Mamata Banerjee calling BJP leaders outsiders insult to Netaji: PM Modi
Sonarpur (WB), Apr 3: Prime Minister Narendra Modi Saturday slammed West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for branding BJP leaders as "outsiders" (Bohirgato) and said it is an insult to the inclusive ideology of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose and principles of Indian Constitution.
Asserting that Bengal's "Bhumiputra" (son of the soil) will take over as the chief Minister after the BJP is voted to power on May 2, Modi said no Indian is an "outsider" in the state.
"When the British tried to divide us, Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose said - India is one, and the hopes and aspirations of every Indian are the same. Today, there is a lot of pain when instead of propagating the ideology of Netaji, TMC and Mamata Didi are talking about Bohirgato," he told an election rally at Sonarpur in South 24 Parganas district.
Didi is talking about outsiders. We are all children of Mother India. No Indian is an outsider here. When BJP forms the government after May 2, a son of the soil will become the chief minister, he said.
Calling TMC a "Taka Maar Company" (an enterprise that loots money), the prime miniter asked Banerjee to control her "goons".
"You keep your TMC goons under check. Explain to them - Modi is here! Their bullying will no longer be tolerated.
Bengal doesn't want violence and terror. Bengal wants education for its daughters and protection, respect and justice for its mothers," he asserted.
Referring to some TMC leaders' claim that Banerjee might contest elections from his Lok Sabha seat Varanasi in 2024, Modi mocked the TMC boss, saying this proves that Didi has accepted her defeat.
"Didi is now looking for a place for herself outside Bengal. The people of Varanasi and Uttar Pradesh are as large-hearted as the people of Bengal. They won't call her an outsider," he said sarcastically.
Claiming that Banerjee decided to contest Nandigram on impulse "tao mein", Modi said, sensing defeat at the prestigious seat, the TMC decided that Banerjee should enter the fray from another seat as well.
"But some sensible people then told Didi it will be her second big mistake," he quipped.
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Trump pauses Project Freedom, claims great progress for final agreement with Iran
Washington (PTI): President Donald Trump has suspended “Project Freedom,” to escort ships through the Strait of Hormuz, claiming progress in negotiations with Iran toward an agreement to end the war.
In a post on Truth Social on Tuesday, Trump said, “Great progress has been made toward a complete and final agreement with representatives of Iran.”
“Based on the request of Pakistan and other Countries, the tremendous Military Success that we have had during the Campaign against the Country of Iran and, additionally, the fact that Great Progress has been made toward a Complete and Final Agreement with Representatives of Iran, we have mutually agreed that, while the Blockade will remain in full force and effect, Project Freedom (The Movement of Ships through the Strait of Hormuz) will be paused for a short period of time to see whether or not the Agreement can be finalized and signed," Trump said.
Project Freedom was launched on Monday to escort ships, stranded due to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, out to safety. Trump had announced the operation on Sunday and the US Central Command began implementing it the next day.
However, the Project led to friction in the vicinity of the narrow seaway, a key route for transporting one-fifth of the global oil supplies, with the UAE claiming that its ships were attacked by Iran. The US also claimed to have destroyed several Iranian small boats.
Trump’s statement on Truth Social came hours after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that Operation Epic Fury, launched on February 28, had concluded as its objectives have been achieved.
"Operation Epic Fury is concluded. We achieved the objectives of that operation. We're not cheering for an additional situation to occur. We would prefer the path of peace. What @POTUS would prefer is a deal... that is, so far, not the route that Iran has chosen," Rubio told a press conference at the White House on Tuesday.
On Project Freedom, Rubio said the goal was to rescue almost 23,000 civilians from 87 different countries who were trapped inside the Persian Gulf and left for dead by the Iranian regime.
"This is not an offensive operation. This is a defensive operation, and what that means is very simple: there’s no shooting unless we're shot at first. We’re not attacking them, but if they're attacking us or they’re attacking a ship, you need to respond to that," Rubio said.
