Sushant case: Cong questions Centre over CBI probe, wants Sandeep Ssingh's BJP-link' investigated
New Delhi: The Congress Sunday questioned the "alacrity" exhibited by the Centre in ordering a CBI probe in the Sushant Singh Rajput case and sought investigation into alleged BJP links of Sandeep Ssingh, the producer of a biopic on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is under the scanner in a related drugs case.
Congress spokesperson Abhishek Singhvi asked who in the BJP is trying to "save" Ssingh, who produced PM Narendra Modi , the posters of which were unveiled by the then Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis.
Singhvi alleged the film producer who claimed to be Rajput's close friend made 53 calls to the Maharashtra BJP office in the last few months. "Who he was seeking security from," Singhvi asked.
He said political parties do not get into Bollywood matters. "But if a suspect is linked to the ruling party, the country wants to know who is he connected to and who in the BJP is trying to save Sandeep Ssingh.
"Was Sandeep Ssingh the reasons for showing alacrity in ordering a CBI probe? Why are such people linked to the BJP?" he asked.
Singhvi said Fadnavis and senior BJP leader Nitin Gadkari should answer as to why Ssingh made these many calls to the Maharashtra BJP office and who was his boss.
The Congress leader said Ssingh's closeness to the ruling party is evident from the fact that he made the biopic on PM Modi. "He is not a common person as none other than the then CM Devendra Fadnavis released the posters of this film."
On the drugs angle coming up during the investigation into the Rajput death case, Singhvi asked what was the Fadnavis government doing at the time as it was in power in 2017 and 2018.
He also alleged that a case of assault on a minor Swiss national was lodged against Ssingh on March 29 in Mauritius, as per documents available from the Indian embassy.
Singhvi also alleged that even though his company had shown losses, Ssingh was the lone film producer the Vibrant Gujarat in 2019 signed a Rs 177-crore agreement with.
The Supreme Court had last week upheld the transfer to the CBI an FIR lodged by Rajput's father in Patna against actress Rhea Chakraborty and others for allegedly abetting his son's suicide and misappropriating his money.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Cong takes swipe at PM over India not being part of US-led 'Pax Silica' grouping
New Delh (PTI) The Congress on Saturday said it is perhaps not very surprising that India is not part of a US-led strategic initiative to build a secure silicon supply chain, given the "sharp downturn" in the Trump-Modi ties, and asserted that it would have been to "our advantage if we had been part of this group".
Congress general secretary in charge of communications Jairam Ramesh took a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying the news of India not being part of the group comes after the PM had enthusiastically posted on social media about a telephone call with his "once-upon-a-time good friend and a recipient of many hugs in Ahmedabad, Houston, and Washington DC".
In a lengthy post on X, Ramesh said, "According to some news reports, the US has excluded India from a nine-nation initiative it has launched to reduce Chinese control on high-tech supply chains. The agreement is called Pax Silica, clearly as a counter to Pax Sinica. The nations included (for the moment at least) are the US, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Singapore, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Israel, the United Arab Emirates, and Australia."
"Given the sharp downturn in the Trump-Modi ties since May 10th, 2025, it is perhaps not very surprising that India has not been included. Undoubtedly, it would have been to our advantage if we had been part of this group."
"This news comes a day after the PM had enthusiastically posted on his telephone call with his once-upon-a-time good friend and a recipient of many hugs in Ahmedabad, Houston, and Washington DC," the Congress leader asserted.
The new US-led strategic initiative, rooted in deep cooperation with trusted allies, has been launched to build a secure and innovation-driven silicon supply chain.
According to the US State Department, the initiative called 'Pax Silica' aims to reduce coercive dependencies, protect the materials and capabilities foundational to artificial intelligence (AI), and ensure aligned nations can develop and deploy transformative technologies at scale.
The initiative includes Japan, South Korea, Singapore, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Israel, the United Arab Emirates, and Australia. With the exception of India, all other QUAD countries -- Japan, Australia and the US -- are part of the new initiative.
New Delhi will host the India-AI Impact Summit 2026 on February 19-20, focusing on the principles of 'People, Planet, and Progress'. The summit, announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the France AI Action Summit, will be the first-ever global AI summit hosted in the Global South.
Prime Minister Modi and US President Trump on Thursday discussed ways to sustain momentum in the bilateral economic partnership in a phone conversation amid signs of the two sides inching closer to firming up a much-awaited trade deal.
The phone call between the two leaders came on a day Indian and American negotiators concluded two-day talks on the proposed bilateral trade agreement that is expected to provide relief to India from the Trump administration's whopping 50 per cent tariffs on Indian goods.
In a social media post, Modi had described the conversation as "warm and engaging".
"We reviewed the progress in our bilateral relations and discussed regional and international developments. India and the US will continue to work together for global peace, stability and prosperity," Modi had said without making any reference to trade ties.
