Actress Urmila Matondkar joins Congress, meets Rahul Gandhi
New Delhi: Actress Urmila Matondkar Wednesday joined the Congress after meeting party chief Rahul Gandhi at his residence. Gandhi welcomed her in the party fold and wished her the best.
Later, at a press conference, Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said the actress will contribute in spreading the Congress ideology and strengthening the party.
"I am here because I believe in the ideology of Congress and what the party stands for. I have not joined the party for the sake of elections," she told reporters.
"I am here to stay," she said, adding her entry in the Congress was not about elections.
The Bollywood actor is speculated to contest the Lok Sabha election from the Mumbai North Lok Sabha constituency.
Matondkar said she felt the need to join the Congress party as the freedom to express was under attack in the country and there are numerous examples in this regard in the last five years. She said the Congress party has participated in the freedom struggle and it stood for freedom.
"Today is a significant day for me as I have formally entered politics. My life has been inspired by Mahatma Gandhi from the days of my childhood," she also said.
Matondkar also lauded the leadership of Gandhi. She said he is the one who takes everyone along and such a leader is required in today's times.
Surjewala said the actor met Gandhi and expressed her solidarity in the Congress ideals and principles.
"She has been an inspiration for the youth on how with your hard work, commitment and talent, she has won the hearts of many and achieved a lot," Surjewala said.
Mumbai Regional Congress Committee chief Milind Deora and his predecessor Sanjay Nirupam were also present during her joining and both welcomed her into the party fold.
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India-bound LPG tanker clears Hormuz
New Delhi (PTI): A tanker carrying liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) for India has sailed out of the Strait of Hormuz and is now headed towards the country, an official statement said on Sunday.
The Marshall Islands-flagged LPG carrier MT Sarv Shakti, loaded with 46,313 tonnes of LPG and staffed by 20 crew, including 18 Indians, cleared the key shipping chokepoint on May 2 and is expected to reach Visakhapatnam on May 13, it said.
The cargo -- enough to meet half a days requirement of the country -- will partly tide over supply constraints being faced since the start of the West Asia conflict more than two months back.
Ship-tracking data showed its position in Oman Gulf on Sunday evening.
The very large gas carrier has previously made runs between the Persian Gulf and Indian ports, has been chartered by state-owned Indian Oil Corporation (IOC).
Sarv Shakti is the first India-linked tanker to cross the war zone since a weeks-old US blockade of ships tied to Iran began, pushing transits through Hormuz back down to almost zero.
There are as many as 14 Indian flagged or India-owned vessels still stranded on the west side of the Strait of Hormuz.
The statement said no incident involving Indian-flagged vessels has been reported in the past 24 hours. The Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways is working closely with the Ministry of External Affairs, Indian missions and maritime stakeholders to ensure crew welfare and uninterrupted operations.
The Directorate General of Shipping (DG Shipping) control room has handled 8,373 calls and more than 17,965 emails since activation, including 38 calls and 127 emails in the last 24 hours.
India has also facilitated the repatriation of more than 2,953 seafarers so far, including 31 in the past day from across the Gulf region.
Port operations across the country remain normal with no congestion reported, the statement added.
