Gujarat to bring law against 'love jihad', says CM Vijay Rupani
Ahmedabad, Feb 14: Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani on Sunday said his government will soon bring a strict law against 'love jihad' in the state.
He made the announcement while addressing a poll rally in Vadodara ahead of themunicipal corporation elections.
"We are going to bring a law against love jihad in the Assembly. Such activities being done in the name of love jihad will not be tolerated...The BJP government will bring strict laws against love jihad in the coming days," he said.
In the recent past, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh, both ruled by the BJP, have brought religious freedom laws to stop conversion through marriage or by any other fraudulent means.
Rupani said his government has also framed strict laws against 'gunda' (anti-social) elements and land grabbers with provisions of up to 10 and 14 years of imprisonment to protect the interests of the common man.
"In the past Assembly sessions, our government had come up with stringent laws. We have made an Act against gundas. To ensure that such elements do not cause trouble to the common man and get strict punishment of 10 years, we brought the Act.
"We also came up with the Land Grabbing (Prohibition) Act so that people do not enter others' land and take over others' property using bogus documents. We brought this law with a provision of 14 years of punishment," he said.
The chief minister added that the BJP government at the Centre has fulfilled the promises made to the people regarding construction of Ram temple, scrapping of Article 370, and took revenge for Pulwama by launching an air strike.
According to Rupani, Gujarat will witness a "golden age of development" when the BJP rules "from panchayat to the Parliament".
"This is the golden time for Gujarat because the Modi government at the Centre gives us whatever we ask for. The previous Congress-led Union government did not allow us to open the gates of the Narmada dam. But Modi gave permission within 17 days, which opened up the gates of development," he said.
"The BJP government in Delhi, Gujarat, in the cities and villages...when the BJP rules from panchayat to Parliament, then there will be a golden age for the development of the state," he said.
He also promised metro trains in Vadodara and other cities of the state.
The state government will work towards addressing the issue of recurring floods in Vishwamitri river that affects Vadodara city, he said.
"We are going ahead with the mantra of development.
Roads, gutter lines, streetlights are our responsibility. But to make cities modern, we are constructing overbridges. The biggest overbridge in the state is being constructed in Vadodara at a cost of Rs 250 crore," he said.
"We will also resolve the issue of drinking water and flooding in Vishwamitri river...We are going to start metro trains in all the cities. They have started in Ahmedabad, Gandhinagar and Surat. Now, we will also start metro trains in Vadodara, Rajkot, Jamnagar and Bhavnagar," he said.
Elections to six municipal corporations in Gujarat are scheduled on February 21.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
EAM Jaishankar meets Jamaican PM, gifts over 10 BHISHM Cubes
Kingston (PTI): External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Monday met Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness and discussed ways to further deepen "political, economic and people-to-people cooperation."
Jaishankar also conveyed greetings from Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Holness.
"Pleased to call on Prime Minister @AndrewHolnessJM in Kingston. Conveyed the greetings of PM @narendramodi," Jaishankar posted on X.
"Discussed deepening our political, economic and people-to-people cooperation. Value his commitment towards further strengthening India-Jamaica relations," the post further read.
Also, the external affairs minister handed over 10 BHISHM (Bharat Health Initiative for Sahyog Hita & Maitri) Cubes as a gift to Jamaica.
"Formally handed over 10 BHISHM Cubes as a gift from India to Jamaica, in the presence of PM @AndrewHolnessJM, Health Minister @christufton and FM @kaminajsmith," Jaishankar posted on X.
"The BHISHM Cube mobile hospital system, designed for rapid deployment, will help Jamaica during disasters and emergencies. The gift of these cubes is a statement of friendship, a commitment to disaster preparedness, and an outcome of innovation," the post said.
Jaishankar arrived in Kingston on Saturday evening, marking the first leg of his nine-day tour of Jamaica, Suriname, and Trinidad and Tobago, aimed at further strengthening India's strategic and cultural ties with the Caribbean nations.
Earlier in the day, he interacted with the Indian diaspora and discussed India's ongoing transformation in infrastructure, human development and technology-driven governance and entrepreneurship with them.
He also highlighted the cricket bond between both countries as India gifted a scoreboard to Jamaica.
A scoreboard was dedicated at Sabina Park in Kingston. It is the home of the Jamaica cricket team and is the only Test cricket ground in the Caribbean island nation.
The minister expressed hope that the new scoreboard would witness many memorable innings, including those symbolising the enduring friendship between the two countries.
Cricket has long been a strong cultural bridge between India and Jamaica, which is part of the West Indies cricket team.
Jamaican players, including Chris Gayle, Courtney Walsh and Michael Holding, have played a major role in shaping the legacy of West Indies cricket in the international arena, contributing to its dominance in earlier decades and its continued global appeal.
