Rae Bareli, April 21: Accusing the Congress of pursuing politics of dynasty and conspiracy, BJP President Amit Shah demanded on Saturday that its President, Rahul Gandhi, apologise for the "saffron terror" remarks against his party.
Addressing a public meeting in the constituency of Sonia Gandhi, he said that the days of 'vanshvaad' (dynastic politics) were over and that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, was ushering in 'vikasvaad' (development) in the country.
Shah charged that Rahul tried to bring bad repute to Hindu culture by coining and using terms like 'bhagwa aatankvaad' (saffron terror).
"However dirty the Congress plotted, the courts have brought out the truth," he said, adding even Swami Aseemanand has been discharged of charges of plotting a bomb blast, in a court.
He also sought an unqualified apology from Rahul on his "diatribe" against the Hindus. "Rahul Gandhi must say sorry to the nation," he added.
The BJP President also claimed that the writing on the wall was loud and clear that in 2019, the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government will be formed yet again under the leadership of Modi.
Everyone, even the kids, know the good work the government at the Centre has done in the past four years, he said while announcing that Rae Bareli would be developed as a model region and usher in development and prosperity in the region.
He also lauded the work done by the BJP government in Uttar Pradesh led by Yogi Adityanath and said it was their commitment to see that in the next five years, Uttar Pradesh becomes a progressive and front ranking state in the country.
Earlier, there was commotion at the rally venue as a fire broke out near the media lounge. The fire had been sparked by a short circuit in the audio system, an official said. The event was disturbed due to the incident for over an hour.
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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu dismisses defence minister in surprise announcement
Jerusalem, Nov 5: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday dismissed his popular defence minister, Yoav Gallant, in a surprise announcement that came as the country is embroiled in wars on multiple fronts across the region.
Netanyahu and Gallant have repeatedly been at odds over the war in Gaza. But Netanyahu had avoided firing his rival. Netanyahu cited “significant gaps” and a “crisis of trust” between the men in his Tuesday evening announcement.
“In the midst of a war, more than ever, full trust is required between the prime minister and defence minister,” Netanyahu said. “Unfortunately, although in the first months of the campaign there was such trust and there was very fruitful work, during the last months this trust cracked between me and the defence minister.”
In the early days of the war, Israel's leadership presented a unified front as it responded to Hamas' October 7, 2023, attack. But as the war dragged on and spread to Lebanon, key policy differences have emerged. While Netanyahu has called for continued military pressure on Hamas, Gallant had taken a more pragmatic approach, saying that military force has created the necessary conditions for a diplomatic deal that could bring home hostages held by the Hamas group.
Gallant, a former general who has gained public respect with a gruff, no-nonsense personality, said in a statement: “The security of the state of Israel always was, and will always remain, my life's mission."
Gallant has worn a simple, black buttoned shirt throughout the war in a sign of sorrow over the October 7 attack and developed a strong relationship with his US counterpart, Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin.
A previous attempt by Netanyahu to fire Gallant in March 2023 sparked widespread street protests against Netanyahu. He also flirted with the idea of dismissing Gallant over the summer but held off until Tuesday's announcement.
Gallant will be replaced by Foreign Minister Israel Katz, a Netanyahu loyalist and veteran Cabinet minister who was a junior officer in the military. Gideon Saar, a former Netanyahu rival who recently rejoined the government, will take the foreign affairs post.
Netanyahu has a long history of neutralising his rivals. In his statement, he claimed he had made “many attempts” to bridge the gaps with Gallant.
“But they kept getting wider. They also came to the knowledge of the public in an unacceptable way, and worse than that, they came to the knowledge of the enemy - our enemies enjoyed it and derived a lot of benefit from it,” he said.
