollah if it violates the terms of the truce.
A Lebanese military official said Lebanese troops would gradually deploy in the south as Israeli troops withdraw. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief media.
The ceasefire agreement announced late Tuesday ended 14 months of conflict between Israel and Hezbollah that began a day after Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023 attack out of Gaza, when the Lebanese Hezbollah group began firing rockets, drones and missiles in solidarity.
Israel retaliated with airstrikes, and the conflict steadily intensified for nearly a year before boiling over into all-out war in mid-September. The war in Gaza is still raging with no end in sight.
More than 3,760 people were killed by Israeli fire in Lebanon during the conflict, many of them civilians, according to Lebanese health officials. The fighting killed more than 70 people in Israel — over half of them civilians — as well as dozens of Israeli soldiers fighting in southern Lebanon.
Some 1.2 million people were displaced in Lebanon, and thousands began streaming back to their homes on Wednesday despite warnings from the Lebanese military and the Israeli army to stay out of certain areas. Some 50,000 people were displaced on the Israeli side, but few have returned and the communities near the northern border are still largely deserted.
In Menara, an Israeli community on the border with views into Lebanon, around three quarters of homes are damaged, some with collapsed roofs and burnt-out interiors. A few residents could be seen gathering their belongings on Thursday before leaving again.
