'Shakti' I spoke about not religious, but power of unrighteousness, corruption and falsehood: Rahul
New Delhi, Mar 18: Under attack for his "fight against shakti" remark made at a rally in Mumbai, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Monday clarified that he was not talking about any religious power but the 'shakti' of unrighteousness, corruption and falsehood.
He accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of twisting his words and said he was speaking about the power of which Modi was wearing the mask.
"Modi ji does not like my words, he always tries to change their meaning by twisting them in some way or the other because he knows that I have spoken a solemn truth.
"The 'shakti' (power) that I mentioned, Modi ji is the mask of that power and we are fighting against it. It is such a power that today it has captured India's voice, India's institutions, the CBI, I-T, ED, Election Commission, the media, Indian industry and the entire constitutional structure of India in its clutches," he said in post in Hindi on X.
Using the same 'shakti' (power), he alleged, Prime Minister Narendra Modi waives loans worth thousands of crores of Indian banks, while an Indian farmer commits suicide when he is unable to repay a loan of a few thousand rupees.
"The same 'shakti' (power) is given India's ports, India's airports, while India's youth is given the gift of 'Agniveer' that breaks their courage. While saluting the same power day and night, the country's media suppresses the truth."
"Narendra Modi ji, who is a slave of the same power, imposes GST on the poor of the country without controlling inflation and auctions the country's wealth to increase the strength of that power.
"I recognise that power and so does Narendra Modi ji. It is not any kind of religious power, it is the power of unrighteousness, corruption and falsehood. That's why whenever I raise my voice against it, Modi ji and his machine of lies gets upset and enraged," Gandhi said.
Hitting back at Modi, Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said the prime minister is just a "master" of diverting public attention.
She said the people of the country are struggling with inflation, unemployment and economic crisis, the youth are disappointed and the farmers are committing suicide. She also alleged that demonetisation and the implementation of Goods and Services Tax (GST) ruined lakhs of industries.
"But the prime minister's priority is to divert public attention by twisting the statements of opposition leaders," Vadra said in a post in Hindi.
At a rally in Mumbai, Rahul Gandhi commented that, "We are not fighting against a political party...We are not fighting against Narendra Modi, nor are we fighting against one person. But, one face has been projected in the forefront."
"In Hindu dharma, there is a word 'shakti'. We are fighting against a 'shakti' (power). The question arises as to what is that 'shakti'...," he said at the public rally in Mumbai where several leaders of the opposition were present.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday launched a scathing attack on Gandhi over his "shakti" remark, saying the opposition INDIA bloc was trying to destroy it.
Asserting that for him every mother and daughter was a form of "shakti", Modi said the upcoming polls will be a fight between those who want to destroy "shakti" and those who worship them.
At a public rally in Karnataka, Modi said, "Yesterday in Mumbai Shivaji Ground (park), INDI Alliance made an announcement that they want to destroy shakti'. If they want to destroy shakti', then worshipping 'Shakti' is our resolve."
Modi said that for him, every mother and every daughter is a form of 'shakti' and that he worships them.
He said the nation dedicated 'Chandrayaan's' success to 'Shiv Shakti' and the opposition parties are talking of destroying 'shakti'.
"On Sunday in Mumbai, there was an INDI Alliance rally after the announcement of the schedule for elections. They announced their manifesto in the rally. In Mumbai's Shivaji Park, they said their fight was against 'Shakti'. For me, every mother, every daughter is a form of 'shakti'. Mothers and sisters, I worship you as 'shakti'. I am Bharat Maa's 'pujari'," he said at another rally in Telangana.
"INDI Alliance in its manifesto announced to finish/destroy 'shakti'. I accept their challenge. I will sacrifice my life for the security of mothers and sisters," he further said.
Several BJP leaders also launched an all-out attack against Gandhi over his remark.
The Congress also hit back at Modi over his remark that the INDIA bloc's manifesto talks about finishing 'shakti', saying the elections will decide whether the country would be run by 'Asuri Shakti' (demonic power) or 'Daivik Shakti' (divine power).
Congress leader Pawan Khera likened the BJP to 'Asuri Shakti' and alleged that the nation has seen atrocities against women in the last 10 years and cited the rape cases in Unnao, Kathua and Hathras as well as the harassment of women wrestlers.
"The prime minister is upset and the entire BJP is talking baseless things after Rahul Gandhi attacked 'Asuri Shakti'. This election is between 'Asuri Shakti' and 'Daivik Shakti'," the Congress national spokesperson said.
He claimed that the people of the country, be it farmers, youths, women and the poor, are all standing with Rahul Gandhi and he will emerge victorious in this election.
"This election will decide whether the country will be run by 'Asuri Shakti' or 'Daivik Shakti'. This country always got its strength from 'Daivik Shakti' and the youths, women and farmers are standing with Rahul Gandhi," the Congress leader said.
मोदी जी को मेरी बातें अच्छी नहीं लगतीं, किसी न किसी तरह उन्हें घुमाकर वह उनका अर्थ हमेशा बदलने की कोशिश करते हैं क्योंकि वह जानते हैं कि मैंने एक गहरी सच्चाई बोली है।
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) March 18, 2024
जिस शक्ति का मैंने उल्लेख किया, जिस शक्ति से हम लड़ रहे हैं, उस शक्ति का मुखौटा मोदी जी हैं।
वह एक ऐसी शक्ति…
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Rupee falls 11 paise to 94.27 against US dollar in early trade
Mumbai (PTI): The rupee depreciated 11 paise to 94.27 against US dollar in early trade on Monday driven by persistent dollar demand and a broader shift toward safe-haven assets.
Forex traders said the Indian rupee has hit a rough patch, falling for five consecutive sessions, weighed down by a combination of factors such as the RBI loosening its grip on currency rules and rising oil prices caused by global tensions.
Moreover, investors are becoming cautious again, with foreign institutions pulling money out of the market after a brief period of buying amid rising geopolitical uncertainty.
At the interbank foreign exchange market the rupee opened at 94.25 against the US dollar, then lost some ground and touched 94.27 against the US dollar in initial trade, registering a fall of 11 paise over its previous close. On Friday, the rupee had settled at 94.16 against the American currency.
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Meanwhile, the dollar index, which gauges the greenback's strength against a basket of six currencies, was down 0.09 per cent at 98.44.
Brent crude, the global oil benchmark, was trading higher by 1.16 per cent at USD 106.55 per barrel in futures trade.
A mix of softer economic signals and renewed, even if fragile, hopes of diplomacy pulled the dollar lower again, CR Forex Advisors MD Amit Pabari said, adding that for Rupee, on one hand, a softer dollar offers relief. On the other, uncertainty remains the dominant force.
Meanwhile, India’s forex reserves have crossed USD 703 billion as of April 17, reflecting a consistent build-up of buffers.
"For now, the rupee continues to lean toward gradual weakness. Uncertainty remains the dominant force, shaping both global flows and local reactions," Pabari said.
He further noted that any dips are likely to be bought into, with the 92.80–93.20 zone acting as a strong support. On the upside, 93.50 to 94.50 is expected to define the near-term range.
On the domestic equity market front, the 30-share benchmark index Sensex was trading 518.96 points or 0.68 per cent higher at 77,183.17, while the broader Nifty was trading up 131.30 points or 0.55 per cent at 24,029.25.
Foreign Institutional Investors offloaded equities worth Rs 8,827.87 crore on Friday, according to exchange data.
