Ballia (UP), Jun 7: Former Uttarakhand chief minister Trivendra Singh Rawat on Wednesday termed Mahatma Gandhi's assassin Nathuram Godse a patriot while mocking Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for "merely" sharing the surname.

"Gandhi ji was killed, that is a different issue. But as far as I have understood and read Godse, he too was a patriot. We do not agree with the killing of Gandhi ji," the BJP leader told reporters.

Targeting the former Congress president, Rawat said merely having the Gandhi surname did not make his ideology Gandhian.

He said making a show of wearing the "janeu", or the sacred thread, does not change Rahul Gandhi's identity. "He just talks," Rawat claimed, accusing Rahul Gandhi of cashing in on the Mahatma's name.

Rawat referred to the controversial remarks made by the Congress leader in the US, and said his "efforts" will not help the party "which is soon going to be a thing of the past".

"Rahul Gandhi is speaking out of frustration, seeing the deteriorating condition of his party. He is speaking in mental stress. The public will not accept a person going through mental stress," he said.

On the Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav's meeting Wednesday with Aam Aadmi Party chief, Rawat said, "There is no bigger theatrical leader in this country than Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. Akhilesh Yadav wants to learn theatrics from Kejriwal."

He accused Yadav of throwing Uttar Pradesh into "goonda raj" during his term as chief minister. The SP recruited gangsters and made the mafia "respectable", the Uttarakhand leader alleged.

He said people will again reject the SP.

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New Delhi (PTI): Delhi Police has recovered 1,850 stolen and lost mobile phones worth around Rs 4 crore in past 40 days under "Mission Reconnect", an initiative aimed at returning phones to their rightful owners in outernorth Delhi, an official said on Saturday.

The recovered phones were traced from different parts of the country, including remote areas, through technical surveillance and sustained field operations, police said, adding that the devices were handed over to their owners during a programme at the Sports Ground, New Police Lines, Kingsway Camp.

The initiative focused on a victim-centric approach and aimed at strengthening public trust through proactive policing and coordinated efforts across states, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Outernorth) Hareshwar Swami said.

As part of the programme, teams performed 'nukkad nataks' and screened awareness videos on cybercrime, drug abuse prevention, and senior citizen safety, sensitising the public about digital frauds and safety measures, officials said.

The initiative combines technology, investigation and community participation to ensure recovery of lost property and reconnect citizens with their valuables, they added.