PM Modi visits poll-bound Bihar amid mourning for Pahalgam attack victims
Faces criticism from opposition
New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday visited Madhubani in poll-bound Bihar, where he inaugurated multiple development projects and addressed a gathering on National Panchayati Raj Day. This comes despite the recent cancellation of his official programme in Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, following the deadly terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir.
The Kanpur event, which was to witness the inauguration of ₹20,000 crore worth of development projects, was cancelled "in light of the recent terror attack that claimed a number of lives, including that of Shubham – a courageous young son of Kanpur," as per a statement by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) quoted by All India Radio. The PMO noted that “as a mark of respect, it was considered appropriate to defer any celebratory or formal public engagement in Kanpur during this period of grief.”
Despite the sombre national mood, the Prime Minister went ahead with his Bihar visit. In Madhubani, he launched and laid foundation stones for development projects valued at over ₹13,480 crore and delivered a speech to mark National Panchayati Raj Day. He had returned from Saudi Arabia on Wednesday morning, cutting short a diplomatic visit after the Pahalgam attack, and held a high-level security meeting at Delhi airport with NSA Ajit Doval and External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar.
However, Modi's presence in Bihar has drawn sharp criticism from the opposition. The Congress and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) questioned the timing of the visit and accused the government of political opportunism amid national mourning.
The Bihar Congress said on social media platform X, “Leader of the opposition Rahul Gandhi has cut short his US trip and returned to Delhi. Meanwhile, Modi ji will hold an election rally in Bihar today! The nation is in mourning, yet the Prime Minister is campaigning!”
The RJD went further, alleging that the Bihar administration was pressuring officials to mobilize crowds for the Prime Minister’s rally. “The pyres of the victims of the Pahalgam terrorist attack have not yet been lit, but the country’s Prime Minister will come to Bihar to campaign and deliver speeches because Bihar is holding elections this year,” the party said. It added that local officials were being forced to ensure attendance through intimidation, calling it “an undeclared emergency.”
Meanwhile, all top leaders of the Janata Dal (United), the BJP’s ally in Bihar, skipped an all-party meeting convened in Delhi on the Pahalgam terror attack. JDU working president Sanjay Kumar Jha said they were prioritising the PM’s programme in Madhubani. “Whatever decision will be taken in the meeting, JDU will stand with the government and support it in the country’s interest,” he added.
The attack at Baisaran meadow in Pahalgam on Tuesday killed 28 people, making it one of the deadliest terror strikes in Kashmir since the 2019 Pulwama attack. In response, India has suspended the Indus Waters Treaty of 1960 and shut down the integrated checkpost at Attari, delivering what it described as a strong diplomatic message to Pakistan.
Pakistan’s Prime Minister has called a meeting of the National Security Committee following these developments.
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Illegally stored gas cylinders seized
Thane (PTI): Authorities have seized illegally stored 1,839 gas cylinders and seven vehicles worth over Rs 67 lakh in the Dombivli MIDC area of Thane district, officials said on Saturday.
A special vigilance team of the Mumbai Rationing Department detected an illegal storage of domestic and commercial LPG cylinders in Phase-2 of Dombivli (East).
Cylinders belonging to multiple gas agencies were found stockpiled in closed vehicles, unauthorised warehouses, and open sheds without mandatory permissions from the Explosives Department, Fire Department, or oil companies, according to an official release.
