Cong backing Pak-groomed terrorists instead of supporting Indian Army, alleges PM
Mangaldoi (Assam) (PTI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday alleged that the Congress, instead of supporting the country's army, was backing terrorists groomed by Pakistan.
Addressing a programme at Mangaldoi in Assam's Darrang district, he accused the grand old party of "protecting" infiltrators and anti-national forces.
The prime minister also asserted that the BJP would not allow infiltrators to grab land and their conspiracy to change the demography.
"The Congress, instead of supporting the Indian Army, backs terrorists groomed by Pakistan. During 'Operation Sindoor', the Congress, instead of supporting our armed forces, which destroyed the terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan, was engaged in protecting infiltrators and anti-national forces," the PM alleged, while addressing the public meeting.
ALSO READ: PM lays foundation stones for health, infra projects worth Rs 6,300 cr in Assam's Darrang
'Operation Sindoor' was successful due to Ma Kamakhya's blessings, Modi said, adding that he was honoured to be present on this sacred land.
The PM also claimed, ''The wounds inflicted by Jawaharlal Nehru, during the Chinese aggression in 1962, on the people of Assam are yet to heal."
He also praised Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma for "evicting infiltrators from encroached land and ensuring that farmers can now cultivate on these plots".
"The BJP will not allow infiltrators to grab land, insult women and girls, and conspire to change demography, which is a threat to national security," he said.
Modi said he was pained at Congress' insults to Bharat Ratna awardee Bhupen Hazarika.
''The BJP's double-engine government is committed to realise the dreams of Assam's great sons like Bharat Ratna Bhupen Hazarika'', he said.
Modi also claimed that the Congress had ruled Assam for decades, but built "only three bridges" over the Brahmaputra river, while the BJP-led dispensation constructed six such structures in the last 10 years.
The PM asserted that India was emerging as one of the world's fastest-growing economies, and said that Assam's growth rate was 13 per cent.
"This was achieved due to the efforts of the double-engine government. The Centre and the state government are developing Assam as a health hub. The Northeast has a big role to play in achieving the 'Viksit Bharat' dream," the PM said.
The BJP-led government at the Centre has been focusing on connectivity in the Northeast, which has helped businesses and created employment opportunities for youth, he said.
The prime minister stressed that the double-engine government has been committed to protecting Assam's culture and ensuring development in the state.
Addressing the public meeting, the PM urged people to buy 'swadeshi' goods for the bright future of their children.
During the programme, Modi laid the foundation stones for health and infrastructure projects worth Rs 6,300 crore at Mangaldoi.
He launched the construction of Darrang Medical College and Hospital, along with a nursing college and a GNM school.
The combined investment in these healthcare projects is worth Rs 570 crore, officials said.
The PM also laid the foundation stones for the 2.9 km-long Narengi-Kuruwa bridge with an estimated cost of Rs 1,200 crore and the 118.5 km-long Guwahati Ring Road project, connecting Kamrup and Darrang districts in Assam and Ri Bhoi in Meghalaya.
The cost for the Ring Road project was estimated at Rs 4,530 crore.
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Trump says he called off dispatching envoys to Iran talks
Dubai (PTI): US President Donald Trump said he told his top envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner not to travel to Pakistan to negotiate with Iran, stating on Fox News that "they can call us any time they want”.
Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian said his country won't negotiate while the United States imposes a blockade on its ports. Pezeshkian told Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif during a phone call Saturday night that the US “should first remove operational obstacles, including the blockade,” to allow a new round of negotiations, according to the ISNA and Tasnim news agencies in Iran.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi left Pakistan on Saturday evening, two Pakistani officials told The Associated Press. Iran's state-run IRNA news agency said Araghchi is expected back in Pakistan's capital Islamabad on Sunday.
Trump said Thursday that Israel and Lebanon agreed to extend a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah by three weeks after talks at the White House. The meeting was the second high-level negotiation between the two countries this month. The initial 10-day ceasefire had been due to expire Monday.
The Trump administration is placing economic sanctions on a major China-based oil refinery and roughly 40 shipping companies and tankers involved in transporting Iranian oil.
The move announced Friday is part of the administration's threat to impose secondary sanctions on entities doing business with Iran in an effort to cut off Iran's oil exports, which are a key source of its revenue.
Airlines worldwide have begun cancelling flights as the war in the Middle East strains jet fuel supplies and pushes up prices. Experts have offered information to travelers about what to do if a flight is cancelled.
Iran President Masoud Pezeshkian said his country won't negotiate while the United States imposes a blockade on its ports, according to Iranian media.
Pezeshkian told Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif during a phone call Saturday night that the US “should first remove operational obstacles, including the blockade”, to allow a new round of negotiations, the ISNA and Tasnim news agencies reported.
The Pakistani premier described the call as a “warm and constructive discussion”.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi concluded a one-day trip to Pakistan's capital Islamabad on Saturday after meeting with Pakistani military and government officials.
The trip did not produce a breakthrough in efforts to relaunch negotiations after US President Donald Trump canceled a planned trip by his envoys to Islamabad.
Iran's state-run IRNA news agency said Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi will return to Pakistan after his current visit to Oman on his way to visiting Russia.
The report said he was expected to be back in Pakistan's capital Islamabad on Sunday and would join other members of his delegation who had gone to Tehran for consultations and “instructions on the topics related to the end of the war.”
