Amit Shah meets ex-army chief, kicks off 'Sampark se Samarthan' programme
New Delhi, May 29 : Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) President Amit Shah on Tuesday launched a massive 'Sampark se Samarthan' (contact for support) personal outreach programme to highlight the achievements of the Narendra Modi-led government in the last four years.
Shah met former Army Chief General Dalbir Singh Suhag at his residence here in Mandir Marg and kicked off the programme. He handed Suhag a few booklets on the achievements of the Modi government.
The BJP chief tweeted: "Launched the nationwide campaign 'Sampark for Samarthan', a door-to-door initiative aimed at making people aware of the transformative initiatives undertaken by Prime Minister Narendra Modiji's government in the last four year."
He was earlier scheduled to launch the contact programme from Suhag's residence in Haryana's Gurugram, but that was cancelled at the last minute, a party official said.
Shah would personally meet at least 50 eminent personalities to enlighten them about the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance government's achievements.
It is part of the party's effort to reach out to maximum number of people ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.
The Bharatiya Janata Party launched the contact programme after completing four years of the NDA rule at the Centre.
About 4,000 senior party workers, including Union Ministers, Chief Ministers and Deputy Chief Ministers of states, would carry out the campaign to meet more than one lakh well-known personalities to discuss the Modi government's achievements.
Besides, Parliamentarians, legislators, District Panchayat members and senior office bearers will also pitch in.
Modi, also as part of the campaign, addressed beneficiaries of the Ujjwala Yojana and Mudra Yojana on Monday and Tuesday respectively, through the NaMo app.
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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.
