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Bengaluru: Lavanya Ballal Jain, a spokesperson for the Congress party, has become the target of online trolling after a heated TV debate with BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla. The incident occurred during a live interview where Poonawalla made comments on Jain's name, leading to a sharp exchange between the two.

Lavanya Ballal Jain took to social media to express her displeasure, accusing Poonawalla of insulting her name and religion during the TV interview. She referred to the BJP spokesperson as a 'cheapster' and urged him to refrain from making vulgar comments during interviews. In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Jain claimed that Poonawalla was on the payroll of one of the richest Jain individuals, indirectly alluding to Gautam Adani.

The controversy escalated when Shehzad Poonawalla posted a video clip of the TV interview on his social media account, questioning why Jain was triggered by his factual statements. The video showed Poonawalla discussing developmental projects by the Centre in southern states and challenging Jain on Congress's contributions to development.

During the debate, Poonawalla mockingly referred to Lavanya Ballal Jain as 'Lavanya BJ,' leading to a sharp retort from Jain. She demanded that Poonawalla refrain from making vulgar inferences and accused him of insulting her name with sly and derogatory comments.

Following the TV debate, Lavanya Ballal Jain faced online trolling and derogatory remarks on social media platforms, particularly on X, where the hashtag #LavanyaBJ gained traction. The hashtag contains a derogatory term, further intensifying the online attacks against the Congress spokesperson.

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Chennai (PTI): Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay on Thursday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to remove the import duty on cotton.

In his first letter to Modi after taking over as chief minister of the state, he said Tamil Nadu is the country’s largest textile and apparel exporting state.

Lakhs of people are dependent on this sector for both direct and indirect employment, especially women from rural and semi-urban backgrounds, Vijay pointed out.

Stating that the industry is facing a severe crisis due to an increase in cotton prices and consequently yarn prices, he said, “I understand this is caused primarily due to a shortage in cotton production and increased trading activity in the country.”

Pointing out that the price of cotton has increased from Rs 54,700 to Rs 67,700 per candy—an increase of 25 per cent over the last two months—while yarn prices have increased from Rs 301 to Rs 330 per kg, he said, “In this situation, the continued supply of raw material can be ensured only through imports.”

However, there is an import duty of 11 per cent on cotton, he said, adding that in such a situation, permitting duty-free cotton imports will help the industry meet increasing export commitments and remain globally competitive.

Vijay said that after agriculture, the textile and apparel sector is one of the largest employment-generating sectors.

“There is a significant responsibility on the government to safeguard the employment of lakhs of people and ensure the sustainability of the textile value chain," he said.

“Hence, I request your intervention to remove the import duty on cotton from the existing 11 per cent to 0 per cent to ensure the availability of raw material. This measure will enable the textile and apparel industry to remain globally competitive, enhance exports, and protect jobs,” he added.

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