BJP expert in spreading hatred, spent Rs 500 cr on campaign against me, alleges Jharkhand CM
Ranchi (PTI): A day after Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren charged the BJP with "launching a whisper campaign to influence voters", he hit out at the saffron camp again on Tuesday, alleging that the opposition party in the state spent over Rs 500 crore in "malicious campaigns" against him.
Soren also accused the BJP of being an "expert in fulfilling political ambitions by inciting hatred among people".
He claimed that Jharkhand's culture does not allow such "malicious campaigns".
"It is the easiest thing for leaders to fulfil their political ambitions by inciting hateful feelings in you. This campaign is the easiest and the BJP is an expert in it. But I am from Jharkhand - our culture doesn't allow this and I will never do this," Soren claimed in a post on X.
"According to one estimate, the BJP has spent more than Rs 500 crore on shadow, whisper and hate campaigns against me," the JMM leader alleged.
Soren also accused the BJP of bringing in people from Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Odisha and Bengal to campaign against him and allegedly instil fear among voters on roads and intersections during the election period.
"People from Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, and Bengal are seen discussing the elections on roads and intersections in the constituencies where elections are being held. This is BJP's new gimmick, called the 'whisper campaign'. For this, over Rs 1 crore has been spent in each constituency. They will not come and talk about their work, instead, they will scare you with lies," Soren had said, sharing a video of the alleged campaign.
He said there was "no truth to the whisper campaign".
"We haven't collected donations by playing with the lives of the countrymen through electoral bonds, fake medicines, or fake vaccines. Therefore, I appeal to all of you, the residents of Jharkhand, to openly campaign for me today and tomorrow, not in a 'whisper' — because it is not in the nature of Jharkhandis to be afraid," he claimed.
"Don't whisper, speak boldly!" Soren said, sharing a video in which youths sitting in a choupal are seen praising the BJP and criticising the JMM for alleged corruption.
Earlier, Soren had accused the BJP of running "shadow campaigns" to tarnish both his and the state's reputation.
He had alleged that the saffron party spent crores of rupees on various social media platforms and created "95,000 WhatsApp groups" to campaign against the JMM-led coalition in Jharkhand.
In response, the BJP claimed that these allegations reflected "Soren's desperation, frustration, and fear of losing the elections".
Earlier, the Jharkhand Police had registered FIRs against the operators of two social media accounts for allegedly running campaigns aimed at "maligning" the image of Chief Minister Hemant Soren and the state.
These FIRs were filed after Soren and the ruling JMM accused the BJP of running "shadow" campaigns against them.
Soren had previously claimed that "dictators may possess billions of rupees," but he believed it was "better to stick to principles than win through unfair means."
The CM also claimed that while the BJP "spent crores of rupees to tarnish his image", he himself had "not spent a single rupee on any promotion", which, he said, could be verified by checking the ad library of any social media platform.
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Air India resorts to cost-cutting ways amid 'tough times'; layoffs not anticipated
New Delhi/Mumbai (PTI): Hit hard by Pakistan airspace closure and Iran war, Air India has resorted to cost-cutting measures, including holding back annual increments for staff and asking them to cut discretionary spending as well as non-critical expenditures, warning of "tough times".
On Friday, Air India Chief Executive Officer & Managing Director (CEO & MD) Campbell Wilson told the staff it is going to be a "very, very difficult year" if things don't improve on the Middle East front.
A day after the loss-making airline's board discussed various cost-saving steps, Wilson, along with Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Sanjay Sharma and Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO) Ravindra Kumar GP, addressed the employees during a townhall on Friday where the emphasis on the need to keep a close watch on costs.
With higher jet fuel prices due to the West Asia conflict and airspace curbs, the loss-making airline's expenses have spiralled in recent times and against this backdrop, Sharma also told staffers that FY26 has seen a softening in revenue amid heightened external uncertainties.
Calling for a relentless focus on costs in these tough times, Wilson urged employees to suspend discretionary spending, renegotiate rates where feasible, and defer non-critical expenditures.
"There must be a laser-sharp focus on eliminating wastage and leakages," he said.
Stressing the need to tighten the belt for a while, Wilson sounded optimistic that travel demand would rebound and the industry would continue on its upward path.
CHRO Ravindra Kumar told staff that the airline will proceed with variable pay for the last financial year and continue with planned promotions while noting that annual increments will be deferred by at least one quarter.
"We don't anticipate layoffs," he said.
At the airline's board meeting on Thursday, various cost-saving steps, including likely furloughs, were discussed. The Tata Group-owned airline has around 24,000 employees.
Generally, furlough refers to sending staff on unpaid leaves by companies during a tough financial situation.
During the townhall, CFO Sanjay Sharma said while strong revenue growth and fleet expansion drove financial momentum through FY25, FY26 has seen a softening in revenue amid heightened external uncertainties.
Air India has seen around 40 per cent CAGR (Compounded Annual Growth Rate) in revenue between 2022 and 2025, he added.
The airline was acquired by the Tata Group from the government in January 2022.
The Air India CEO mentioned the external challenges being facing the aviation industry as a whole, including the continued closure of Pakistan airspace that is expected to persist for the foreseeable future and geopolitical conflicts leading to disruptions and airspace closures across West Asia.
Wilson, who is set to step down later this year, also flagged a sharp depreciation of the rupee and a 2.5-3 times increase in jet fuel prices, and added that these factors have adversely affected travel sentiment and consumer confidence, as per the sources.
If the Strait of Hormuz opens, oil prices fall and consumer as well as business confidence come back, there is a decent chance of a solid recovery, Wilson said, adding that unless those circumstances happen, it was going to be "a very, very difficult year".
"I feel somewhat responsible that we ended up with probably the biggest surprise of the year in the external environment which was a full-scale war in our neighbouring region in the Gulf. That has had a huge impact on airspace," he said.
For Air India, Wilson said the situation is compounded by the fact that the airline cannot fly over the neighbouring country and has to take a much longer routing for any west-bound destination.
"Every airline is reporting that they are under some sort of financial pressure as a result of higher fuel prices and economic uncertainty. So, it is unfortunately not a great environment to be running an airline," the Air India CEO said.
The Air India Group -- Air India and Air India Express -- is projected to have incurred more than Rs 22,000 crore loss in the financial year ended March 2026.
At the townhall, Wilson also highlighted various initiatives, including completion of the retrofit of its legacy narrow-body aircraft and rapid network optimisation to redeploy capacity more efficiently.
