Rahul calling 'Statue of Unity' Made in China shows disliking for Patel: Modi
New Delhi, Sep 29: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday attacked the Congress for "spreading falsehood to mislead people" and accused it of insulting India's first Home Minister Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel by calling his "Statue of Unity" as one Made in China.
"The Congress as government was corrupt and a failure, which is known to every citizen. In the last four years, the Congress has only spread lies, it has become arrogant, it has drifted away from the people, it has become insensible and it has failed to perform as an opposition," Modi said during his interaction with BJP workers through video conferencing via NaMo app.
Modi remarks came while responding to a question of a party worker from Uttar Pradesh's Basti parliamentary constituency. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader was asked what the party workers should do to deal with the false and baseless allegations being made by the opposition.
The Prime Minister said the Congress' only agenda is to throw muck on others, spread lies and repeat them loudly and mislead people.
Slamming the Congress for spreading lies over the world's largest statue of Sardar Patel named "Statue of Unity" being built in Gujarat was Made in China, he said: "They spread lies on Statue of Unity that it is Made in China. I saw false information in which the Congress President (Rahul Gandhi) equated the Sardar Patel statue with shoes Made in China," he said.
"They are taking Sardar Patel's name like this. All these years, they have disrespected Sardar Patel," he said, adding: "How far they will to express their disliking for Sardar Patel?"
Modi's remarks came two days after Gandhi while addressing a public rally in Madhya Pradesh's Satna on Thursday said that the statue being built for him in Gujarat is "Made in China" like the Made in China written on mobile phones, shirts and shoes.
"Modiji had promised to build the world's largest statue of Sardar Patel in Gujarat. But later it was revealed that on the back of the statue it was written Made in China," Gandhi said.
The Statue of Unity, which is 182 metres from the ground and 240 metres from the river base of Narmada, has been completed. The inauguration of the statue will be done on Vallabhbhai Patel's 143rd birth anniversary on October 31 by the Prime Minister.
"If you look at their behaviour over the last few days, you will all canard they are spreading. Remember, when the government brought the poor of the country closer to bank and banking services, they spread the lie that their money is not safe in banks.
"Everyday they plan and everyday they spread lies. Their motive is to mislead the people of the country, they want to create an atmosphere of fear to do politics," he alleged.
Modi also asked his party workers to do in-depth research on the issues raised by the Congress to give them befitting reply. He asked them to defend the government and party works through social media platforms and the NaMo app.
Modi would also interact with the party workers from Rajasthan's Chittorgarh, Uttar Pradesh's Basti, Jharkhand's Dhanbad and Chhattisgarh's Bilaspur parliamentary constituency.
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SC refuses to adjourn hearing on pleas against EC law, says this matter is more important
New Delhi (PTI): The Supreme Court on Wednesday refused to accede to the Centre's request to adjourn the hearing on pleas challenging the constitutional validity of a 2023 law that removed the CJI from a committee responsible for appointing the chief election commissioner and the deputies, saying the matter is "more important" than the Sabarimala case.
A nine-judge constitution bench headed by Chief Justice Surya Kant is currently hearing petitions regarding discrimination against women at religious sites, including the Sabarimala temple in Kerala, as well as the scope of religious freedom across various faiths.
A bench comprising justices Dipankar Datta and Satish Chandra Sharma turned down the request by Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Centre, to adjourn the hearing on the ground that he was currently occupied before a nine-judge bench in the Sabarimala reference case.
Referring to the gravity of the current challenge to the Chief Election Commissioner and Other Election Commissioners (Appointment, Conditions of Service and Term of Office) Act, 2023, Justice Datta said, "This matter is more important than any other matter."
"Let your (solicitor general's) associates take notes today. Let the petitioners start. All matters are important. We read in the newspapers that there is an observation that the PIL in Sabarimala should not have been entertained by the court. So, with due respect to the judges, nine judges are occupied in a matter where there is an observation that it should not have been entertained in the first place," Justice Datta said.
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The bench then directed the petitioners to conclude their arguments by Thursday, allowing the Centre to present its submissions on a subsequent date. The bench then proceeded with the hearing which is underway.
Earlier on March 20, CJI Surya Kant recused himself from hearing the petitions. "I will be accused of conflict of interest. There is a conflict of interest," the CJI had said. The law, enacted by Parliament in December 2023, came months after a landmark verdict by which the apex court directed that election commissioners be appointed by a committee comprising the prime minister, the leader of the Opposition, and the chief justice of India.
The bench had said that the system will remain in force till a law is enacted.
Under the 2023 Act, the selection committee consists of the prime minister, a Union minister nominated by the prime minister and the leader of Opposition (or leader of the largest opposition party in the Lok Sabha).
The PILs said the exclusion of the CJI from the panel undermines the independence of the appointment process.
The law has been challenged by multiple petitioners, including Congress leader Jaya Thakur and the Association for Democratic Reforms.
Earlier, the Centre defended in the Supreme Court the appointment of two new election commissioners under the 2023 law that excludes the chief justice of India from the selection committee, saying the independence of the Election Commission does not arise from the presence of a judicial member on the committee.
In an affidavit filed in the apex court, the Union law ministry rejected the petitioner's claim that the two election commissioners were hastily appointed on March 14, 2024, to "pre-empt" the orders of the top court the next day, when the matters challenging the 2023 law were listed for hearing on interim relief.
The apex court also refused to stay the appointment of new election commissioners under the 2023 law.
A five-judge constitution bench had in March 2023 ruled that the chief election commissioner and election commissioners shall be appointed on the advice of a committee comprising the prime minister, the leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha and the chief justice of India.
